Women's College Hospital is a teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in downtown Toronto at the north end of Hospital Row, a section of University Avenue where several major hospitals are located. It currently functions as an independent ambulatory care hospital and member of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) affiliated with the University of Toronto. Women's College Hospital maintains a focus on women's health, research in women's health, and ambulatory care, although patients of all genders can access most services offered by the hospital. It was recognized as the only collaborating centre in women's health the Western Hemisphere designated by the World Health Organization. Women's College Hospital is associated with Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital Foundation and Women's Health Matters, a bilingual consumer website on women's health and lifestyle issues.
History Women's College Hospital began as Woman's Medical College in 1883. On June 13, 1883, Dr. Emily Stowe (1831–1903) the second woman licensed to practice medicine in Canada – led a group of her supporters to a meeting at the Toronto Women's Suffrage Club, stating "that medical education for women is a recognized necessity, and consequently facilities for such instruction should be provided." The motion was seconded adding "that the establishment of such a school was a public necessity and in the interests of the community." Less than six months after this meeting, on October 1, 1883, Toronto Mayor A.R. Boswell formally opened Woman's Medical College.
Women's College Hospital leaders Dr. Jessie Gray – considered at the time to be one of the top cancer surgeons in North America, she was the first woman to earn a Master of Surgery degree in Canada Dr. Marion Powell – a leader in raising consciousness in women's sexual health Dr. Henrietta Banting – spearheaded the use of mammography Dr. Anna Marion Hilliard – collaborated in the development of a simplified Pap test Dr. Ricky Kanee Schachter – was the first woman to lead an academic division of dermatology Dr. Minerva Reid – was the first female Chief of Surgery in North America
Ontario Medical College for Women In 1895, the College amalgamated with its sister institution in Kingston, Ontario, and changed its name to the Ontario Medical College for Women. A practical experience clinic called the Dispensary was opened in Toronto in 1898. The clinic allowed female patients to obtain the services of women doctors in a field dominated by men. At the time, services were provided regardless of the patient's ability to pay and medical advice was always free. In 1906, the University of Toronto opened its doors to permit women to study medicine, and the Ontario Medical College for Women closed. The Dispensary remained open and continued to prosper in the city.
Recent history Women's College Hospital moved to its current location in Toronto in 1935, and became a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto in 1961. Later, the hospital merged with Sunnybrook Hospital and the Orthopedic and Arthritic Hospital in 1998 under the provisions of Ontario Bill 51, becoming Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. The hospital's Urgent Care Centre was named in honour of Dr. Burnett M. Thall, a longtime member of its board of directors. In 2006, they de-amalgamated and Women's College Hospital reverted to its original name. During the SARS outbreak of 2003, while still part of the erstwhile "Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre", the Women's College site housed the first ambulatory SARS clinic in Canada. Meanwhile, the Sunnybrook site housed both the first in-patient SARS unit and Intensive Care Unit for SARS in Canada. The hospital was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995. A plaque was erected by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada at the Women's College Hospital, Grenville St., Toronto.
Women's College Hospital has earned a distinctive place in Canadian medical history. From its beginnings as a small out-patient clinic in 1898 to its development as a modern teaching hospital, the institution symbolizes the struggle of women to claim their place in the medical profession. It offered them opportunities in teaching and in hospital practice, which were often unavailable or extremely limited elsewhere in the country. The hospital has made innovative contributions to the treatment and diagnosis of disease through its vital focus on health issues affecting women and families.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the hospital on March 7, 2024.
The Miss Margaret Robins Archives The Miss Margaret Robins Archives of Women's College Hospital is located within the hospital campus. The archive acquires, preserves and makes publicly accessible historical records of the institution. This includes textual records, photographs, slides, audio, video recording, medical equipment and textiles concerning the documentation of the history of the hospital and its community. Archival holdings consist of the documentation of charities and departments in the history of the hospital. This includes documentation of the Cradle Club, which was established to help mothers and newborn babies. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, one of the first departments at the hospital. The Brief Psychotherapy Centre for Women, a department dedicated to women's mental well being, and additional holdings concerning the hospitals advancements in women's health. Their collection also contains historic photographs of their community events and fundraising for the Cradle Club which were taken by the prominent Toronto photographer Grant Collingwood.
About Women's College Hospital collaborated in the invention of the simplified Pap test, opened Ontario's first regional Sexual Assault Care Centre and was the first hospital in the province to use mammography as a diagnostic tool to detect breast cancer. As of 2012, it is Ontario's first and only independent ambulatory care centre. Ambulatory care refers to surgeries, diagnostic procedures and treatments that do not require overnight hospitalization. That means patients can be released within 18 hours, and can recover at home.
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