Annual Report 2018-2020: A message from the Dean and Vice-President, Dr. Paul O’Byrne
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We ranked 11th in the world for clinical, pre-clinical and health subjects by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021, a remarkable achievement made possible by the extraordinary efforts of the members of the Department of Medicine
As Dean and Vice-President of the Faculty of Health Sciences, it gives me great pleasure to reflect on the many accomplishments of the Department of Medicine over the last two years.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the culture of our institution, our community and our world, as our Faculty’s largest department, you have continued to make very meaningful contributions to our world’s health. In my role as dean, I have witnessed an incredible amount of resilience, creativity and commitment to excellence among all of the faculty members, students and staff of the Department of Medicine and I am especially proud of the many important initiatives that are aimed at keeping our communities and our world healthy and safe.
The Department of Medicine’s pioneering educational advances and excellence in world-class research continues to place McMaster among the top 50 universities in the world for health and medicine, and one of Canada’s top research-intensive university for the past three years. We also ranked 11th in the world for clinical, pre-clinical and health subjects by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021, a remarkable achievement made possible by the extraordinary efforts of the members of the Department of Medicine. The Department’s impact is further recognized by the fact that 16 researchers in the Faculty of Health Sciences are among 18 McMaster University affiliated scientists recognized among the top one per cent of scientists in the world, according to their citations.
Indeed, McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences has had many reasons to celebrate over the past two years. Most recently, we have led the world in COVID-19 research, through the newly established Canada’s Global Nexus for Pandemics and Biological Threats, that brings together our world-class resources, elevates our capabilities and amplifies impact. This has included rapidly developing and testing new second-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidates, assisting the Public Health Agency of Canada in better understanding the spread of COVID variants of concern and making recommendations to inform Ontario’s vaccine rollout.
Among our other noteworthy successes:
- In In 2019, the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine celebrated its 50th anniversary, commemorating accomplishments in small group, problem-based education, and a focus on self-directed, life-long learning.
- The Department released the McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine, the first comprehensive Canadian textbook of internal medicine. A full range of topics, such as allergy, hematology, endocrinology, psychiatry, and rheumatology, is covered in its pages, almost all authored by McMaster faculty members who are considered leaders in their fields.
- We opened new, world-leading research centres, among these the David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Research and the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research.
- We celebrated the generous support of many of McMaster’s friends, including a legacy gift from Hamilton philanthropists Charles and Margaret Juravinski, who pledged an endowment of more than $100 million to support researchers across Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and $10 million from McMaster alumnus Walter Schroeder and his family to fast-track treatment and prevention research for the search to cure allergies.
- We formed a networking think-tank focused on fostering success in entrepreneurship and innovation, called The College of Health Inventors. The College is an initiative of the Michael G. DeGroote Initiative for Innovation in Healthcare.
- Congratulations to all members of the Department of Medicine for your dedicated approach, ongoing commitment to our patients, our mission, and our community and impressive achievements that have contributed to these and other successes within the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Although the past year brought forth challenges due to the pandemic, and tragic events involving systemic injustices and inequities, we should applaud our collective tenacity, creativity and resourcefulness that has allowed us to continue to make important contributions to our world, and remain steadfast in our ambition to advance human and societal health and well-being.
– Dr. Paul O’Byrne, Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Health Sciences, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Distinguished University Professor, McMaster University
Please read the full Annual Report here
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