Health - University of Toronto Magazine

Illustration of the upper portion of a flower stalk ending in an open flower head with a child sitting in the centre. An electrocardiogram line runs horizontally behind the flower.

Tremors of the Heart

How AI could help doctors predict cardiac problems in critically ill children Read More

A researcher observes data on a laptop, while an athlete wearing an oxygen mask pedals a machine with a hand-operated wheel.

From Strength to Strength

U of T’s new Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport will help athletes at all levels perform better Read More

Illustration of Black health-care workers, one wearing a face mask and another wearing a face shield

A Prescription for Equality

A new medical academy at U of T Scarborough will try to close Canada’s racial health gap Read More

A gloved hand holding an enlarged chip (left), a hand with a drop of blood above the index finger and an arrow pointing toward the chip (right)

A New Way to Monitor Heart Patients

“Lab on a chip” technology will reduce travel expenses and improve care for those living in remote communities Read More

Artist rendering of the Discovery Pharmacy showing students sitting or standing in waiting areas, a TV screen with an appointment schedule, and a student speaking with a pharmacist

The Pharmacy of the Future

A new U of T facility will train pharmacists to take on a larger role in Canadian health care Read More

Researcher wearing a yellow and green hazmat suit, holding rectangular containers

Preventing the Next Pandemic

Understanding how viruses and bacteria rely on human cells to survive could reveal new ways to defeat them Read More

Black and white closeup of Chen Yang looking at the camera

From Anxiety to Action

U of T students are collaborating with faculty on research that could improve the mental health of youth worldwide Read More

Hunger in the North

Too many people in Nunavut don’t get enough to eat. Anthropologist Tracey Galloway believes Inuit communities, not southern governments, have the solution Read More

Illustration of a giant vial of insulin and a tiny figure standing on the cap looking down a hole in the centre, through which shines a light

The Miracle of Insulin

A century after U of T scientists discovered the life-saving extract, researchers are finding new ways to improve the lives of people with diabetes Read More

Who Cares for the Caregivers?

There is a steep personal cost to caregiving, from chronic stress to physical injury. How can we help those who minister to family and friends? Read More

Ian McGilvray and Gary Bader standing off-centre, with Sonya MacParland sitting in a chair in front of them, all wearing lab coats and safety glasses. McGilvray is in the centre of the photo, leaning against a table with glass beakers and an open laptop.

Mapping the Human Body, One Cell at a Time

U of T scientists have created a cell-by-cell map of the human liver that could increase the success of transplant surgery and lead to new treatments for liver disease Read More

A collage showing a researcher working in the lab, a hospital bed, orange cells attached to human ears, a culture growing in a petri dish and people walking on a striped road

The Deadly Global Fungus

Prof. Leah Cowen’s lab aims to understand how C. auris works and how to stop it Read More

A fork, plate and knife are set out over a blue and white checkered tablecloth, with a cellphone on top of the plate with a picture of an avocado on the screen

How to Choose a Nutritious “Digital Diet”

Three suggestions for maintaining a healthy relationship with technology Read More

IV bags hanging from dollar signs that are, in turn, hanging from an IV pole

In Sickness and in Health

What happens when someone with precarious immigration status needs emergency care? Read More

When Cancer Strikes, and You Live in Nunavut

A U of T study examines ways to improve care and reduce the sense of isolation for Inuit patients in Canada’s Far North Read More

Tiny people shopping giant-sized snacks, including chips, cookies, candy bars and fruit cups

The Ads That Kids Shouldn’t See

Prof. Mary L’Abbé wants to restrict the marketing of unhealthy food to kids – and their parents Read More

Delivering Help to Indigenous Parents

A unique project provides support to women during pregnancy and after, with the aim of creating healthier families Read More

Neighbourhood of streets and houses on an electronic circuit board

Preventing Disease through AI

Laura Rosella is using machine learning to suggest ways to reduce diabetes rates – and save millions in potential health-care costs Read More

Conceptual illustration depicting a researcher examining the mind in darkness/depression

The Labatt Family Network Will Examine the Biology of Depression

Scientists will focus on how the illness affects the brain Read More

Prof. Paul Santerre in his lab at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, with his research team working in the background

New Hope for Heart Patients

Prof. Paul Santerre is working on a cardiac patch that would enable an injured heart to heal itself Read More

Illustration of a person in a cubicle. The neighbouring cubicle shows another person with a cloud above their head, signifying mental illness.

Mental Health in the Workplace

Depression and anxiety affect about one in five. How do we help the person who could be affected in the cubicle next to us? Read More

An illustration of a bottle of pills with an x on it

Flip the Script

How the medical system is trying to wean patients off opioids Read More

The High Price of Pills

More than two million Canadians don’t take their full dose of medications because of the cost. How can they be helped? Read More

A surgeon's hand reaching for a scalpel, being offered by a robotic hand

AI and the MD

Doctors will soon use artificial intelligence to help diagnose and treat patients, opening up new possibilities for better health Read More

Illustration of intersecting yellow lines, as well as red lines in the shape of a stethoscope.

Six Questions We Need to Ask about Using Artificial Intelligence in Health Care

A U of T research team is examining ethical issues raised by the new technology Read More

Illustration of an armed soldier upfront and helicopters, smoke and running soldiers in the background.

Suppressing Our Most Fearful Memories

Research on mice reveals that specific memories can be weakened. Could this one day help treat the effects of trauma in humans? Read More

With Damaged Organs, a Chance for “Regrowth”

Prof. Michael Sefton imagines being able to treat diabetes with a single injection Read More

Photo of a plastic-gloved hand picking up the fourth of six prescription medicine containers in a row.

Many Medicines Are Considered Essential. Not All Are Effective

A U of T doctor is leading efforts to review the medical evidence for more than 2,200 commonly prescribed drugs Read More

Illustration of a magnifying glass magnifying a mosquito, with mosquitoes on the left of the glass transforming into airplanes on the right.

Predicting Where Infectious Diseases Will Strike Next

Climate change adds a new wrinkle in the quest to get out in front of epidemics Read More

Illustration of a chart with a line graph in the shape of a smiling face and arms, and with a heart in the upper left corner.

Dark Data

The usefulness of “steps per day” and other information our devices help us track Read More

Photo of Spartan Bioscience's DNA-testing device.

Could This Palm-Sized Cube Replace an Entire Lab?

Spartan Bioscience, founded by three alumni, aims to make DNA testing more accessible Read More

UHN chief patient safety officer Emily Musing at Toronto General Hospital.

Make No Mistake

Can a group of Toronto hospitals eliminate medical errors? Read More

Photo of Gulshan and Pyarali Nanji (front) and family with Dr. Sherif El-Defrawy

With Restored Sight Comes Opportunity and Hope

A gift from the Nanji family to U of T will help people “see the light of all the world” Read More

A Ugandan man, before and after restorative dental treatment.

Bringing Smiles to Uganda

On a two-week visit to remote villages, a U of T dental team fixes teeth – and changes lives Read More

Yoga Is Good for You

But just what are the health benefits? Read More

Close up shot of a medical provider's hand tipping two pills onto a patient's hand

Among Syrian Refugees, a Need for Insulin and Heart Meds

As the media share images of wounded migrants, some of the biggest medical threats go almost unmentioned Read More

Illustration of a woman asleep with a pair of lung-shaped blank space on her body

U of T Doctors Keep Patient Alive Without Lungs for Six Days

The procedure allowed Melissa Benoit to have a life-saving transplant Read More

At his lab at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, U of T scientist Craig Simmons works on growing replacement tissue for the pulmonary heart valve.

A Better Life for Children with Heart Defects

Research at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research could one day eliminate the need for infants with heart problems to have more than one surgery Read More

Photo of a researcher looking at a digital microscope slide.

Big Data, Genetics and Personal Medicine Will Soon Transform Health Care

But there’s a gap between all the medical data being gathered and the ability to translate this into therapies for individual patients Read More

From left: Jeff Reading, Howard Hu, Lee Vernich and Earl Nowgesic have all been involved with U of T’s cancer study in the First Nation community at Northwest Angle 33.

A Community Grapples with Cancer

Researchers at the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health have teamed up with a First Nation in northwestern Ontario to solve a generation-old medical mystery Read More

Patrick Gunning, a principal investigator at U of T Mississauga's Centre for Medicinal Chemistry

Advancing Drugs to Fight Cancer and Other Diseases

A research centre at U of T Mississauga aims to speed up the development of new life-saving cancer medications Read More

Photo of a woman in a yoga pose on a mat

Let’s Get Physical

U of T professor Peter Donnelly is tracking the physical activities multicultural Torontonians enjoy Read More

Photo of a child playing in front of a cooking fire

Of Hearth and Home – and Health

A simple U of T innovation could help prevent burns among millions of children in the Global South Read More

Illustration of a man with the shadow of a boy in a hospital room

The Hidden Epidemic

Prof. Esme Fuller-Thomson researches the devastating effects of child abuse on health. Now she wants to ensure all survivors get the help they need Read More

Child Abuse Might Be Linked to Cancer

Chances of developing health problems are greater for childhood abuse survivors Read More

A Few Simple Questions Could Change Your Dental Visit

Dentists should screen patients for anxiety to minimize their experience of pain, new research suggests Read More

U of T students Alex Boross-Harmer (left) and Megan D’Souza at the new Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre

Lift Weights to Lift Mood

U of T opens one of the first research facilities in the world to integrate the study of physical activity and mental health Read More

Photo of Prof. Cheryl Arrowsmith looking into a microscope

U of T Researchers Lead Cancer-Fighting “Dream Team”

“Our knowledge is at a turning point,” says scientist Peter Dirks Read More

Northern Exposure

A U of T prof aims to better understand the needs of cancer patients in Nunavut Read More

Illustration of a billboard depicting a kidney bean with the text

Pssst, Wanna Buy a Kidney?

Most people recoil at the thought of selling human organs. But supplying the right information can change attitudes, a U of T study finds Read More

Close-up photo of a teenged boy in a tank top holding a basketball

Team Spirit

Adolescents who play team sports are less likely to experience mental illness later in life, study finds Read More

Illustration of two surgeons operating within a box being opened

A Cut Above

A “black box” for the operating room is leading to improved training for physicians and better knowledge of surgical errors Read More

Healthy City

How can we improve the health of some of the city's most vulnerable residents? Read More

James Till (left) and Peter Zandstra celebrate the announcement of U of T's Medicine by Design initiative .

Regenerating the Body

U of T scientists will help usher in a new era of designing and creating cells, tissues and organs, thanks to historic $114-million federal grant Read More

Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health

New Dalla Lana centre aims to improve health outcomes for aboriginal communities Read More

Lingo: Hyperpalatable

Some foods are engineered to be so tasty they're difficult to resist, says nutritional scientist Venket Rao Read More

Is It Time for a Universal Drug Plan?

Canadians could save billions through a nationwide plan to cover prescription drugs for all citizens Read More

A U of T medical student examines a patient at the IMAGINE clinic.

Team Health

City residents without a health card get care from U of T undergrads Read More

Photo of young hands holding an elderly person's hand.

Tiny Strokes May Cause Dementia

A U of T medical imaging study suggests lifestyle changes and medications could reduce brain’s white matter loss Read More