Mayor Bevilacqua welcomes York University's plan to establish a new School of Medicine in the City

Municipalinfonet.com
May 21, 2021

The following statement was issued by Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua:

"I am pleased to welcome today’s announcement that York University is advancing efforts to establish a new School of Medicine in Vaughan that will focus on training family and community doctors in an integrated setting. Through the continued partnership between the City of Vaughan and York University, we remain focused on enhancing healthcare services, research and innovation to support the healthcare needs of citizens in Vaughan and beyond.

"I strongly support higher learning and the expansion of educational opportunities in our city. I believe that collectively, we must undertake city-building with a vision that focuses on improving access to healthcare and education for everyone. Now more than ever, accessible, front-line care is required to ensure our communities' health and well-being.

"Today's news brings us one step closer to realizing a significant project that will improve access to education and professional networks for aspiring entrepreneurs and accomplished business experts across the Greater Toronto Area. It will further expand our human capital and growing talent pool of hard-working, driven and innovative professionals.

“In February 2020, at the annual Vaughan Chamber of Commerce Mayor's Luncheon in the presence of York University's President Rhonda Lenton, York University officials and more than 900 business and government leaders, I made a public commitment to encourage and strongly support York University's efforts to establish a medical school in Vaughan. The announcement was well received. My message to all levels of government and the community was crystal clear - a York University School of Medicine in Vaughan would serve the GTA and the province exceptionally well.

“In keeping with my commitment to bringing a School of Medicine to our city, at the City of Vaughan’s upcoming Committee of the Whole meeting in June, I will bring forward a Member’s Resolution seeking Council’s full support of this transformational opportunity. Dr. Rhonda Lenton and her team will also deliver a presentation to further outline York University’s plans to move this exciting initiative forward.

"York University's strength and breadth of academic programs and research make it well-positioned to establish a School of Medicine. With a unique curriculum addressing the social and environmental factors affecting health in under-resourced and underserved communities, the new medical school will meet the growing demand in Ontario. This project is in perfect alignment with our existing collaborative efforts, including the Vaughan Health Centre Precinct (VHCP), a first-of-its-kind initiative in Canada that will identify transformational opportunities to maximize the best use of lands surrounding the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. In June 2019, Council approved moving forward with funding and undertaking the VHCP study.

"In October of 2019, we signed a memorandum of understanding between the City of Vaughan, York University, Mackenzie Health and ventureLAB. The following month, I led a trade mission to Israel with a delegation that included representatives from York University. We met with Dr. Rafael Beyar, an experienced, accomplished and trusted leader at the world-class Rambam Medical Center -- one of the largest medical centres in Israel. Dr. Beyar discussed his country's extensive efforts to bring together startups and academic institutions to create medical breakthroughs and enhance front-line health services. This was followed by a study tour of the Rambam Medical Center and The Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital to learn of cutting-edge technologies and proven best practices that are improving patient care.

"York University's Faculty of Health includes one of Canada's largest Nursing and Nurse Practitioner programs, as well as outstanding bachelor and graduate degrees in psychology, kinesiology and health sciences, health studies, health policy and management, health informatics, critical disability studies, global health and neuroscience. As a research-intensive university, York is also home to centres of research excellence in global health, healthy aging, muscle health, anti-microbial resistance, disease modelling, data visualization, and advanced robotics, among others. These strengths in basic and applied health research are fuelling successful innovation and commercialization partnerships.

"Institutions like York University further position Vaughan as a global talent-driven city. An educated, hard-working, entrepreneurial and dedicated workforce is the basis of economic resilience and integral to the healthcare needs of tomorrow. Creating greater opportunities for learning and development is a critical part of supporting a healthy population and a strong, resilient economy.

"I want to acknowledge the outstanding work of the dedicated team at York University, under the leadership of President Rhonda Lenton, for being bold in their vision to make a meaningful and significant contribution to the field of medical sciences. As we look to the future, I remain strongly committed to working with York University to support our longstanding shared mission and vision."