The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto has been educating medical students and conducting internationally recognized research for more than 100 years. In that time, our medical school has grown into one of the largest health sciences complexes in North America with more than 4,500 students in undergraduate and postgraduate medical programs, rehabilitation sciences, and graduate studies.

The Faculty has educated more than 10,000 physicians, many of whom have made significant contributions to the community. Some of our most famous graduates include Norman Bethune who became a hero in China; medical missionary Robert McClure; founder of Connaught Laboratories, John FitzGerald; and Marion Hilliard, an early advocate of women's health issues.

The Faculty of Medicine has been the site of major breakthroughs in medical research. The discovery of insulin in the 1920's and the development of the cardiac pacemaker in the 1950's are two outstanding examples. More recently, a Faculty research team identified the T-cell receptor gene, a major advance in our understanding of the body's immune system, while another team isolated the gene that causes cystic fibrosis.

Many of the Faculty's investigators are recognized internationally as leaders in research. By actively encouraging collaboration, the Faculty of Medicine ensures that the creative expertise of individuals from many disciplines is focused on resolving the challenges confronting the Canadian health care system, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and AIDS.