A Game-Changer for Scarborough Health

A $25-million gift from Myron and Berna Garron will help build a cutting-edge facility at U of T Scarborough to house the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH).

The donation will also support faculty development, bolster academic programming and strengthen partnerships with local hospitals, including the Scarborough Health Network and Michael Garron Hospital. In recognition of the donors, the new facility will be named the Myron and Berna Garron Health Sciences Complex. ¹

The five-storey building, set to rise at Military Trail and Morningside Avenue, is expected to open in fall 2026.

SAMIH is poised to transform health care in Scarborough and eastern Toronto. As one of the few centres in the region dedicated to training health professionals, the academy will help address the critical shortage of local family physicians and specialists. “SAMIH will attract a diverse pool of local talent and enable graduates to build careers in Scarborough and the eastern Toronto area,” says Linda Johnston, U of T Scarborough’s principal and University of Toronto vice-president. “This is an asset for students with ties to the region and for a population in urgent need of more accessible health care.”

Once fully operational, the academy will train 160 medical students alongside 252 physician assistants, physical therapists and nurse practitioners. The Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy will expand their educational programming to SAMIH, with the new complex serving as a hub for health sciences undergraduates at U of T Scarborough.

Designed to provide hands-on learning, the Myron and Berna Garron Health Sciences Complex will include an anatomy lab for medical students, two high-tech classrooms, a 21-bed clinical skills lab and 10 instructional labs. To serve both students and the community, the facility will house three teaching clinics open to the public: a psychology clinic, a nurse practitioner clinic and a branch of U of T’s Discovery Pharmacy, an on-campus drugstore that offers services such as prescriptions and vaccinations.

“We envision SAMIH as closing the circle on total patient support – from professional education to bedside care,” said Myron and Berna Garron. “In an era of extensive shortages of vital health practitioners, we are proud to help fill this educational and training gap, especially for the underserved area of Scarborough and eastern Toronto.”

The Garrons’ donation has also unlocked $10 million in matching funds from a previous $25-million gift to SAMIH by the Orlando Corporation, further supporting the building’s construction.

1. The Myron and Berna Garron Health Sciences Complex will include:
   1 anatomy lab
   2 high-tech classrooms
   3 teaching clinics
   10 instructional labs