News

Southlake Regional Health Centre and the
University of Toronto
Sign Academic Affiliation Agreement

(Newmarket, Ontario – March 16, 2009) Committed to delivering healthcare excellence now and in the future, Southlake Regional Health Centre (Southlake) and the University of Toronto (U of T) today announced a new partnership that will launch an important new teaching initiative at the hospital and see an increased number of U of T healthcare profession students training and gaining experience at Southlake.

Under the partnership, beginning July 2009, Southlake’s new Academic Family Health Team will train family medicine residents. With thousands of local residents in northern York Region and south Simcoe County without a family doctor, the need to focus on family medicine training is an important fit for Southlake.

“Understanding the great need in our community, we began developing the Family Health Team initiative in 2007. Today, we are proud to see our efforts come to fruition as we proudly partner with the University of Toronto, one of Canada’s most respected medical schools,” said Dan Carriere, Southlake’s President and CEO. “Southlake is recognized as a leader in a number of key regional programs and is home to leading edge technology and facilities comparable to, and in some cases exceeding what is offered anywhere else in the Province of Ontario. Together with the U of T, we have the knowledge and expertise to provide meaningful educational experiences to healthcare professionals in training.”

Catharine Whiteside, Dean of Medicine, University of Toronto added, “At the U of T Faculty of Medicine, our strength is our partnerships. We are leaders because we have the good fortune to work with the very best, and that is certainly true of the leadership and staff at Southlake Regional Health Centre.”

As evidence of the enthusiasm for this training opportunity, 140 U of T medical students have applied for four initial positions at Southlake. By 2012, the Academic Family Health Team will expand to 18 medical residents. “Some of Canada’s most talented healthcare professionals work at Southlake,” stated Dr. Nancy Merrow, Southlake’s Chief of Staff. “Combined with our innovative spirit and modern facilities, we believe that Southlake has become a destination of choice for many residents.”

The diversity of practice settings across U of T ’s healthcare network prepares students for the challenges of working in a changing, evolving environment. “Medicine is practiced in all kinds of settings – rural, urban and suburban. At community affiliated sites like Southlake, we know our students are exposed to situations and scenarios that are unique to communities like Newmarket,” said Lynn Wilson, Chair of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.

According to Dan Carriere the partnership with the U of T is the first of many academic affiliations that Southlake will develop as it transitions to a teaching and research hospital. “Teaching is nothing new to Southlake. We have a long history of accommodating nursing and medical students in various programs throughout the Hospital,” stated Dan Carriere. “Through innovative public/private partnerships and the support of the Town of Newmarket, Southlake is preparing to establish an onsite health sciences campus to teach and train nurses, doctors, pharmacists, dietitians, and other health sciences students using an interprofessional team approach.”

This type of team approach will offer a unique learning experience for healthcare profession students. “At the present time, health profession students receive training within their own discipline and are then expected to function with other disciplines once they graduate,” said Dan Carriere. “The approach at Southlake will be to identify opportunities to train various disciplines together so that by the time they graduate, they appreciate the skill set of each member of the team and will work together to meet the healthcare needs of their patients.”

Today’s event included Dan Carriere and Dean Catharine Whiteside signing a poster in recognition of the affiliation agreement. The signing took place in the presence of cheering students, representing a number of York Region high schools, who have an interest in pursuing a career in medicine or other health profession field.

“One of the most exciting elements of Southlake becoming an academic centre is that local students will have an opportunity to train in a state-of-the-art facility close to home,” explained Dan Carriere. “We have a responsibility to provide our students, especially those that have grown up in the area, with a rich and rewarding experience so that by the time they graduate, they will choose to set-up practices in the area or apply for jobs at Southlake.”

High schools represented at the event were Aurora's St. Andrew's College and Ecole Secondaire Catholique Renaissance; Newmarket's Sir William Mulock Secondary School, Newmarket High School, and Sacred Heart High School; and Saint-Robert Catholic High School in Thornhill.

In addition to benefiting students, Southlake’s transition to a teaching and research hospital will result in greater opportunities to recruit and retain new physicians and other healthcare professionals to the area, enhanced overall quality of patient care and enhanced research opportunities. It will also serve to stimulate the local economy by creating jobs, supporting and increasing local business opportunities, and enhancing the overall standard of living within Newmarket and surrounding areas. 

About the University of Toronto

Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's largest and most influential university with almost 12,000 faculty and staff working at three campuses, 16 community-affiliated sites and ten fully-affiliated hospitals in the Toronto region.   Our world-leading scholars teach more than 60,000 students in 841 distinct undergraduate programs as well as 520 graduate and 42 professional programs.  According to Thomson ISI data, U of T faculty also publish more research than any other publicly-funded university in North America. And with over 400,000 alumni in more than 130 countries around the world, U of T is truly global in reach and impact.  

About Southlake Regional Health Centre

Established in 1922, Southlake Regional Health Centre (formerly York County Hospital) opened York Region’s first school of nursing during the 1920s.. Since that time, thousands of nurses, observers, clerks, fellows, and residents have trained at the Hospital. At the present time, about 100 of Southlake’s affiliated physicians and staff are teaching at some level, and approximately 2,000 student days are taking place at Southlake on an annual basis. Through the newly created Research Institute at Southlake, the Hospital has developed a partnership with York University to bring innovative and ground-breaking research projects to the Hospital, in addition to the many ongoing drug and device trials in cardiac, oncology, arthritis, and orthopaedics.

Centre left to right: Surrounded by cheering high school students who aspire to become doctors, nurses, or other healthcare professionals, Dr. Nancy Merrow, Southlake's Chief of Staff; Catharine Whiteside, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; and Southlake President and CEO, Dan Carriere announced a new partnership that will launch an important teaching initiative at the hospital and see an increased number of U of T healthcare profession students training and gaining experience at Southlake. High schools represented at the event were Aurora's St. Andrew's College and Ecole Secondaire Catholique Renaissance; Newmarket's Sir William Mulock Secondary School, Newmarket High School, and Sacred Heart High School; and Saint-Robert Catholic High School in Thornhill

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