University Health Network (UHN) is a public research and teaching

hospital network A hospital network is a public, non-profit or for-profit company or organization that provides two or more hospitals and other broad healthcare facilities and services. A hospital network may include hospitals in one or more regions within one o ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is the largest health research organization in Canada and ranks first in Canada for total research funding. It was named Canada's top research hospital by Research Infosource from 2015 to 2021. The network includes three acute care hospitals –

Toronto General Hospital The Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is a major teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the flagship campus of University Health Network (UHN). It is located in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto along University Avenue's Hospital ...

Toronto Western Hospital The Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) is a major research and teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the University Health Network (UHN). It has 256 beds, with 46,000 visits to its emergency department annually. It is known for ...

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (previously, ''Princess Margaret Hospital'') is a scientific research centre and a teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, affiliated with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine as part of the Univ ...

– the

Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI or commonly Toronto Rehab) is the largest rehabilitation hospital in Canada. Owned and operated by the University Health Network (UHN), Toronto Rehab provides patients with rehabilitation care, helping people ...

, and

The Michener Institute The Michener Institute of Education at UHN, or simply Michener, is a specialist post-secondary institution in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Based in Downtown Toronto and governed by the University Health Network (UHN), Canada's largest funded health c ...

, a post-secondary institution granting diplomas and certificates in health sciences and leadership. In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, there were over 39,000 acute inpatient stays and close to 121,000 emergency department visits across the three acute care hospitals.

History

A series of mergers over many years has resulted in the UHN in its current form. In 1986, the

and the

merged to form The Toronto Hospital. This was followed in 1998 when the

united, with the resultant institution named the University Health Network in 1999. The

joined in 2011, facilitating rehabilitation services for patients as they transitioned out of acute care. All four hospitals are affiliated with the

Faculty of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and serve as teaching hospitals for resident physicians,

nurses Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ca ...

, and other healthcare professions. 2016 saw the integration of

into the UHN. The Michener Institute for Education was originally established in 1958 and is the first non-medical unit to join the UHN.

Programs

UHN and

Sinai Health System The Sinai Health is a hospital system which serves Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It comprises two hospitals, Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto), Mount Sinai Hospital (an acute care hospital) and Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, formally Bridgepoint Active H ...

jointly run the SHS-UHN Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, advocating for improved patient access to appropriate antibiotics while combating

antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials. All classes of microbes can evolve resistance. Fungi evolve antifungal resistance. Viruses evolve antiviral resistance. ...

. The program is led by

infectious diseases An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

specialist Andrew Morris, who joined as founding Director at its inception in 2009. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, UHN received a $323,981 grant from the

Public Health Agency of Canada The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC; french: Agence de la santé publique du Canada, ASPC) is an agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic diseas ...

's Immunization Partnership Fund to increase

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

uptake among personal support workers and their patients.

References

* Hospital networks in Canada 1999 establishments in Ontario {{Canada-org-stub