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FitzGerald Academy
The FitzGerald Academy is comprised of an integrated network of hospitals and community agencies committed to excellence in undergraduate medical education. The “Fitz” includes St. Michael’s Hospital, serving as the main academic anchor hospital, with several other partner facilities, including Bridgepoint Health, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children and a whole host of community agencies all working collectively to enhance the student experience. Preclerkship students may be placed at St. Michael’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health Centre or Bridgepoint Health for clinical skills teaching. Currently, student enrollment in the FitzGerald Academy is 54 students for first year. The Academy registers over 700 preclerkship, clerkship and elective medical students in total per year.
The home to most of the FitzGerald Academy activities is St. Michael’s Hospital, a Catholic hospital founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1892. Situated in the heart of downtown Toronto near the corner of Yonge and Queen, St. Michael’s Hospital has a long and proud history of caring for some of the city’s most vulnerable populations. Today, St. Michael’s Hospital has emerged as a world-renowned academic health science centre, providing round-the-clock care to 24,000 inpatients annually. St. Michael’s Hospital is seen to be a leader in clinical care, education and research in heart disease, trauma and critical care, neurosurgery, arthritis and osteoporosis, minimally invasive surgery, diabetes, cancer surgery, general internal medicine and the care of the homeless and socially vulnerable populations. It is the designated adult trauma centre for downtown Toronto.
The hospital is easily accessed by public transit and is within walking distance of the University of Toronto and other points within the downtown core, including the Toronto Eaton Centre.
At the Fitz, students receive outstanding education from committed teachers in a welcoming and supportive environment. New “Fitzies” will enjoy the state of the art Student Centre and the brand new teaching facilities in the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre will be completed in the coming year. The new teaching spaces are comfortable, modern and designed to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning as well as socializing. The FitzGerald Academy students also have access to a full service Health Sciences Library, computing services, lockers and a student lounge.
The academy is named after 2004 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame inductee, John Gerald FitzGerald (1882-1940). FitzGerald was “Canada’s Public Health visionary,” responsible for the development and dissemination of free vaccines to every Canadian, the formation of Canada’s first School of Hygiene at U of T, and the establishment of Connaught Laboratories (previously a world leader in Insulin production).
Academy Staff
Dr. Molly Zirkle has a longstanding interest in education and simulation. From 2002 to 2005, she was on the staff at Harvard’s Center for Medical Simulation, creating simulation programs for airway management and simulation center training programs. She has also evaluated the use of task based simulators as assessment tools at Mt. Sinai’s Surgical Skills Centre. She was the undergraduate and post graduate coordinator at St. Michael’s Hospital for the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. She has been Director of the FitzGerald Academy since 2010
Contact Information for the FitzGerald Academy
| Dr. Molly Zirkle, Academy Director Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre 209 Victoria Street, Suite 586 Phone: (416) 864-5020 Fax: (416) 864-5430 Email: zirklem@smh.ca |
| Ms. Lori Gauld, Academy Manager Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre 209 Victoria Street, Suite 586 Phone: (416) 864-6022 Fax: (416) 864-5430 Email: gauldL@smh.ca |
| Bryan Abankwah, Team Lead and Post GraduateMedical Education Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre 209 Victoria Street, Suite 586 Phone: (416) 864-6060 x 77514 Fax: (416) 864-5430 Email: AbankwahB@smh.ca |
| Dragana Markovic, Education Coordinator St. Michael's Hospital Medical Education Office Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre 209 Victoria Street, Suite 586 Phone: (416) 864-5475 Fax: (416) 864-5430 Email: MarkovicD@smh.ca |
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Sonya Surbek, Education Coordinator |
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Michelle Dominey, Education Coordinator |