PrintOur vision at UHN is achieving global impact — that means being the best in the world at what we do. All of our major programs strive for excellence in patient care, research and teaching. Here's a look at some of our achievements from over the years.
1922: Clinical use of insulin for diabetes – Dr. Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best
1935: Clinical use of Heparin as a blood thinner – Dr. Gordon Murray
1946: Design and use of North America’s first artificial kidney – Dr. Gordan Murray
1950: Use of first regulated cardiac pacemaker – Dr. Bill Bigelow
1950s: Use of radiation to cure Hodgkin’s disease – Dr. Vera Peters
1950s: Introduction of lumpectomy for breast cancer – Dr. Vera Peters
1950: Use of total body cooling as a method of making heart surgery safer – Dr. Bill Bigelow
1951: Use of cobalt radiotherapy units for cancer – Dr. Harold Johns
1955: Human heart valve transplant – Dr. Gordan Murray
1960s: Coronary Care Unit – Dr. Robert MacMillan and Dr. Ken Brown
1961: Discovery of blood forming stem cells enabling bone marrow transplants – Dr. Ernest McCulloch and Dr James Till
1965: Developed prototype aneurysm clip – Dr. William Lougheed
1973: Use of pulmonary testing called flow volume loop to diagnose small airway disease (e.g., asthma and COPD) – Dr. Noe Zamel
1975: Development of software used worldwide for 20 years to control radiation therapy – Dr. Jack Cunningham
1976: Identification of P-glycoprotein as a major cause of cancer drug resistance – Dr. Victor Ling
1977: Developed a technique for Peritoneal Dialysis that made it possible on a large scale – Dr. Dimitri Oreopoulos
1978: Discovery of reversibility of brain damage from alcohol with abstinence – Dr. Peter Carlen
1983: Successful single lung transplant – Dr. Joel Cooper
1984: First cloning of the T-cell receptor genes, significant in the field of immunology - Dr. Tak Mak
1985: Reconstruction of the mitral annulus (the supporting structure for cardiac valves) – Dr. Tirone David
1986: Use of a patch technique to repair ruptures of the heart wall following a heart attack – Dr. Tirone David
1986: Successful double lung transplant – Dr. Joel Cooper
1987: Development of a new pig valve to replace the diseased aortic valve – Dr. Tirone David & Dr. Chris Feindel
1988: Operation to spare the aortic valve in patients with aortic aneurysm – Dr. Tirone David and Dr. Chris Feindel
1988: Mapping and surgical correction of cardiac rhythm disorders – Dr. Lynda Mickleborough and Dr. Eugene Downar
1989: Treatment of sleep apnea in patients with heart failure by mechanical assist device (CPAP) reduces morbidity and mortality – Dr. Doug Bradley and Dr. John Floras
1991: Reconstruction of the inflow and outflow tracts of the heart using two conduits – Dr. Tirone David
1992: Developed a novel experimental technique that employs chemical substances to prevent or treat brain damage from stroke or trauma by regulating cell calcium levels – Dr. Chris Wallace
1994: Showing genetic predisposition to developing Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy – Dr. Angela Mailis
1996: Transplantation of heart cells into damaged and scarred heart muscel to improve heart function – Dr. Ren-Ke Li and Dr. Richard Weisel
1996: Description of a substance that causes intestines to regrow (GLP-2) – Dr. Dan Drucker
1996: Awake craniotomy with same day discharge for brain tumour removal using image guided approach - Dr. Mark Bernstein
1996: Chemotherapy treatment for hormone-resistant prostate cancer – Dr. Ian Tannock and Dr. Malcom Moore
1990s: Identification of genes responsible for hereditary blindness, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s and Huntington’s disease – Dr. Peter St. George Hyslop
1999: Identifying the individual brain cells that control pain – Dr. Karen Davis and Dr. Andre Lozano
2000: Identification of novel T regulatory cells to induce tolerance in transplant patients – Dr. Li Zhang
2000: Identification of the novel immune molecule CD 200 to modify host immune response in transplantation – Dr. Reg Gorczynski
2001: Determining the utility of 2 hour post dose cyclosporine levels to improve clinical outcomes in transplantation – Dr. Gary Levy and Dr. Ed Cole
2001: Development of new pig valve and aorta to replace the diseased aortic root – Dr. Tirone David
2001: Discovery that a protein called Interleukin 13 fuels the growth of Hodgkin’s lymphoma – Dr. Tak Mak
2001: Development of the “Marshall Score” for classifying Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome – Dr. John Marshall
2002: Discovery that fragile X syndrome (most common inherited cause of mental retardation) is related to glutamate in the brain – Dr. Peter Carlen
2002: Description of the role of IRAK-4, an immune molecule, critical for first-line defense against infections – Dr. Wen-Chen Yeh, Dr. Tak Mak and Dr. Pam Ohashi
2002: Proof of efficacy of new treatment for HIV infection – Dr. Sharon Walmsley
2002: Demonstrating that dense breast tissue, a major risk factor in breast cancer, is mainly determined by genetic factors - Dr. Norman Boyd.
2002: Identification of protein that triggers autoimmune response in Sjögren’s syndrome, as well as a vaccine to treat the condition – Dr. Arthur Bookman
2002: Deduction of the structure of a molecular complex in the brain involved in many functions including memory and learning – Dr. Mitsu Ikura
2002: Identifying gene clusters using microarray technology that are involved in lung cancer – Drs. Denis Wigle, Igor Jurisica, Jim Woodgett, Shaf Keshavjee, Gail Darling, Frances Shepherd and Ming Tsao
2003: Developing method for detecting gene mutations that enhance care for families with retinoblastoma – Dr. Brenda Gallie
