Newsmakers
At Unity Health Toronto, our people, programs and innovators make headlines and shape national conversations on urgent challenges, from Canada’s family doctor shortage to the overdose crisis to how to predict and respond to the next pandemic. Among hundreds of earned media mentions this year, here are some of the highlights.
The best care experiences
‘A sense of dignity and hope’
Unity Health opened a 36-bed Withdrawal Management Services centre with 24-hour nursing support, private and shared rooms, cooked meals, laundry and lounges to play cards or watch TV.
Read The Canadian Press
An ‘extraordinary transformation’
The ED at St. Joseph’s is 40 per cent larger thanks to 100% donor funding, with new areas for ambulatory and geriatric care and better spaces for kids and those in crisis due to mental illness.
Watch CityNews
‘A good place with good people’
A community resource worker at Providence Healthcare helps ease patients back into the community after a stay in the hospital, even helping to find them housing.
Read Hospital News
Leaders in Research and Innovation
Dr. Darren Yuen and Eno Hysi
The St. Michael’s Hospital fundraiser, Angel’s Den, has “cracked the elusive code” for turning clinical and laboratory research into commercially successful companies.
Read The Globe and Mail
Dr. Subodh Verma
Global clinical trials led by the cardiac surgeon-scientist are uncovering the effects of semaglutide drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on patients with heart conditions.
Read The Globe and Mail
Dr. Amol Verma and CHARTWatch team
A new study found an AI tool developed at St. Michael’s led to a 26% drop in unexpected deaths among hospitalized patients, earning headlines across Canada.
Watch CBC’s The National
Dr. Tara Gomes
A new report by the epidemiologist and scientist showed an increasing number of overdose deaths in Ontario involve the use of more than one drug, making headlines across Canada.
Read The Canadian Press
Unity Health’s Simulation Program
A special feature highlighted the Simulation Program and other high tech solutions that help Unity Health attract top talent as one of the GTA’s Top 100 Employers.
Read The Globe and Mail
Dr. Andrew Beckett
The director of trauma at St. Michael’s anchored this in-depth piece about research being done on blood serum made in Canada during the Second World War to see how it could improve transfusion medicine today.
Read The Globe and Mail
Dr. Nathan Churchill
New research from the senior research associate at St. Michael’s showed concussions in athletes cause changes to the brain that persist beyond medical clearance.
Watch Global News
Advancing Care for All
Dr. Michelle Sholzberg
The hematologist and St. Michael’s scientist spoke about changes to Ontario’s iron deficiency guidelines and why they are an important health equity issue for women.
Read CBC News
Dr. Tara Kiran
The family physician and researcher at St. Michael’s – a leading expert on Canada’s primary care crisis – spoke to journalists about barriers to equitable care and potential solutions.
Read The Globe and Mail
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
A special series by The Local, grounded in research from MAP at St. Michael’s Hospital, showed how wealth disparities in society can affect life expectancy.
Read The Local
Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi
More than 30 outlets picked up news coverage of research by the internist and clinical scientist on the projected impact of closing supervised consumption sites.
Read The Canadian Press
Dr. Darrell Tan
The infectious diseases specialist at St. Michael’s spoke about the need for more second doses of the mpox vaccine for at-risk people in Canada and hard-hit countries.
Listen to CBC’s The Current
My Baby and Me Clinic
The clinic at St. Michael’s offers individuals care for their pregnancy and postpartum period, as well as supports for their substance use. “I was set up for success,” said one mother, now thriving.
Read Toronto Life and The Globe and Mail
Dr. Fahad Razak
Dr. Razak was part of an expert panel who informed a report requested by Health Canada that says Canada needs to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and prioritize vulnerable populations.
Read The Canadian Press
Last updated October 14, 2025