Campaign Priority

Enable healthy lives

Chronic disease, climate change, pandemics, and growing inequity all pose serious risks for health and well-being worldwide. Help our world-leading scholars and unparalleled network of partner hospitals overcome global health challenges and improve the lives of future generations.

Breakthroughs in the health sciences over the last century have enabled us to eradicate polio and smallpox, perform complex surgeries in utero, and cure cancers that used to be death sentences. People are living longer, healthier lives, and globally, we’ve made major progress in reducing child and maternal mortality and increasing vaccination rates. But the COVID-19 pandemic has been a painful reminder that our collective health security is incredibly fragile. 

The University of Toronto, a key partner within one of the largest research hospital networks in North America, has been at the forefront of groundbreaking research, innovative treatments, and public health expertise on COVID-19. It’s work that builds on U of T and its hospital and research partners’ rich history of medical breakthroughs, starting with the world-changing discovery of insulin in 1921 and continuing with achievements like inventing the electronic pacemaker, pioneering transplantable stem cells, and myriad advances in understanding the genetics of disease. 

Today, that work continues with cutting-edge research and clinical practice tackling the most pressing global health challenges. Our multidisciplinary scholars are developing new therapies with precision medicine and regenerative medicine to treat heart disease, cancer, and replace failing organs. They’re working with artificial intelligence, neuro-robotics, and music therapies that improve quality of life. They’re unlocking the biology of brain health, confronting the global mental health crisis, exploring the links between physical activity and chronic disease, and examining the broader biologic, social, cultural, and environmental determinants of health. They are also applying Indigenous traditional knowledge to make all forms of care more inclusive. 

By supporting our campaign, you will help us expand our global efforts to combat disease, be ready for the next global health crisis, and protect the health of all Canadians. 

Discover how U of T can continue to enable healthy lives for all

Two women wear goggles, masks, gowns and gloves. They use dentist tools to work on two patients in adjacent cubicles.
Bring quality dental care to vulnerable Canadians

The Faculty of Dentistry’s largest patient clinic is improving the health of a vast and diverse population in the GTA and beyond.

Seen from above, a person wearing a protective gown, gloves and mask leans over a workspace and fills a syringe from a vial.
Prevent the next pandemic

The Institute for Pandemics is helping to end the COVID-19 crisis—and already preparing for the next global health emergency.

A close-up on the hands of two people, clasped together across a table.
Propel collaborative research that supports student mental health

The Student & Youth Mental Health Research Initiative is working with students to ensure they have the support they need to realize their potential—in academia and beyond.

A woman wears a lab coat, gloves and goggles. She uses a handheld gadget to add liquid to a plastic test tube.
Prepare pharmacists for their vital role in health care

Discovery Pharmacy will be a living laboratory that provides innovative training for students and leading-edge care for our community.

A man wears gloves and a full one-piece protective suit with helmet. He holds up and examines a petri dish with 6 samples.
Stop emerging infectious diseases in their tracks

Anchored by U of T’s Combined Containment Level 3 lab, the Emerging & Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC) will advance Canada’s health security.

A woman tosses a laughing toddler up in the air.
Create scalable solutions for chronic diseases

The Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations is developing models for prevention and treatment of chronic conditions like diabetes.

People walk down a hallway past signs that read: Ted Rogers Centre for heart research and the promise of a healthy heart.
Stop heart failure’s progression

The Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research is collaborating to slow and stop heart failure in patients of every age and background.

A sculpture of a human head is made of thin wires, concentrated around the face, with some lit up and glowing.
Power AI that can predict diseases

The Temerty Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine is applying cutting-edge technology to create a healthier future.

Help us enable healthy lives for all

Choose a featured initiative to support with a donation today, create a legacy through a planned gift or contact us to discuss possibilities.