SUMO – UHN Distinguished Physician Investigator Award

Overview

The SUMO–UHN Distinguished Physician Investigator Award is a strategic salary support initiative designed to recruit and retain an outstanding mid-career clinician scientist at University Health Network (UHN). This award represents a unique collaboration between Sinai – UHN Academic Medical Organization (SUMO) and UHN’s Canada Leads program, combining resources and vision to strengthen UHN’s leadership in clinical research and innovation. This $500,000 award ($100,000 a year for 5 years) is being funded equally by Canada Leads and SUMO.

Overview

The SUMO–UHN Distinguished Physician Investigator Award is a strategic salary support initiative designed to recruit and retain an outstanding mid-career clinician scientist at University Health Network (UHN). This award represents a unique collaboration between Sinai – UHN Academic Medical Organization (SUMO) and UHN’s Canada Leads program, combining resources and vision to strengthen UHN’s leadership in clinical research and innovation.

The award aims to support the following:

  • Provide multi-year salary support for a mid-career clinician scientist who demonstrates exceptional potential for advancing translational research and clinical innovation
  • Foster interdisciplinary collaboration across UHN’s research institutes and clinical programs, leveraging UHN’s globally recognized strengths in health innovation
  • Integrate SUMO’s Innovation Fund mandate, ensuring alignment with UHN’s commitment to improving patient outcomes through novel care models, technologies, and evidence-based practices

Key features of the award include the following:

  • Strategic alignment with UHN’s Canada Leads priorities: advancing health innovation, improving health outcomes, and driving economic development through commercialization and job creation
  • Support for visionary research programs that bridge clinical practice and scientific discovery, addressing pressing healthcare needs and enhancing patient experience
  • Sustainability and impact: serve as a catalyst for long-term research success, enabling recipients to secure external funding and build high-impact programs

By combining SUMO’s commitment to excellence with UHN’s innovation ecosystem, this award will empower a clinician scientist to lead transformative research, strengthen UHN’s global reputation, and deliver tangible benefits to patients and society.