By Julie Quenneville
Canada has always punched above its weight in health care and medical discovery. From the discovery of insulin to the identification of stem cells and the development of their ground-breaking therapeutic use, some of the world’s most important breakthroughs have Canadian roots.
And today, our country remains home to one of the world’s top medical institutions: University Health Network (UHN), proudly ranked Canada’s #1 hospital and the #1 publicly-funded hospital in the world for seven years in a row by Newsweek.
In a world where science, technology and health are converging at unprecedented speeds, leadership in health innovation is about looking ahead. It takes vision, partnership and bold, homegrown investment in Canada’s future. At a time when Canada’s future hangs in the balance, we need to act swiftly to secure that future.
That’s why UHN launched the Canada Leads 100 Challenge, a bold and ambitious initiative to make Canada the world’s top destination for medical research and innovation.
Canada Leads brings together the strength of public institutions, and private and corporate philanthropy to recruit 100 top early-career scientists from Canada and around the world to UHN.
This program will supercharge life-changing research, accelerate discoveries from the lab to patients, and drive innovation that benefits people across Canada and beyond.
And the benefits don’t stop there.
By building research capacity at home, we reduce reliance on foreign innovation, fuel our own economic engines by creating new jobs and businesses, and cement Canada’s place as a global leader in health science. And, perhaps most importantly, our families, friends, colleagues and communities benefit from made-in-Canada discoveries first.
Philanthropic support gives us the opportunity to offer the world’s best and brightest medical minds a home to bring their boldest ideas to life. Private and corporate philanthropy play a central role in this ambitious vision. Within a week, UHN Foundation was able to raise an initial $15 million for Canada Leads — enough funding for our first 50 new recruits.
These visionary founding private donors aren’t just funding research — they’re co-creating a new model of nation-building through innovation. They understand that strategic philanthropy doesn’t just improve lives—it enhances national competitiveness, attracts global talent and turns Canada into a destination for investment and impact. UHN’s discoveries are Canada’s discoveries. And Canada Leads makes sure we can continue to be a driver of medical innovation.
As CEO of UHN Foundation, I’ve seen firsthand the power of corporate philanthropy to transform institutions.
But what we’re seeing with Canada Leads is something even greater.
It has become a movement where giving both fulfills corporate strategy, and becomes a strategic lever for national advancement. Where the corporate sector becomes a vital partner in shaping our country’s future.
Canada’s business leaders: the time to join our pivotal movement is now.
Canada Leads is a call to action — it’s an opportunity to invest in our people, our health, our prosperity and our place in the world.
This is what philanthropy in Canada must become: not just giving back, but giving forward — with purpose, with patriotism, and with the conviction that Canada is in a position to lead.
Because when Canada leads — we all win.
Julie Quenneville, CEO, University Health Network Foundation. Since 2023, under Julie’s leadership, UHN Foundation has achieved incredible success on milestone capital campaigns for a new surgical tower at Toronto Western Hospital. She also heads the Canada Leads 100 Challenge. In her past role as President and CEO of McGill University Health Centre Foundation, she grew revenue by 350 per cent, expertly navigated the integration of three foundations, and built a team recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.
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