On November 6–8, University Health Network had the privilege of hosting its Patron Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh, for a three-day tour of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and Toronto Rehab.
Her Royal Highness met with frontline health care workers, researchers, staff and patients to learn about medical and scientific innovation across UHN. Discussions covered the latest advancements in emergency and social medicine, cardiovascular care, physical rehabilitation, vision, arthritis and brain research.
On the first day of the tour, Her Royal Highness visited the Michael Lawrence Turk Emergency Rapid Assessment Centre, which has served more than 37,000 patients since its inception in 2022. She also visited the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, a leading institute in cardiac and vascular care.
On the second day, Her Royal Highness visited Toronto Western Hospital, where she toured the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute’s Clinical Research Unit.
There, she met with internationally recognized research teams that are shaping our understanding of the visual system and developing novel approaches to treat vision loss. She even tried on a virtual reality headset in Dr. Michael Reber's lab, while learning about his research into the use of virtual reality in rehabilitation for people living with low vision.
Her Royal Highness also shared her passion for medical innovation with research teams at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, where she learned about the Psoriatic Arthritis Program and the impact of Dr. Dafna Gladman's work.
At the Krembil Brain Institute, she learned about stem cell research conducted by Dr. Michael Fehlings and took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Peter Gilgan Program in Neuroregeneration Research.
Her Royal Highness also learned about the new 15-storey surgical tower under construction at Toronto Western Hospital. The tower will push boundaries in research and clinical practice across UHN, with 20 operating rooms, and technology to incorporate real-time imaging and artificial intelligence into patient care and education.
(Clockwise from left) Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh testing a virtual reality system at the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute, touring the Krembil Discovery Tower with UHN Foundation Chair Raj Kothari and The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor, and at a ribbon cutting for the Peter Gilgan Program in Neuroregeneration Research at the Krembil Research Institute.
On the last day of her visit, Her Royal Highness visited Toronto Rehab and the KITE Research Institute. She toured the physiotherapy gym where she met patients and health care workers and witnessed various rehabilitation techniques. She also tried the reactive balance training frame and harness in the Movement Evaluation Laboratory—a system built to improve the control of movement and mobility, especially among people recovering from stroke and brain injury.
At KITE, Her Royal Highness learned about the multidisciplinary research teams that are developing products, practices and policies to improve the lives of people living with disability and illness and support healthy aging.
She enjoyed guided tours of DriverLab—Canada’s most advanced driving simulator—WinterLab and StreetLab, and took part in the ribbon-cutting for the Schroeder Pain Assessment and Rehabilitation Research Clinic.
(Clockwise from left) Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh testing DriverLab, getting a tour of KITE’s state-of-the-art simulation research spaces and visiting with a patient at Toronto Rehab.
“Having been Patron of Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals since 2005, I’ve seen over many years how they are always moving health care forward while continuing to put communities first,” said Her Royal Highness. “On this visit it was fascinating to hear how they are using advancements in research and technology to enhance patient care and the exciting opportunities this offers for the future.”
Throughout her visit, Her Royal Highness met with some of UHN’s prominent donors and volunteers, whose generous philanthropy and support enhances research, care and education and helps us build A Healthier World.
Addressing donors, she remarked with gratitude, “You are making things change for people. This is change for community. It's change for good.”
UHN is grateful for Her Royal Highness’ continued support, and it was an honour to host her!