Supporting Those Who Support U of T Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine never really closes. Even now, in the midst of the pandemic, we have administrative, research and technical staff reporting to work on a daily basis. On campus, members of the MedStore team, led by Michael Scott, are ensuring supplies are acquired, delivered and received to keep labs doing essential research operating. The Facilities Management and Space Planning Office, led by Heather Taylor, is working with Facilities and Services to ensure buildings are cleaned and access is maintained for those who need it. And, throughout the Faculty, in labs and in services like the Division of Comparative Medicine and Discovery Commons, technical staff are supporting our research and information infrastructure. 

At the same time, in their homes, our administrative staff teams are working diligently to keep the Faculty operating virtually. They’re providing support to our learners, coordinating meetings, developing communications, handling our finances and ensuring that what can be done, is done — to maintain as close to a normal state as possible. And, they do that while balancing demands of childcare, eldercare, or both. Now and as usual, it is evident that our staff are the backbone of the Faculty’s operations. We could not achieve any of our fundamental aims without their support and hard work. We are very thankful for their dedication to the Faculty during such challenging times. 

In recent weeks, you have heard about initiatives to support wellness among learners and faculty. Now, we want to ensure we are supporting the unique wellness needs of our administrative, research and technical staff. The Faculty of Medicine is launching a staff wellness working group, under the leadership of Jean Robertson, Director of Human Resources. And, we are extending an open call for any appointed staff member who is interested to join this working group. The intention is to generate ideas and priorities that will support staff wellness in U of T Medicine; perhaps this is a professional development series or a renewed staff mentorship program. Your ideas, like your work, are valued. 

Again, we want to extend our sincere thanks to the staff in Medicine who have been keeping the Faculty operational — those in-person and on-campus, as well as those working from home. You’ve been invaluable in ensuring we can respond to the urgent challenges we face today, and in preparations to resume normal operations as soon as possible. 

Thank you. Stay well. We’re all in this together.   

Trevor Young 
Dean, Faculty of Medicine 
Vice Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions 

Dev Chopra 
Chief Administrative Officer, Faculty of Medicine