Sunnybrook

Like many organizations, Sunnybrook has been affected by the worldwide CrowdStrike outage. This incident is not a cyber-attack. Clinical activity is continuing as scheduled at all Sunnybrook sites, but patients may experience delays. Patients with appointments today should leave extra time and we appreciate their understanding. Work is underway to restore impacted computer systems. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Y5uC80

Dr. Anthony Lott is a medical oncologist and clinician-teacher at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre. He recently was awarded Sunnybrook’s Student Experience Award. In our latest blog, Dr. Lott talks about his career journey in the medical field and what inspires him to teach others. “My purpose and passion has been to teach trainees the art and science of being a medical oncologist. As physicians, we go through a lot of training. It’s important to give back through teaching, to stay current and to challenge ourselves with fresh ideas.”, says Dr. Lott. Dr. Lott has also supported the development of an educational tool by leveraging an existing free online platform called NOTION. The NOTION that Dr. Lott created offers trainees access to a number of educational resources, like handouts on the diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancer. This tool has expanded beyond Sunnybrook and is being used by hundreds of learners across Canada. To read more visit: https://bit.ly/4cN0GSA

Attention, Acute Care Nurses! We’re hiring. Explore opportunities at Sunnybrook for professional growth, leadership, and advocacy in the health-care system. Learn more at our virtual Acute Care Nursing Job Fair on July 23, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. : https://bit.ly/3S1dSef

At Sunnybrook, we’re proud to be inventing the future of health care with innovative AI tools. Dr. William Tran, radiotherapist and senior scientist in the Odette Cancer Program and Dr. Fang-I Lu, breast pathologist at Sunnybrook, are developing AI technology to improve radiation therapy treatment for patients with breast cancer. Using AI, the team is mapping the tumour immune microenvironment to measure the probability of a breast tumour’s response to high-dose radiation treatment, potentially supporting more personalized and effective treatment plans for patients with advanced breast cancer. Read the latest AI in Action blog: https://bit.ly/3W7nLIs

We're delighted to announce Orla Smith, RN PhD as our new Operations Director of the Tory Trauma Program, effective September 9, 2024. Orla brings a wealth of experience and expertise in critical care, leadership, research, and practice. Orla comes to Sunnybrook from Unity Health Toronto, where she most recently held the position of Senior Clinical Program Director of the Medicine and Emergency Care programs. Additionally, she has co-led various facets of the hospital’s pandemic response; participated in the hospital’s electronic patient record RFP process; and has been actively involved in designing new clinic spaces. Orla’s clinical experience spans critical care and medical and surgical care. She holds a PhD from the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, where her research focused on decision-making experiences and psychological outcomes among family members of critically ill patients. She has achieved a number of honours and awards for her leadership and scholarship. Her formal leadership experience includes a number of director-level and management roles ranging from operations to clinical practice and research. Please join us in welcoming Orla. We are confident that her extensive experience and dedication to excellence will greatly benefit the Tory Trauma Program, Canada's first and largest trauma program, and help Sunnybrook on its continued journey of inventing the future of health care.

Last month we celebrated our incredible Board of Directors and Physicians for their commitment and dedication to Sunnybrook. We honoured five retiring Board and Board Committee Members, as well as, 27 physicians who have worked with us for the past 25 to 45 years. The Medical-Dental Midwifery Staff Association Distinguished Service Award was given to Dr. Calvin Law - thank you for everything you do! To all that were recognized: thank you for your unwavering commitment and passion. You are one of the reasons #ThisPlaceIsSpecial 💚

Scientists at Sunnybrook are inventing the future of health care by developing innovative tools and devices that aim to solve some of health care’s most complex challenges. Dr. Nicole Look Hong, surgical oncologist and associate scientist in the Odette Cancer Program, co-developed MOLLI®, a wire-free and radiation-free technology that works like a stud finder, enabling surgeons to locate breast cancer lesions with more precise accuracy. This flagship device led to the founding of MOLLI Surgical, a SRI spin-off company, and now MOLLI is being used in hospitals across North and Central America and the Caribbean, helping more patients. Read more about Dr. Look Hong’s experience inventing and commercializing MOLLI in our latest instalment of Sunnybrook Inventors: https://bit.ly/4cQFSK9

On May 31, 2024, the centrally piped nitrous oxide system at Sunnybrook’s Holland Centre was permanently decommissioned. Nitrous oxide is most commonly used for anesthetic purposes – and while it may offer medical aid, it has a significantly negative impact on the environment. Sunnybrook is leading nationally in green Operating Room efforts especially with respect to reducing nitrous oxide waste by turning off centrally supplied nitrous oxide and using alternative methods of delivery. This 18-month long journey is a step forward in our environmentally-friendly efforts, helping to save the greenhouse gas equivalent of planting 1450 trees annually and allowing them to grow for 10 years 🌳. The successes of this project has been made possible by the leadership of several passionate staff and physician team members including Danette Beechinor, Eric Cohen, Martin Van Der Vyver and Barb MacArthur. The implementation of this project was made possible by the anesthesia assistant at the Holland centre under the leadership of their clinical lead Phil Lau. We would also like to recognize the plant operations and maintenance staff in general and Daniel Nunes in particular who helped to make this all happen. Last month, a celebration was held at the Holland Centre, where many of those involved in this project came together to celebrate the successes of the decommissioning of centrally piped nitrous oxide system. Andy Smith, President and CEO of Sunnybrook, attended to thank staff for their work to help reach this milestone at the Holland Centre. “The push for change needs to come from the top and the bottom. Opportunities like this are what is helping us to build a better world,” he told the group. Sunnybrook’s commitment to providing exceptional care goes beyond our patients. We are committed to taking steps to reduce environmental waste and promote a healthier environment 💚.

We are aware of a recent advertisement on social media for a free PSW course. This ad is not affiliated with Sunnybrook, and all job postings or training opportunities at Sunnybrook are posted on our website. View our current opportunities: https://bit.ly/3QPPefk

The Toronto Regional Arthroplasty Collaborative (TRAC), a joint initiative between Sunnybrook, Michael Garron Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto), Sinai Health, and Unity Health Toronto has successfully reduced wait times and surgery backlogs for hip and knee procedures. This innovative partnership is making a difference! Dr. James Vavougios, a family physician in East York, and his patient, Georgia Stapass, share their experiences with the program in our recent blog. To read more about Georgia’s experience and how primary care physicians are able to refer patients to the TRAC program, visit: https://bit.ly/3LhdCUx.