Temerty Medicine After COVID-19

At the beginning of this year, I began a new position in the Faculty as Vice Dean, Strategy and Operations. It’s a role that combines facilitating the implementation of our Faculty’s Strategic Academic Plan in addition to overseeing academic affairs, and ­­– with newly-appointed Associate Dean of Inclusion and Diversity, Dr. Lisa Richardson – supporting the Office of Inclusion and Diversity. Given my responsibilities, it keeps me looking to the future and considering what Temerty Faculty of Medicine will look like as we leave the pandemic behind us. As the Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” So, I like to prepare so that we can capitalize on opportunities and create some “luck.”

In 2018, Temerty Medicine approved a bold new Academic Strategic Plan that was informed by more than 400 members of our community. It contains three pillars (Ecosystem of Collaboration, Groundbreaking Imagination, Excellence through Equity) and two enablers (Support Health and Wellbeing in Everything We Do, Infrastructure, Policies and Technology that Compel Collaboration and Support Sustainability). In the years since this plan was approved, many members of our community across the Faculty have been hard at work implementing it. And, thanks to the groundbreaking gift from James and Louise Temerty and the Temerty Foundation, these efforts have been turbocharged. This has included establishing the Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine, the future redevelopment of the west wing of the Medical Sciences Building, and establishing new roles in priority areas, to name a few. 

While it’s important to focus on your goals, it’s also important to know when you may need to pivot in response to a changing environment. The halfway point of a five-year plan is a natural point to reconsider your priorities, which is where we are now. But there is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially changed the environment in which we currently operate. Over the last five months, I have had a chance to engage in conversations with learners, faculty, and staff throughout the Faculty to consider where – within our current framework – we might need to pivot.

We are still reflecting on what we’ve heard, but a few themes have emerged. First, we need to support recovery from the pandemic. That support must include research and clinical care for our region and the world, but also supporting wellness within Temerty Medicine. It’s clear that COVID-19 has increased burnout, anxiety, and stress. We will need to continue to expand our wellness resources, but also review how we can better structure our learning and work environments in a post-pandemic world. At the same time, we need to prepare for the next pandemic and ensure we are ready to respond and adapt as necessary. 

We also need to review how we support EDI efforts in Temerty Medicine. While we have focused on some areas of inequity and discrimination, it’s clear there are some areas where we need to invest more time and attention. This includes creating a more inclusive environment for those with disabilities and addressing longstanding injustices and intergenerational trauma experienced by Indigenous communities. We also must address religious discrimination in our working and learning environments. I am so pleased that Dr. Ayelet Kuper and Dr. Umberin Najeeb have agreed to serve as Senior Advisors to the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, advising us on Antisemitism and Islamophobia, respectively. We need to foster an environment in which we can have respectful dialogues and debates, where everyone feels safe to express their perspectives. And we can find new ways in which we operate, placing an emphasis on co-creating solutions with learners, faculty, staff, and members of the broader community at the table.

While we work to complete the goals articulated in the current academic strategic plan, we must also start thinking about the next plan. An important part of that work is answering the question: what’s the next big thing? Over the next few years, we should take time and create spaces to consider the possibilities that will ensure we remain influential and respected among our global peers. At the same time, we must be responsive to the needs of the communities we serve in the Greater Toronto Area by empowering them to help shape what we do in Temerty Medicine.

We will have an opportunity to share our renewed priorities for Temerty Medicine in the next few months, but it’s clear that collaboration and integration are critical to our success. By identifying a shared vision in which we are all represented, respected, and valued – coupled with rigorously evaluating our performance – we will contribute to the strength of Temerty Medicine and advance our research and educational imperatives. As we prepare to embrace a post-pandemic world, let’s also consider how we can create some “luck” through diligent planning and recognizing the most meaningful opportunities that will enable us to reach our collective goals.  

Lisa Robinson 

Vice Dean, Strategy and Operations

Temerty Faculty of Medicine