University Health Network and The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences Announce Joint Partnership for Health Care Education in Ontario.
Toronto, ON – The University Health Network, one of Canada’s largest teaching and research hospital networks, and The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, the only education institution in Canada devoted exclusively to applied health sciences education, have announced their intent to explore a unique partnership aimed at creating a first-of-its-kind health learning organization in Canada.
The proposed integration will bring together a diploma-granting health care education institution with an academic health sciences network within a single organization. By coming together, Michener and UHN will be able to better support and advance health care system priorities by creating the capacity to rapidly adapt health professional education to meet pressing challenges and to seize new opportunities to create and deploy innovative health care education solutions in Ontario. This integration strengthens the role of education as a fundamental part of Ontario’s health system, quality care and patient safety, and does so in a way that respects the need for a sustainable health system.
“Education is vital to quality and sustainable health care,” said Dr. Robert Howard, Chair, Board of Governors at Michener. “Both Michener and UHN share a commitment to training the next generation of health care professionals and leaders and believe in the value of education in advancing quality patient care, clinical practice and health system transformation. This is truly an exciting time for health care education in Ontario.”
“University Health Network has a long and proud history in the education of health care professionals,” said John Mulvihill, Chair, of UHN’s Board of Trustees. “We are very excited by the possibilities in this relationship and will also look to our academic partners and hospitals to make sure that the benefit of this relationship is felt throughout the Province and the country.”
- By working within a single network, Michener and UHN will be able to:
Strengthen the role of education as a fundamental part of Ontario’s healthcare system, quality care, patient safety and effective use of resources; - Advance the healthcare system in Ontario by creating the capacity to rapidly adapt health professional training to meet pressing challenges and to seize new opportunities for innovative healthcare education solutions in Ontario;
- Leverage the expertise and capacity within both organizations which already have a strong and rich history of partnership and collaboration and which share similar innovative cultures; and
- Bring education, research and clinical practice more closely together.
A memorandum of understanding was finalized earlier today, outlining the process and steps to bring the two organizations together. Pending the outcome of a due diligence process, the integration is expected to be formalized in late 2015, with the creation of The Michener Institute of Education at UHN.
“This announcement is about building an innovative, sustainable vision for health care education in Ontario based on what Michener and UHN do best,” said Maureen Adamson, President and CEO of Michener.
“We believe this partnership will be a ‘first of its kind’ for Ontario, giving learners unique opportunities to contribute to innovative health care solutions that put patients first.”
“This is a very exciting development for students, their teachers and the caregivers throughout UHN,” said Dr. Peter Pisters, President and CEO, University Health Network. “Health care needs bright, motivated and experienced health care professionals who have a sound education and one which places an emphasis on lifelong learning. At UHN, we say that we are all teaching, we are all learning and we welcome the opportunity to work with the talented and committed people at The Michener Institute.”
More information about the integration is available at www.michener.ca and on www.uhn.ca.
Read the Michener-UHN MOU– 30 –
About Michener
Established in 1958, The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences is Canada’s only post-secondary institution devoted exclusively to health sciences education. Michener offers full-time and continuing education in Imaging, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Medical Radiation Sciences, Primary and Critical Care and other specialized applied health programs. With a robust and responsive curriculum that emphasizes inter-professional collaboration and simulation based training, graduates are prepared to deliver quality diagnostic and therapeutic services. Michener is publicly funded by the Ministry of Health and further enriched through partnerships with universities, private sector companies and leading health care organizations. For more information, visit us at www.michener.ca.
About UHN
University Health Network consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. www.uhn.ca
Contacts:
Jacqueline Waldorf
Director of Communications and Marketing, The Michener Institute
t. 416.596.3120
e. jwaldorf@michener.ca
Ana Gajic
Public Affairs Assistant, University Health Network
t. 416.340.4800 ext.4011
e. ana.gajic@uhn.ca
