TORONTO/MISSISSAUGA – Today Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and Peel District School Board (PDSB) announced the Future of Healthcare program, an admissions pathway program that encourages students to consider post-secondary academic pursuits and careers in healthcare and related fields. Commitment to the program was confirmed by a Letter of Intent (LOI) outlining key program principles and components, the first of which is set to launch in September 2024.
“The Future of Healthcare pathway program will help students broaden their career possibilities by opening their eyes and minds to healthcare-related fields of study,” said Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, TMU. “Through this meaningful partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and the Peel District School Board, we hope to achieve better representation of equity-deserving groups in healthcare, where they have been historically underrepresented.”
The Future of Healthcare program will have representation from TMU’s Faculties at the School of Medicine (to open in Brampton in 2025) and Community Services (home to health-focused programs), as well as TMU Student Affairs.
Next steps for the Future of Healthcare pathway program include:
- Collaborating with students and communities to co-design key elements of the program
- Delivering a speaker series, through which students in PDSB schools will have the opportunity to hear from engaging speakers about their lived experience in pursuing diverse career pathways in healthcare (with planned implementation in September 2024)
- Co-developing a secondary school course offering, through which a cohort of students will engage in focused immersive learning on careers in healthcare (with planned implementation in September 2025)
“This first-of-its-kind collaboration with Toronto Metropolitan University and Peel District School Board will provide specialized programming and exposure to various healthcare fields for PDSB students,” said PDSB Education Director Rashmi Swarup. “The Future of Healthcare pathway program offers us the ability to inspire the future workforce of healthcare professionals in a way that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.”
