Department of Medicine Celebrates the Impact of Its Faculty and Legacy of the Eaton Chair

The Department of Medicine is home to an exceptional cadre of medical educators, researchers and world-renowned thought leaders. Each year, when the Department of Medicine gathers at Annual Day to celebrate the achievements of its faculty members, alumni and trainees, this becomes abundantly clear.  

On June 11, members of the department were recognized for their accomplishments in scholarship, research, education, mentorship, humanism and patient care.

This year, Annual Day also observed the 100th anniversary of the Sir John and Lady Eaton Chair and Professor of Medicine, an endowment from the Eaton family that has had a transformative impact on the Department and broader Faculty of Medicine at University of Toronto. The gift propelled the department into the era of academic medicine, shaping its trajectory today.

“This gift enabled the major recruitment of academic physicians who combined clinical skills with scientific training and experience to interpret scientific advances to students and practitioners,” said Dr. Gillian Hawker, the current Sir John and Lady Eaton Chair of Medicine.

“It also enabled the expansion of laboratory research. You can draw a dotted line from this gift in 1919 to the very first time insulin was injected into a person two years later.”

Watch: The Department of Medicine’s current and former Chairs reflect on the legacy of the Sir John and Lady Eaton Professor and Chair of Medicine.

“The Department of Medicine is an absolute pipeline for physician scientists and thought leaders,” remarked Dr. David Naylor, Professor of Medicine and University of Toronto President Emeritus, in the keynote address.

“One of the biggest advantages of being part of a university in an urban centre like Toronto is having the capacity to tackle the world's biggest challenges. No department has the capacity to this extent like the Department of Medicine.”

Each year, the awards ceremony recognizes members of the department who have demonstrated innovation in scholarship, research, teaching or clinical care, as well as those who have been exemplars of mentorship and humanism in medicine. Click here for a full list of Department of Medicine award recipients.

The Department of Medicine also announced its inaugural class in the Academy of Master Clinicians. The Academy honours faculty members who have demonstrated consistent outstanding clinical performance and the highest standard of patient care. The Master Clinicians celebrated this year were nominated by their colleagues and the medical community. This year, they are Drs. David Tang-Wai, Maureen Trudeau, David Wong, Scott Walsh and Joel Yaphe.

Faculty members who were promoted to Professor, Associate Professor, or who reached the distinguished rank of Professor Emeritius were also honoured.

Click here to view photos from Annual Day.