Toronto's University Health Network launches scientist recruitment campaign amid U.S. health cuts, layoffs

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 07, 2025 2:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Toronto's University Health Network has a caller program to enlistee the champion and brightest aesculapian scientists from astir the world, including the United States, wherever the authorities is laying disconnected thousands of wellness researchers.

At a quality league Monday morning, UHN executives outlined their "Canada Leads" strategy to enlistee 100 of the world's starring early-career wellness scientists to Canada's largest infirmary network, to support Canadian aesculapian probe and innovation, and thrust economical growth.

The Canada Leads programme volition connection selected scientists a two-year probe backing commitment, arsenic good arsenic mentorship from starring entrepreneurs and assistance from a squad dedicated to transitioning scientists to their caller home. 

UHN president and CEO Kevin Smith says the extremity of the recruitment effort is to make world-leading discoveries and economical spin-off successful manufacturing, biotech and commercialization.

"We cognize determination is an unthinkable accidental to supercharge our Canadian system done bold concern successful subject and technology," Connor said.

"And erstwhile you look astir the world, the grounds is perfectly clear: nations that put successful subject don't conscionable pb successful innovation, they pb successful prosperity."

Smith says supporting much homegrown discoveries tin besides boost a made-in-Canada proviso concatenation of precocious aesculapian products and services. Although Canada spends implicit $400 cardinal connected wellness attraction annually, a important information of that is spent connected technologies, pharmaceuticals and supplies that are not manufactured successful the country, helium says. 

"We person to inquire ourselves, wherefore not? Why are we not reaping the afloat economical benefits of our ain discoveries?"

UHN volition walk $15 cardinal to enlistee the archetypal 50 researchers, Smith said, with backing secured done philanthropic investments. The UHN Foundation and the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation are present mounting astir uncovering matching funds.

UHN looking to capitalize connected imaginable U.S. encephalon drain

The run volition look to instrumentality vantage of ample cuts and layoffs astatine national wellness agencies successful the U.S., including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

Scientists overseeing crab research, vaccine and cause approvals, nationalist wellness and baccy regulations are among 10,000 already laid off.

"As others propulsion back, Canada indispensable measurement up," Smith said Monday. 

Manitoba and B.C. person launched their ain campaigns precocious to pull much U.S. health-care professionals.

"Some of the apical scientists are looking for a caller location close now, and we privation UHN and Canada to prehend this opportunity," Julie Quenneville, president and CEO of the UHN Foundation, said astatine Monday's quality conference.

UHN's Toronto General Hospital was precocious ranked by Newsweek arsenic the 3rd champion infirmary successful the world, making UHN an charismatic spot for apical scientists to relocate, Quenneville said.

"It's really the fig 1 champion infirmary extracurricular of the United States," she noted, with lone the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic ranked higher by Newsweek.

UHN is Canada's apical probe hospital, consisting of 10 sites successful Ontario and much than 20,000 members, including astir 6,000 researchers.