Top Photos of the Year

Unity Health Toronto Photographer Yuri Markarov shares some of his favourite photos of 2024

2024 was a year driven by people and events at Unity Health Toronto. Each photo captures the incredible staff, physicians and learners and the limitless potential of the hospital network. I’m constantly blown away by the talent and dedication of our team. These shots aim to capture the spirit of teamwork, commitment and joy, while showcasing the hard work that powers every corner of this amazing organization.

Dr. Andrew Brown, an interventional radiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital, with patient Crystal Ellis. This was the first time in Canada a new device called a RevCore Thrombectomy Catheter was used to treat deep vein thrombosis, which affects an estimated 45,000 Canadians. For this shoot I wanted to capture the chemistry between the doctor and the patient – they were laughing and Dr. Brown’s bedside manner was shining.

The Simulation Program is a major focus of education research at St. Michael’s Hospital, and Medical Director Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak and the team have been preparing for real world scenarios using simulation for well over a decade. In this shoot, they worked in chaotic harmony as they simulated resuscitating the mannikin “patient.” The program regularly simulates new techniques and then looks at the captured data to improve their best practices.

The surgical team at St. Joseph’s brought me in twice to photograph operating room (OR) physicians and nurses. This shot was taken in the middle of surgery, of nurse Dorothy Anne Barnes, who was receptive to being photographed despite a busy caseload.

I’ve shot in ORs hundreds of times and it does get easier to navigate the room after a while. The opportunity to shoot surgery is always exciting because you’re in a room with highly trained professionals, surrounded by incredible medical technology and there’s a patient in the middle of it all getting treatment.

This is Qiu Yi (Julia) Shao, a medical technician specialist celebrating 10 years at St. Michael’s Hospital, where she started as a student. Her story was featured in our annual report, showcasing long-term team members.The collegiality during this shoot was amazing. Despite the busy environment, everyone chipped in – clearing space and setting up the lab.

I chose this shot because it shows Julia in her element: calm, happy, and surrounded by her specialized equipment and supportive colleagues.

Svitlana Yermakova visited her care team at the BARLO MS Centre with her daughter Darina, who helped interpret for her. Also assisting were Rudaba Khan, RPN(c), and Anastasia Korosteliov, RN. I even got to use a bit of Russian to chat with Svitlana, which doesn’t happen often on shoots!

The BARLO Centre, on the top two floors of the Peter Gilgan Tower, is a stunning, museum-like space – perfect for a shoot. We spent two hours capturing moments and learning about multiple sclerosis treatment for a photo essay.

Equity-Based Mentorship Celebration Day marked the end of a five-month program. Participants spent time with mentors to build relationships through an equity lens, with the support of Sharona Bookbinder, a Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant who organized the program. The energy in the room was amazing, the interactions were natural, and that’s always my favorite outcome for a shoot.

One of the first assignments at St. Michael’s when I started in 2011 was shooting surgery. It was different from most shoots, you had to know where to be and where not to be. This was a shot from an operating room at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, organized by the talented Chief of Surgery Dr. Mary-Anne Aarts, chief of the department of surgery (far right).

Shooting surgery can be tricky; the OR lights are intense and you usually need filters attached to lenses. The blue drapes cannot be touched, so you have to carefully waltz around the room – especially when shooting photos. With video I use a monopod to minimize my space and stand where one of the surgeons would.

This shot was part of a set to showcase the surgical teams at St. Joseph’s. Most times I spend hours in the OR shooting multiple surgeries, but in this case I had the privilege of going from room to room to capture the magic of surgery and showcase a small part of the pool of amazing talent our organization boasts.

Soon after the OR shoot at St. Joseph’s, Patient Care Manager Caroline Fosker contacted me to get more photos of the team. This shot focused more on the surgeon – Dr. Christopher Habbel.

OR lights are spectacular and framing them in the background with the bed in the foreground creates, in my opinion, a sense of presence for the viewer. On a surgical shoot, I always ask the team if flash photography is OK first. If not, I rely on available lighting. The operating field is illuminated so intensely it refracts from the patient and their drapes onto the team.

Registered Nurse Ashley Zomparelli (far right) is crucial to any operation (as any nurse in the OR is). I wanted to show the professionalism and skills of people who work in ORs with the almost casual way of performing their complicated tasks.

Providence Healthcare has programs I haven’t seen or captured before the organizational integration of Unity Health in 2017. In this frame, Vanessa Foucher, physiotherapist in the mobility clinic, is helping Malcolm Revill with the fitting of his prosthetics and physiotherapy. Watching the patient, an older man, walk and stretch with two prosthetics was inspiring.
This shoot was part of a Take a Moment campaign, lead by Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt, Mission and Values Manager at Unity Health Toronto. The idea was to capture our values in action and Providence has been upholding those values for over 150 years.

Natural lighting was key, although I used a flash to fill it in. I like to use shadows whenever and wherever possible and in this shot the lighting separates the subjects from the busy background. The patient’s wife standing in the reflection adds a subtle but powerful element to the story.

World Prematurity Day at the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Joseph’s Health Centre was a small but lively celebration. The team organized an event in the newly renovated patient and family room, inviting patients’ families to join.

For social media, I boosted the contrast and saturation to match the upbeat energy of the day. While I usually avoid over-processing, in this case, it really brought out the spirit of the event and added to the energy everyone felt that day.