Sunnybrook

Summer’s in full swing and many of us are enjoying drinks on the patio or at barbeques.🍹 With the recent announcement of the expansion of alcohol sales in Ontario and the recent LCBO work stoppage, the question of how people drink is top of mind. Tom Nguyen, a social worker at Sunnybrook’s Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic shares his expertise on how drinking alcohol impacts a person’s health, and what resources are available for support. To learn more visit: https://bit.ly/46fHCK6

Are you a family member supporting a youth aged 11-29 years old with mental health and/or addictions concerns? The Family Navigation Project (FNP) is seeking new members to join the Family Advisory Council! 🩷 The FNP is a non-profit, philanthropically-funded program that provides help to youth and their families in the Greater Toronto Area. The program supports youth and their families navigate the mental health and addictions service system, and connect with the support they need. If you or someone you know is interested in this meaningful opportunity, apply online: https://bit.ly/4fcYrJM.

Mark Cameron is a Sunnybrook educator and former flight paramedic who has provided medical aid and education on the front-lines of war zones and areas of conflict. He has helped lead a United Nations polio vaccination campaign for children in Syria and has also delivered medical aid and training in Ukraine, Guyana, Turkey and China, among other countries. Most recently, Mark is among the latest to be named a member of the Order of Canada, announced last month. Associate director of the Advanced Life Support and Trauma Education program at Sunnybrook and co-founder of the Canadian International Medical Relief Organization (CIMRO), Mark is recognized for his work as an educator and paramedic providing front line combat medicine, and for the reach of CIMRO initiatives to help global communities in need. Read more: https://bit.ly/3WhNyO6

Earlier today, like many organizations, Sunnybrook was impacted by the global CrowdStrike outage. Thanks to the diligent work of our Information Services team, all Sunnybrook servers have been restored and all systems are operating normally. Our teams will now focus on bringing the remaining impacted work stations online. This will take a few days. Clinical care has not been interrupted and patients should not hesitate to seek care if they need it. Read more: https://bit.ly/46tp7lT

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 💚