Please see below for the following updates:

• RSVPs for the CPA day
• Sign up for San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training
• Learn about the new Unity Health startup: Genetics Adviser
• Accreditation Information
• ‘Music heals’: Medical resident plays violin concert for patients at St. Michael’s Hospital

Dear Colleagues,

On October 6th we will be hosting a hybrid event from 11am to 1pm showcasing the outstanding Creative Professional Activities (CPA) many of our colleagues are involved in. The goal with this event is to showcase our work, open up networking and collaboration opportunities, and introduce early career faculty of the many CPA projects and ideas that exist here in Toronto. We know of many projects on the go from new evaluative tools, graduation tool kits, and online learning modules. Some of our presenters include Dr. Alberto Goffi (MSICU, UHT), Dr. Esther Bui (Neurology, UHN), and Dr. Aaron Thompson (Occupational Medicine).

We particularly want to encourage early career faculty, those completing scholarly work in teaching and education, and those applying for their CFAR to attend.

Lunch will be served for those attending in person. Please click the link below to RSVP for this event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Dr. Martina Trinkaus - Faculty Lead, Valuing Clinician Teacher, Culture & Inclusion Portfolio

Dr. Umberin Najeeb - Vice Chair, Culture and Inclusion, Department of Medicine

Register for CPA Day https://forms.office.com/r/2PzZuEsw0i

At Unity Health Toronto, equity, anti-racism, and social accountability continues to be a central component to our strategic priorities for the 23-24 fiscal year. One of our commitments to achieve this objective is the offering of the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training (ICS) to our staff and physicians. We are currently offering our 6^th cohort of this training and have 150 spots available. This eight-week online program (eight to ten hours in total) helps our people enhance their self-awareness and strengthen the skills of those who work both directly and indirectly in providing service to Indigenous people and their communities. This program is asynchronous and will allow our people to learn at their own pace and in their optimal learning environment.

It is an expectation that those who sign up commit towards the full completion of the program as there is a cost to the organization for registering and no extensions are granted by the provider of the program.  The San’yas ICS training will be taking place between October-January.  Should you require any additional information, please feel free to access the San’yas website at https://sanyas.ca/.

To register today, please email  [email protected]. Hurry! Spots will go quickly.

 Unity Health has recently licensed a digital health information delivery platform into the startup company, Genetics Adviser, and became its latest shareholder.

Genetics Adviser (GA) is Unity Health startup founded by Dr. Yvonne Bombard & Marc Clausen, the company provides a patient-facing, web-based platform that delivers genetics education, counseling, return of test results and management support for all forms of genetic testing. The platform has been proven in clinical trials to reduce clinician consultation time, improve patient knowledge, satisfaction and the overall quality of patient-centered care.

The company was a select company by the University of Toronto Early Stage Technology (UTEST) entrepreneurial program, and is in the process of securing seed funding to support the continued development and commercialization of their platform (completed the UTEST program).

For the faculty who will be participating in accreditation, there will be 2 faculty information sessions, led by Linda Probyn from PGME. More information to come soon from core medicine.  

On a sunny summer morning on the 14th floor of St. Michael’s Hospital, the sound of violin music echoes through the busy hallways. Dr. Yuchen Dai, an internal medicine resident at the University of Toronto and classically-trained violinist, is going around to each room to play live music for the older adult patients and their visitors.

“How about some Chopin?” Dai asks one patient, who has agreed to hear some music.

“Chopin it is,” the patient replies, as he sits up to get a better view of the bedside concert.

“I think you’ll recognize it!” Dai says, as he starts playing Chopin’s famous Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2. As the music fills the room and corridor, other staff and physicians gather by the door side to get a glimpse of Dai playing his violin.

When the song ends, Dai thanks the patient for his time and continues on to the next room where he plays the Love Theme from the film Cinema Paradiso, followed by Amazing Grace, a request from one of the patients.

The mini concerts were organized for patients on the Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit – an inpatient unit dedicated to providing elder-friendly care for patients over the age of 70 who have multiple chronic health conditions.

“Music heals at its core — even a couple of minutes of music by the bedside,” said Dai. “Patients on the unit can often experience loneliness. It’s difficult for the families to be by the bedside all the time. Just having that stimulus in the room, I saw a lot of patients smiling and clapping along, which I always love to see.”

Dr. Jennifer Watt, geriatrician at St. Michael’s and physician with the ACE Unit, said music therapy has numerous benefits for older patients, including improving mood and engagement with in-hospital rehabilitation. For those with dementia, music can also improve their interactions with family, friends or caregivers, she said.

Studies have also shown that familiar music can activate areas of the brain, including those involved with emotion, the processing of language, movement and memory.

Watt said patients already often listen to pre-recorded music to help them relax, participate in therapy or reminisce. She was excited to give them the opportunity to listen to live music, which can be more engaging and immersive.

“While we typically think of learners, like Dr. Dai, providing traditional medical care such as taking histories and performing physical examinations, our learners have many talents,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see them improve the patient experience by sharing their talents.”

Merging music and medicine

Dai, a first-year Internal Medicine resident, studied violin performance for his undergrad after picking up the instrument when he was six. As a young child, he originally wanted to play the piano. But as his family was preparing to immigrate to Canada at the time, they encouraged him to choose a more portable instrument.

“I chose the violin and I’ve loved it ever since,” he said.

As his skills developed, Dai played concerts in Europe and Canada with his quartet and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He followed up his Bachelor of Music degree with medical school at the University of Ottawa.

In May 2023, Dai toured Romania with the World Doctors Orchestra, a non-profit orchestra comprised of physician-musicians from around the world. The orchestra performs four concerts a year, raising funds for medical aid projects.   

Dai is now completing his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Toronto while finding ways to incorporate his passion for music with his work.

“The staff here have always been so supportive, not just for the patients, but also for all the new learners,” he said. “Whenever I have ideas, whether it is treatment recommendations for a patient or putting on a show like today, I always feel comfortable telling the staff and we try to make it work. Hopefully we can do it again soon.”