Veterans / en Through training and research, U of T seeks to improve mental health outcomes for Canada's veterans /news/through-training-and-research-u-t-seeks-improve-mental-health-outcomes-canada-s-veterans <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Through training and research, U of T seeks to improve mental health outcomes for Canada's veterans</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-139192054.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=3mqJVnuo 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-139192054.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9dAfCV5x 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-139192054.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=3io57SPN 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-139192054.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=3mqJVnuo" alt="senior citizen wearing naval war medals "> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-11-11T09:38:06-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 11, 2020 - 09:38" class="datetime">Wed, 11/11/2020 - 09:38</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">A 2018 report by the department of psychiatry in U of T's Temerty Faculty of Medicine found that most clinicians are unfamiliar with military culture and lack experience treating trauma-related conditions (photo by Blue Mountain Images/Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/emily-kulin" hreflang="en">Emily Kulin</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mental-health" hreflang="en">Mental Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/psychiatry" hreflang="en">Psychiatry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/veterans" hreflang="en">Veterans</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Championing veterans’ greater access to quality mental health care is a key mission for Ryan Dermody, president of Norcan Petroleum Group and retired member of the Royal Navy.</p> <p>“I’ve seen, firsthand, what happens when veterans living with mental health conditions fail to get the help they need,” says Dermody. “Governments and other organizations have been doing important work in this area. Yet, there are still many times when individuals slip through the cracks, often with tragic outcomes. We have to do better.” &nbsp;</p> <p>So, Dermody, who also serves as a member of the Ƶ’s department of psychiatry volunteer campaign cabinet, began asking what the department was doing to help address this challenge.</p> <p>“Ryan’s question was an eye-opener,” says Professor <strong>Benoit Mulsant</strong>, Labatt Family Chair of the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. “We pride ourselves on our department’s size and broad scope.&nbsp;And yet, we realized we were not doing enough in the specific area of veteran mental health.”&nbsp;</p> <p>In 2018, the department commissioned a study to explore how to augment current treatments and supports for Canadian veterans with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). &nbsp;</p> <p>“We don’t want to duplicate existing programs,” says Mulsant. “The study was commissioned to determine if there was a role we can play, given our expertise in care, education&nbsp;and research, to add to these efforts in a strategic way.” &nbsp;</p> <p>The resulting&nbsp;76-page report identified several key gaps in the current state of veterans’ psychiatric care. The most glaring: Most clinicians practising in Canada are unfamiliar with military culture and lack experience treating trauma-related conditions in veterans.</p> <p>“As a university that trains more than a quarter of the country’s psychiatrists, we feel a particular responsibility to help address this issue,” says Mulsant. “One way would be through new fellowships in veteran mental health that would provide new psychiatry leaders with targeted training in this highly-specialized field.”&nbsp;</p> <p>The study also identified a need to advance research into conditions for which veterans are at particularly high risk such as PTSD, depression, anxiety and&nbsp;substance abuse, as well as for further collaboration between the many stakeholders already working to support veteran mental health – opportunities Mulsant sees as aligning with U of T’s strengths and expertise.</p> <p>“We are embarking on this journey without yet knowing all the answers, but my colleagues and I are confident that we can contribute in a positive way to the wellbeing of Canadian veterans,” says Mulsant. “Our next step will be consulting with veterans&nbsp;and veterans’ organizations&nbsp;to co-create solutions that will leverage our strengths. We plan to create an advisory committee that will guide us and ensure that our programming is veteran-centric and integrative.”</p> <p>“We always welcome initiatives across the country that seek to improve mental health outcomes for our Veterans,” says&nbsp;Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s minister of veterans affairs and associate minister of national defence. “Academic institutions like the Ƶ are important collaborators in driving health innovation.”</p> <p>Early lead donors, including National Bank and Fondation Famille Vachon, have already stepped forward in support of the department’s efforts. A portion of their support will fund a pilot training opportunity for junior psychiatrists from across Canada to train at U of T.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We’re thrilled to be supporting U of T’s department of psychiatry’s work in the area of veteran mental health,” says Louis Vachon, president and chief executive officer of National Bank and honorary lieutenant-colonel of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal. “Members of the military serve their communities with selfless courage, skill and unwavering dedication. We owe it to our veterans to do all we can to ensure their wellbeing.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 11 Nov 2020 14:38:06 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 166397 at Rehabilitating veterans: U of T’s ongoing commitment /news/rehabilitating-veterans-u-t-s-ongoing-commitment <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Rehabilitating veterans: U of T’s ongoing commitment</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-11-rehab.jpg?h=b15b9794&amp;itok=NS33t8E_ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-11-11-rehab.jpg?h=b15b9794&amp;itok=-mI0UKac 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-11-11-rehab.jpg?h=b15b9794&amp;itok=qjyXO0iS 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-11-rehab.jpg?h=b15b9794&amp;itok=NS33t8E_" alt="Photo of soldier receiving rehab"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-11T09:48:33-05:00" title="Friday, November 11, 2016 - 09:48" class="datetime">Fri, 11/11/2016 - 09:48</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">An injured soldier receiving therapy. In 1918, a ward aides program was designed run by the engineering department to instruct volunteers in providing retraining for war veterans (photo courtesy of U of T archives)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/liam-mitchell" hreflang="en">Liam Mitchell</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Liam Mitchell</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t" hreflang="en">U of T</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/remembrance-day" hreflang="en">Remembrance Day</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/first-world-war" hreflang="en">First World War</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/war" hreflang="en">War</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/veterans" hreflang="en">Veterans</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rehabilitation" hreflang="en">Rehabilitation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/soldiers" hreflang="en">Soldiers</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When the wounded warriors of the First World War returned home, Canada’s veterans could count on the Ƶ to support their rehabilitation.</p> <p>It was from the ravages of the First World War that U of T’s rehabilitation programs emerged, and that commitment has been sustained over the decades to the present day, as students, faculty and alumni work to improve the quality of life for those injured in war zones.</p> <p>During the First World War,&nbsp;a six-month training program for physical therapists was established in 1917 at Hart House by the Military Hospitals Commission. Known as the “Hart House Course,” it emphasized massage and electrotherapy, gymnastics and muscle function training.</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-of-t-remembers">Read about U of T's Soldiers' Tower war memorial and museum</a></h3> <p>By 1919, 250 people had completed the program and were assigned to military hospitals across Canada.</p> <p>U of T also laid the foundation for occupational therapy during this period through the training of Ward Aides. The program was established under the auspices of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, supported by professors and instructors in the Faculty of Medicine. The aim was to provide vocational retraining to veterans so they could enter or re-enter the workforce.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2484 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="594" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-11-remembrance-day.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>In 1917, the Miltary Hospitals Commission established a six-month course at Hart House to train physiotherapists for the rehabilitation of injured soldiers (photo courtesy of U of T archives)</em></p> <p>While the urgency waned when the armistice was signed in 1919, the importance of rehabilitation had been firmly established. In 1926, U of T set up a two-year program in occupational therapy, while the first formal diploma in physical therapy was established in 1931 at a time when 27 per cent of Ontario hospitals had departments in the field. The importance of psychiatric care to support veterans became better known as the 1930s began and by 1934, new training was included in the occupational therapy program to address this pressing need.</p> <p>Flash forward to the present day, where students like<strong> Melissa Biscardi</strong> continue to work alongside veterans. Biscardi is completing her master's degree under the supervision of Professor <strong>Angela Colantonio</strong> in the Faculty of Medicine's Rehabilitation Sciences Institute. Her clinical work experience with veterans inspired Biscardi’s current thesis research, which is looking at traumatic brain injuries in military women, both those currently serving and veterans.</p> <p>“I would often have patients come into our clinic complaining about back or neck pain, but I could quickly see there was other underlying issues&nbsp;like mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder,” explained Biscardi.</p> <p>With a background in nursing and a strong interest in research that was ignited during her undergraduate studies, Biscardi decided to pursue a graduate degree.</p> <p>“I knew that I wanted to find a way to help members of the military and veterans –&nbsp;they’ve given so much to serve our nation –&nbsp;plus I was interested in the intersection between traumatic injury, mental health and gender. So this has proven to be the perfect match,” she said. Biscardi also noted this will help advance research on traumatic brain injury in female veterans, which has not been well explored.</p> <p><strong>Danny Slack </strong>spent&nbsp;five weeks interning at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre&nbsp;as he pursued his master's degree in physical therapy. Slack, who completed his degree last year, recalled working with a 97-year-old man who had outlived his wife and even his children.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I couldn’t believe how much he wanted to exercise,” said Slack. “We’d do 10 minutes on a reclining bike and he wanted to keep going. He said he wanted to be the oldest man in there.”</p> <p>Today, U of T’s rehabilitation sciences comprise the departments of occupational science and occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology&nbsp;and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute.</p> <p>In addition to offering professional master’s programs in core rehab disciplines, the sector also supports research-based graduate degrees. It has the most extensive network of clinical facilities available in North America, as well as faculty who are known nationally and internationally. Now these programs seek not only to improve the quality of life for veterans, but for clients across Canada and around the world.</p> <p><em>Professor Edward Shorter and Heidi Singer also contributed to this story.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 11 Nov 2016 14:48:33 +0000 ullahnor 102396 at November 11: U of T Remembers /news/u-of-t-remembers <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">November 11: U of T Remembers</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/reembrance_day.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=1ylbRll3 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/reembrance_day.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=nvfkg_hv 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/reembrance_day.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=vSG1P39e 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/reembrance_day.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=1ylbRll3" alt=" The University’s Remembrance Day Service outside of Hart House in 1947"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lavende4</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-09T15:41:57-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 9, 2016 - 15:41" class="datetime">Wed, 11/09/2016 - 15:41</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"> The University’s Remembrance Day service outside of Hart House in 1947 (Photo: U of T Archives)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/terry-lavender" hreflang="en">Terry Lavender</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/noreen-ahmed-ullah" hreflang="en">Noreen Ahmed-Ullah</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/noreen-ahmed-ullah" hreflang="en">Noreen Ahmed-Ullah</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Terry Lavender and Noreen Ahmed-Ullah</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/remembrance-day" hreflang="en">Remembrance Day</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/veterans" hreflang="en">Veterans</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/military" hreflang="en">Military</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/soldier-s-tower" hreflang="en">Soldier's Tower</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/archives" hreflang="en">Archives</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On Friday, the Soldiers’ Tower memorial at U of T will be the site of one of the city’s most widely attended Remembrance Day services with its carillon of 51 bells ringing out for fallen soldiers.</p> <p>It is one of several Remembrance Day ceremonies that will take place across U of T’s<a href="http://www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/news/u-t-remembers-november-11-services-campus/"> three campuses</a>, honouring the&nbsp;service and sacrifice of thousands of &nbsp;members of the U of T community, including more than 1,000 students, alumni and faculty who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars.</p> <p>The <a href="http://alumni.utoronto.ca/alumni-groups/soldiers-tower/">tower and its museum</a> came out of volunteer efforts from U of T’s Alumni Association. U of T archivist <strong>Harold Averill </strong>says the idea for a tower with bells, honouring fallen soldiers came from a young woman who suggested it during a meeting in 1918, although the 143-foot tall Gothic tower would take another six years to be built. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/news-video/video-the-history-behind-soldiers-tower-at-the-university-of-toronto/article32787086/">Read more about the history of Soldiers' Tower in The Globe and Mail</a></h3> <p>Many of the names etched in the tower’s memorial wall came from memorials that initially appeared at University College and Victoria College. Returning students took on the task of raising funds for them. A history professor was seconded to pull together the names of all fallen soldiers from across the university.&nbsp;</p> <p>Inside the museum, you can learn about notable alumni including:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Norman Bethune</strong>, who served in WWI, was a frontline surgeon during the Spanish Civil War and rose to fame for bringing modern medicine to rural China.</li> <li><strong>Wilmot Amos Burgess</strong>, an African-American who served in the American Expeditionary Force.&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Lawren Harris</strong>, a member of the Group of Seven artists.</li> <li><strong>John McCrae</strong>, author of the poem <em>In Flanders Fields</em>.</li> <li><strong>Thain Wendell MacDowell</strong>, awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Vimy Ridge. A machine gun captured by him is in the museum.</li> <li><strong>Lester Pearson</strong>, who survived WWI and&nbsp;later became Prime Minister.</li> <li>Nursing Sister <strong>Lily Denton Keys</strong>, the only woman listed on the First World War Memorial Wall. A graduate of Victoria College, she contracted pneumonia while on duty.&nbsp;</li> <li>Co-discoverers of insulin, Sir<strong> Frederick Banting</strong>, who served in World War I and was killed in WWII while on a research mission, and <strong>Charles Best</strong>, who survived WWII.</li> <li><strong>Gordon Arthur Kidder</strong> and <strong>George Edward McGill</strong> who escaped from a German POW camp – made famous in the movie, <em>The Great Escape&nbsp;</em>– but were later recaptured and killed by the Nazis.</li> </ul> <p><em>U of T News</em> presents a few of the stories honouring the brave women and men who have served our country in uniform:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/remembering-veterans-sunnybrook-convocation-2015-story">Remembering the veterans of Sunnybrook</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2436 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2015-11-11-flags_0.jpg?itok=zfpJVYO9" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"></p> <p>An interview with physical therapy student&nbsp;<strong>Danny Slack</strong>, who&nbsp;spent five weeks interning at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre.</p> <h3><a href="/news/memoriam-remembering-first-world-war-u-t">In Memoriam: remembering the First World War at U of T</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2437 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2014-07-18-lawren-harris_0.jpg?itok=ZxSaz443" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Archivist <strong>Harold Averill </strong>discusses&nbsp;the war that changed the world.</p> <h3><a href="/news/flanders-fields-why-iconic-poem-u-t-alumnus-endures-100-years-later">In Flanders Fields: why the iconic poem by U of T alumnus endures, 100 years later</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2438 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2015-11-09-back-campus-remembrance_0.jpg?itok=UEpOC7k5" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"></p> <p>As Canadians commemorate Remembrance Day this year, many will reflect on the solemn beauty and eloquent simplicity of the iconic war poem,&nbsp;<em>In Flanders Fields</em>. This is the 100th anniversary of the poem written by Ƶ alumnus&nbsp;<strong>John McCrae</strong>, a Canadian doctor who was in the trenches during World War I.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqOpunWS45E&amp;feature=youtu.be">We will do our share</a></h3> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oqOpunWS45E" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>U of T archivist <strong>Loryl MacDonald</strong>&nbsp;takes us through the Fisher Library's exhibition, <em>We Will Do Our Share: The Ƶ and the Great War</em>.</p> <h3><a href="/news/dr-homer-tien-battlefield-er">Dr. Homer Tien: from the battlefield to the ER</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2440 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Homer-Tien_12_07_06_0.jpg?itok=OgNloQRG" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Dr.&nbsp;<strong>Homer Tien</strong>, recipient of&nbsp;the Order of Military Merit &nbsp;and&nbsp;assistant professor at U of T and director, trauma services, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, recalls his exceptional advancements.</p> <h3><a href="/news/canadian-forces-alumna-retires-after-serving-surgeon-general">Canadian Forces: alumna retires after serving as surgeon general</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2441 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/surgeon-general-jaeger-13-11-11_0.jpg?itok=A8zrrdZs" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Few people have served nearly four decades in the Canadian Forces. Fewer of these are doctors. Fewer still are women. And only one of these –&nbsp;Ƶ medicine graduate Dr.&nbsp;<strong>Hilary F. Jaeger</strong>— has retired with the rank of brigadier general after serving as surgeon general of the Canadian Forces.</p> <h3><a href="/news/what-can-civilian-hospitals-learn-military-just-ask-high-school-dropout-turned-trauma-surgeon">What can civilian hospitals learn from the military? Just ask this high school dropout turned trauma surgeon</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2443 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2014-07-04-andrew-beckett_0.jpg?itok=S2V6zIiX" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Dr.&nbsp;<strong>Andrew Beckett</strong> is&nbsp;a highly credentialed trauma surgeon who has spent nearly two decades in the Canadian Forces – and whose work in war zones has led him to ask questions that never occur to most of his research colleagues back home.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 09 Nov 2016 20:41:57 +0000 lavende4 102385 at Remembering the veterans of Sunnybrook: a Convocation 2015 story /news/remembering-veterans-sunnybrook-convocation-2015-story <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Remembering the veterans of Sunnybrook: a Convocation 2015 story </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-11-11T04:47:28-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 04:47" class="datetime">Wed, 11/11/2015 - 04:47</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Canadian flags on grounds of Sunnybrook Hospital (all images courtesy Sunnybrook Hospital)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/heidi-singer" hreflang="en">Heidi Singer</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Heidi Singer</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/war" hreflang="en">War</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/veterans" hreflang="en">Veterans</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sunnybrook-hospital" hreflang="en">Sunnybrook Hospital</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/remembrance-day" hreflang="en">Remembrance Day</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/physical-therapy" hreflang="en">Physical Therapy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international" hreflang="en">International</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2015" hreflang="en">Convocation 2015</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“I got to bear witness to the end of a generation that experienced this unfathomable horror,” says former firefighter who graduates today </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Black-and-white photos taped to hospital doors show healthy, strong young men in uniform, on their way to fight the Nazis.</p> <p>Then, because they were the lucky ones, the men appear as smiling young grooms and proud fathers — and as gray-scale turned to colour, beaming grandfathers. &nbsp;</p> <p>Ƶ physical therapy student <strong>Danny Slack</strong> spent five weeks interning at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre last year. He expected to help the residents, many in their late 90s, improve their mobility and manage their pain.</p> <p>But today, as he celebrates his convocation on the same day Canada remembers its war dead, Slack looks back on that experience as perhaps the most important part of his education.</p> <p>“There’s an incredible amount of history that’s about to disappear,” says Slack, who just completed his Master of Science in physical therapy at the Faculty of Medicine. “I got to bear witness to the end of a generation that experienced this unfathomable horror.</p> <p>“To witness the people who were part of that moment in history, it was a great thing.”</p> <p><img alt="photo of statue on Sunnybrook grounds, surrounded by Canadian flags" src="/sites/default/files/2015-11-11-sunnybrook-statue.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 449px; margin: 10px; float: right;">He’ll never forget the 97-year old man who had outlived his wife and even his children. Slack could look at the photos on his door and watch the couple getting older together, starting from their their wedding day. Confined to the veterans’ home with limited mobility, this World War II vet had one last ambition.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I couldn’t believe how much he wanted to exercise,” says Slack. “We’d do 10 minutes on a reclining bike and he wanted to keep going. He said he wanted to be the oldest man in there. He didn’t make it — but you could learn a lot from that outlook on life.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Growing up in England, Slack heard stories of the war from his grandfather, who had survived terrible odds as a bomber&nbsp;–&nbsp;and never rode in an airplane again. His grandfather had always wanted to be a doctor, but after years at war, couldn’t start a long education from scratch. He became a head teacher instead.</p> <p>Slack grew up to become a firefighter, but when his Canadian wife wanted to move home, he realized it wasn’t too late for him to go into health care. After completing an undergraduate degree in physiology at U of T, the York native was drawn to physiotherapy.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I wanted to do something where you’re constantly active, that’s intellectually stimulating and challenging,” he says. “In physio, you’re always learning.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Slack may not have a chance to work with this inspiring group of men –&nbsp;and some women –&nbsp;again. But he says he’ll always remember the people, and the photos that reminded everyone of the rich lives they had lived.</p> <p>“They were so active, and really determined to live life to the fullest even at the end,” he recalls. “I just happened into this experience,and I didn’t know what to expect. But it was fascinating. It was like being part of a documentary every day.”&nbsp;</p> <p>(<em>Image below: Sunnybrook Hospital on the opening of its veterans' wing</em>)</p> <p><img alt="photo of Sunnybrook Hospital" src="/sites/default/files/2015-11-11-sunnybrook-embed.jpg" style="width: 625px; height: 500px; margin: 10px 25px;">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-11-11-flags.jpg</div> </div> Wed, 11 Nov 2015 09:47:28 +0000 sgupta 7434 at