Office of the Dean

Dr. Catharine Whiteside was appointed Dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and Vice Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions, in 2005. As Dean, she leads Canada’s largest Faculty of Medicine with approximately 5,000 total faculty members and over 6,800 students enrolled in undergraduate medicine, post-graduate medicine, Masters/PhD, Professional Masters and Radiation Sciences. As Vice Provost, she is responsible for the University’s partnership with 9 fully-affiliated hospitals, 20 community-affiliated hospitals and health facilities. The Faculty of Medicine and the fully-affiliated hospitals also represent a thriving research enterprise – one of the largest in North America – that includes 160 Canada Research Chairs and has attracted over $600 million in research funding (08-09). In 2009, the prestigious Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan ranked U of T’s Faculty of Medicine number one in Canada and number six in the world, based on impact of published research.

Dean Whiteside completed U of T’s Undergraduate Medical Education program in 1975, followed by postgraduate training in internal medicine and nephrology and PhD from U of T’s Institute of Medical Science. Dr. Whiteside joined U of T’s Department of Medicine in 1985 as a clinician-scientist and has engaged in basic research in the field of cellular mechanisms of kidney disease. In 1996, Dr. Whiteside became a full professor of medicine. In 2007, she was awarded the Medal of Research Excellence from the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Dean Whiteside also serves as President of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2009-2011) and Director, Board of the Council of Canadian Academies (2007-2011). In 2009, she was the recipient of the Canadian Medical Association’s May Cohen Award for Women Mentors.