Transforming lives and health care for a brighter future

This week on Health Matters, Jean Charest discusses the reasons for championing health care as one of the core causes and the MUHC’s significance in ensuring Quebecers’ access to excellent health care and cutting-edge equipment. Norman Steinberg sheds light on the transformative power of philanthropy in empowering healthcare and his big dream with the MUHC Foundation. Julie Quenneville shares her remarkable journey of contributing to the evolution of the MUHC and fostering improved health outcomes within the community and around the world, highlighting the triumphs that have propelled the organization forward. Peter Kruyt provides insights into the pivotal role of philanthropy in advancing medical research and providing patients with advanced care and treatment.

Cette semaine à Questions de santé, Jean Charest discute des raisons qui l'ont poussé à faire des soins de santé l'une de ses causes fondamentales et de l'importance du CUSM pour assurer aux Québécois l'accès à d'excellents soins de santé et à des équipements à la fine pointe de la technologie. Norman Steinberg met en lumière le pouvoir de transformation de la philanthropie dans l'autonomisation des soins de santé et son grand rêve avec la Fondation du CUSM. Julie Quenneville partage son parcours remarquable en contribuant à l'évolution du CUSM et en favorisant l'amélioration des résultats de santé au sein de la communauté et dans le monde entier, en soulignant les triomphes qui ont propulsé l'organisation vers l'avant. Et Peter Kruyt nous éclaire sur le rôle essentiel de la philanthropie dans l'avancement de la recherche médicale et la fourniture aux patients de soins et de traitements de pointe.

Transcript

Tarah Schwartz: 0:00

Hello there. Thank you for joining us. I'm Tarah Schwartz and for the final time on CJAD 800. This is Health Matters. It has been an incredible three years highlighting the amazing work of the doctors, researchers and clinician scientists at the McGill University Health Center, and the research institute of the MUHC. We launched the show back in 2020. The MUHC Foundation was in the early days of launching its Dream Big campaign, an ambitious $200 million fundraising goal to change lives and medicine. We were also navigating the early months of COVID-19. We are still trying to understand the virus and its impact on our health and on our world. And it has been very special to be able to introduce you at home to some of the remarkable health care professionals who work tirelessly to keep our community healthy and safe. Some of the donors who are helping us reach that $200 million goal and some of the incredible patients and their families who are witnesses to what's possible. For our final show, we wanted to speak with a few people who are helping us to achieve our big dream. And we would be remiss if we didn't speak to my first guest. It is difficult to introduce him succinctly because of the impact he has had at the MUHC Foundation in Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. Jean Charest is the co chair of the MUHC Foundation's Dream Big campaign. He is a partner at McCarthy Tetreault and a former Premier of Quebec. You know him, it's Jean Charest. Thank you so much for being here.

Jean Charest: 1:27

Tarah, thank you for the generous introduction. I'm also part of this because I saw firsthand I've witnessed firsthand when I was in office and after the extraordinary work done at the MUHC. And especially the fact not only that the MUHC is an institution that helps that it is able to help patients and do extraordinary things. But it also is part of what defines Montreal and Quebec and Canada. The reputation of our institution to the MUHC is worldwide, something that was earned through the hard work of men and women who have been caregivers and something that we need to appreciate and protect for the future.

Tarah Schwartz: 2:23

It has been a privilege to have worked with you these last three years on our Dream Big campaign, how has it been for you championing healthcare as one of your causes?

Jean Charest: 2:34

I've been involved in with the MUHC. It's been a real discovery, I knew a lot about the hospital, its research capabilities and the specialized care that it offers. But you referred to it earlier, the episode of the pandemic sheds new light on the work done by health care providers in the whole sector. First of all, to put it in context, let us just remember the warp speed at which we were able to the world develop a vaccine. And then think back to at the very beginning of all the questions of how do we treat people who have this virus? How do we allow them to get better? What do we need to do and the MUHC demonstrated in that specific emergency, the extraordinary talent that the hospital has, and MI4 in the whole effort to find cures solutions, contribute to helping people get through the pandemic was a real testimony to the talent and the very deep talent, the researchers and the people who are there. And Tarah what does the foundation do? The job of the foundation is to create an environment in which our doctors, nurses, caregivers, researchers can be at their best that they can deploy all the talent and the intelligence they have to help find the cures that are going to allow people to live a full life and that's why I got involved with the foundation. Every time I hear a presentation, every time I'm always impressed and I find it humbling. But I also think it's a call to arms to all our listeners out there to support the foundation.

Tarah Schwartz: 4:28

I love that a call to arms. Now part of your job, and I put that word in quotes as the Dream Big campaign co chair is to communicate the impact of donations whether it's a $20 monthly donation from one of our listeners, or someone who has the capacity to give$200,000 to cancer research. What do you say to people about the value of their donations because communication is something you do so well? You're such a good communicator. What do you say to people about the value of their donations?

Jean Charest: 4:58

Communication is about what you are saying, and not just the way you say it. What I say is pretty simple, your donation is going to change lives, it will change lives. It's not an exaggeration to say that if we are able to give the tools and to allow those who are the best researchers in the world, and the most talented people in the world, if we can give them the tools to do their job, and the research that they know that they can do to be able to find tours, we are going to change lives. And we will make them better we're going to relieve pain are going to allow people to live healthy and better and good lives. Think of those around you who have been suffering from cancer or any other kind of ailment. That's what you can do. So it works. It does work, giving does make a difference.

Tarah Schwartz: 6:03

We are speaking with Jean Charest, he was one of three co chairs of the MUHC Foundation's Dream Big campaign, you often talk about the McGill name and how it carries weight around the world. What does it mean to you that the McGill University Health Center and its Research Institute are making those discoveries that are impacting lives and medicine not just here, but abroad? What does that mean to you?

Jean Charest: 6:27

I have firsthand experience Tarah and that I've traveled all over the world. I'm now involved with the Emirates because I'm co chair of the Canada Emirates Business Council. I have a daughter lives in Hong Kong. I go to Europe a lot because boards and I've been in Africa. One thing I can tell you with pride, if you say the word Montreal in Paris, or in Dakar, in Senegal or in Singapore, the reaction of the people you're talking to that the word you'll hear the most often is McGill, McGill and the MUHC. And that includes the MUHC is the best known institution of Quebec and Montreal in the world, and in a very positive way. So they know that we have one of the best research hospitals in the world, best university hospitals in the world. And there's not many cities in the world who have two brand new university hospitals, because McGill is not alone. We're in a friendly competition with every other institution in Canada. But we're very proud of what we represent. And that's testimony that you don't get that kind of reputation overnight. It just doesn't happen over the course of even a few years, that is the sum total of what is being done now and the sum total of all the work that has been done over the last 100 years.

Tarah Schwartz: 8:02

What inspires you about being part of the MUHC Foundation community?

Jean Charest: 8:08

It's the people I see. And the patients offer very compelling testimonies and who accept to offer us their stories. What they've experienced and what they've accomplished, and you can't walk away from hearing them tell their story on how their lives were changed. I'll remember their family was saved, without wanting to be part of the story. And there's a lot of ways of doing that. And every dollar counts, and you and for those who are given you should know we never ever take for granted that anyone should be giving. We know that we have an obligation to share with you what we are trying to do the research and to make that something that will resonate with every person that we talked to, so we are also extremely appreciative of those who give for their generosity.

Tarah Schwartz: 9:13

Jean Charest, the MUHC Foundation's Dream Big campaign co chair, thank you so much for taking the time to be on the show today.

Jean Charest: 9:20

Tarah, thank you for everything. I hope we're going to hear more of you over the next few years.

Tarah Schwartz: 9:24

We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out. Take care. Thank you. Bye bye. Next up on Health Matters. We speak with one of the most ardent supporters and biggest ambassadors of the MUHC foundation. I'm Tarah Schwartz. Welcome back to Health Matters on CJAD 800. At the MUHC Foundation, we are privileged to hear firsthand from some of the country's leading experts about their research projects and their exciting discoveries. It's philanthropy that gives these doctors and researchers the opportunity to make a difference and no one knows that better than our next guest. Norman Steinberg is a dedicated ambassador of the MUHC Foundation. And he has had a tremendous impact in helping the foundation achieve its goals. He is the past chair of the board of directors at the MUHC Foundation. He is currently the Co Vice Chair. Thank you so much for being here, Norman.

Norman Steinberg: 10:22

Thank you so much, Tarah, for that wonderful introduction. I hope I can repeat it to my wife and other members of the family. So they appreciate what you said.

Tarah Schwartz: 10:32

No, Norman, similar to our first guest Jean Charest on our show, it has been such an honor to have worked with you and gotten to know you over these last years. Tell us a little bit about where your commitment to the MUHC Foundation comes from?

Norman Steinberg: 10:46

I started, many years ago, when we were raising the 300 million, it turned out to be 350 million to build a hospital, I had the privilege of working with a great group of people led by John Ray, Dr. Cruz and so forth. I saw the importance of building a world class Hospital in Montreal, attracting the best researchers, doctors and creating a healthcare ecosystem, which is what we're seeing today.

Tarah Schwartz: 11:18

I love that visual of the healthcare ecosystem. Now, your tenure as chair of the MUHC Foundation Board of Directors came to an end, but you can sit continue to sit on the board of directors, what is something that you are most proud of? We're just proud of the time that you've had as Chair of the Foundation.

Norman Steinberg: 11:36

Well, my answer to that question, it's not a single thing, I would call it the building block approach, which is, when I got started creating a board that better suited our needs. A board that had some of the champions of the corporate community in Montreal, represented matrix families represented the ethnicity of Montreal, gender balance, racial balance, and people that connected to all four corners of the Montreal community that enabled us to then continue to recruit great people, on our leadership team people like you. With those people, we were able to kickstart our next capital campaign, the Dream Big campaign, and again, on that campaign, attract the best people that would represent our interests as we raise $200 million. That's what I'm very proud of.

Tarah Schwartz: 12:31

And it's something to be so proud of Norman, and I am picking up on that one of the things when you say like, raising that $200 million, is not easy. And one of the things that, our next guest, Julie Quenneville has said about you, which always makes me smile, she says, you're someone who has taught her that, if you can't get a door open, find a way to get in through the window. Because when you're trying to raise that kind of money, you have to be able to reach out to people and help them understand the impact of what the foundation does. And you do that so so well, how do you communicate that?

Norman Steinberg: 13:01

Well, first, we tried to do due diligence. And that's where Julie and you and our team come in, we try to understand what the needs of our donor are, we don't walk into a meeting with necessarily a proposal, we want to feel out what our donors really want what they want to support. And in health care, as you know, everybody has a personal issue, whether it's in respect of themselves or their family. And we try to respond to the things that they have dealt with in the past, where they've hopefully been helped by our healthcare system, and talk to them about the doctors we can bring in from around the world to join our team, the research, we're going to do the machinery we're going to fund and that's what inspires our donors, our donors have to have a commitment to the particular cause. It's no longer just writing a check.

Tarah Schwartz: 13:54

We are speaking with Norman Steinberg, ambassador of the MUHC Foundation, former Chair of the Board of Directors currently, the co vice chair. Now not only do you give of your time, Norman, volunteering on the board of directors, but you also have made donations to the MUHC Foundation. I wonder why it's important for you to give both your time and financial commitment?

Norman Steinberg: 14:16

It's a great question. The answer is, how can we ask donors to make significant donations if we don't show the lead? How can we recruit people to our board, to our staff team, to our Dream Big volunteer team, if we're not setting the example. So it's very important to set the example and secondarily but very importantly, I believe in the causes, I believe that where my dollars are going make a difference in saving lives and helping lives and really improving the state of health care in our hospital in the province and quite frankly, in the world, because a lot of our research has global significance.

Tarah Schwartz: 15:02

So what would your message be to our listeners about the importance of investing in what you say sort of that health care community, regardless of whether you're able to donate $100,000, or whether you're able to donate$10 a month?

Norman Steinberg: 15:17

It's a lesson I learned so many years ago. We want everybody in the community to donate, everybody should have skin in the game. And the fact is, we all pay a lot of taxes, our government is stretched and can only support basically the operations of our hospital. If we want to have excellence, if we want to have the best people, the best health care, each of us needs to make a contribution. Some of us will be more modest, some of us will be more significant. But everybody should be a contributor because we all live and die, basically, on our health care system.

Tarah Schwartz: 15:56

That is absolutely true. Now Norman, our radio show Health Matters that's been on CJAD 800 for almost three years is coming to a close. But our work to reach that $200 million goal in our Dream Big campaign continues, and we're getting closer with every dollar we get closer. What has this campaign meant to you?

Norman Steinberg: 16:33

cervical cancer. We have the MI4 campaign, which is trying to find the various ways to deal with the fact that the antibiotics are becoming ineffectual. So there's so many aspects of this $200 million that is of global importance. And I'm very proud here we are in Montreal, doing things that have a global impact.

Tarah Schwartz: 16:58

Now we talk about our campaign name is Dream Big. And we talk a lot about big dreams on the show and have for the last three years. What is your big dream for the MUHC Foundation?

Norman Steinberg: 17:11

It may be a boring answer, it's to continue what we're doing. We've accomplished so much since we raised the money to build the hospital, since we started our foundation. And as we continue on the Dream Big campaign soon to be completed, I hope within a year, we have to continue what we're doing. So many people depend on us, the physicians, the researchers, the Research Institute, our patients, so we have to continue what we're doing, nobody else is going to do it, we have to do it.

Tarah Schwartz: 17:42

And you get this opportunity to meet these wonderful doctors and researchers, is that part of what inspires you to continue being able to sort of talk to them and see what they're doing and hear how they're making these incredible discoveries?

Norman Steinberg: 17:55

Well, it is amazing, we meet these global superstars of the healthcare world. Without being too humble Montreal is who say, my god, how did we get you here? And they come here because of the infrastructure that we've built the support that we have for research, and allowing them to bring their teams over. So it's very inspiring meeting these, I'm gonna call it the superstar physicians that we have, who by the way, they're just in labs doing research. They're meeting you, me, my wife, my kids and so forth. They're involved directly in helping all of us while they conduct this amazing research.

Tarah Schwartz: 18:32

The superstar physicians meeting the superstar philanthropist Norman Steinberg, dedicated ambassador, past chair of the board of the MUHC Foundation, currently Co Vice Chair. Norman, dare I say, you have been one of my most favorite people that I've met at the foundation over the last three years. It's been such a pleasure, Norman.

Norman Steinberg: 18:52

Tarah, same here. Thank you so much for what you do, communicating the important work we're doing to the community at large. So thank you. Thank you. And we'll see at the board meeting tomorrow.

Tarah Schwartz: 19:03

We absolutely will. Thank you, Norman. And as Norman mentioned, just because the show is coming to an end on CJAD, our work continues and Health Matters as a podcast will continue for the MUHC foundation. So if you want to learn more about that, make sure you don't miss an episode. Just head to muhcfoundation.com to sign up to our newsletter. We would love to have you as part of our community. Coming up next on the show. Our outgoing CEO shares how impactful the MUHC Foundation has been to support the health of our community. I'm Tarah Schwartz and this is Health Matters. There is so much I can say about our next guest and this is going to be a bit of a tough one for me. Julie Quenneville is one of the most inspiring people I know. She fights tirelessly for the causes she believes in. She hired me and in the three years I've worked for her at the MUHC Foundation. I have learned more than I could possibly say her impact on the health of Montreal and Montreal is enormous, but it's done behind the scenes, she has been instrumental in securing funding for some of the most innovative medical research being done at the MUHC and the research institute of the McGill University Health Center, research that will have an impact on the lives of all Quebecers. Julie is leaving in just a few short weeks to take on new challenges as the president and CEO of the University Health Network in Toronto. So I'm absolutely thrilled we get one final chance to speak with her on Health Matters. Hi, Julie.

Julie Quenneville: 20:28

Hi, Tarah, thank you so much for inviting me.

Tarah Schwartz: 20:31

It's always so great to talk to you in this capacity, now the Dream Big campaign was an ambitious undertaking, what does it feel like now to know that we're very close to achieving that $200 million goal?

Julie Quenneville: 20:45

I feel so incredibly grateful, grateful to the community for their continued support, we wouldn't even have this great new hospital had the community not completely mobilized and demanded that the government invest in academic medicine and Montreal. And now here we are, this is the first campaign in our history that is 100%, dedicated to innovation, to clinical research to bringing in top talent to our city. And we're so close to completing that. And that $200 million is connected to real concrete projects, to real people, and to cures. And that, to me is what is most inspiring about this campaign, because we're not just focusing on caring for one or two people at a time, we are focusing our time and attention and our passion on curing disease, which is going to be a benefit for the entire world.

Tarah Schwartz: 21:37

How do you describe that when you say like we're raising $200 million for innovative clinical medical research, how do you describe that? How do you tell people, this is what I mean?

Julie Quenneville: 21:50

The only source of revenue to invest in innovation in a hospital in healthcare, in general is philanthropy. So every dollar that we put in, if you think about it, when a brilliant researcher, brilliant mind says, I think I know what the cure is, or I think how to better diagnose this disease. The only way that they can obtain a grant from the government and various different mechanisms in the country, is to actually prove that their research works before they can even apply, which seems a bit crazy. But that's the way it works in healthcare. So philanthropy the foundation provides them with seed funding, so that they can put together this trial, usually it's about$100,000. And then they use that to put it together, and then they apply for grants that will generate millions of dollars for the institution. So if we're thinking about it too, as a patient, because I always think about it from the patients and their families perspective, what is important to them, and therefore what is important to our foundation, we want to be treated, we want to see the very best doctors in the world. We don't want to have to travel to the United States, or to London or to other cities, we want to make sure that when we're sick, when our parents are sick, when our children are sick, the doctor that is going to be in front of us is the very best. And the only way to bring in the very best to the city and by the way we can and we do every day, is by providing them some seed funding so that they can continue to do research. Because the best doctors, they don't stop at just, making decisions according to what the medical books say. They don't stop when they are confronted with a disease that we don't have a cure yet they will continue to work with every fiber of their being to be able to find a cure for that patient and their families. And so that's why philanthropy is so powerful.

Tarah Schwartz: 23:36

And you speak to it so well and so eloquently. We're speaking with Julie Quenneville, President and CEO of the MUHC foundation, you often talk about philanthropy as being part of a community that supports its own health care, what is your message about giving what you can and joining that community of donors?

Julie Quenneville: 23:53

These are the only hospitals actually built by the community. They're not built by church or state. And this was a big dream by members of our wonderful Montreal community that they wanted to access top notch care in the city. And we are so lucky. And when we think back about the beautiful hospital that we built together, the Glen, this hospital was made possible by incredible people like David Culver, the Eric Madoff's of this world and Arnold Feinberg, who mobilized together to put some money on the table and tell the government that we needed a new hospital with proper space to attract top talent. And so today, each and every donation makes a big difference. My $100 donation goes an extremely long way because we see about 750,000 patients a year at that hospital. Every one of those patients has a family member, if you think about the power of each and every person contributing what they can. That's that pot $100 for a million people a year that makes a huge difference in health care. So find a look now one of the areas I'm most proud about the MUHC has grown in terms of the size of its community of donors by 350%. Since 2015, we started off at the MUHC with only a couple of 100 donors. And then we now this year have surpassed 15,000 people who are committed enough to make a small donation, a small gesture of support and thank you to the top talent that's been caring for their families.

Tarah Schwartz: 25:30

I know you don't like to pick favorites, because there's so many wonderful research projects, but I would be remiss not to ask you, is there a project that sort of is... I feel like I know the answer already. But I'm going to ask, is there a project that's particularly close to your heart?

Julie Quenneville: 25:45

There is one, the DOvEEgene project and for many reasons, Tarah, the first one is led by one of the most inspiring women I have met in my life. And research and leadership really does matter. And she has driven this from her heart from day one, when I first met her, I think, in 2008, where she said that she had seen way too many women die at the hospital, and that she refused to accept that and that she would find a way to cure these women. And she has, between 2008 and today, we are now about to submit an authorization to Health Canada and the FDA for the very, very first test in the entire world for early diagnosis of ovarian and uterine cancer. And this is incredibly exciting. This is a Montreal discovery, funded probably about 70%, by philanthropy over the years run in Montreal at the MUHC led by our team, and by our patients, because they had the courage to join us and join this clinical trial and help us reach this discovery. And now we're going to be able to save millions of women around the world. So that's pretty powerful.

Tarah Schwartz: 26:58

It really is. It's absolutely one of my favorite projects too. You have seen so much growth while at the helm of the MUHC Foundation. I often say that you've turned it into a philanthropic powerhouse, which you have. And I know you're moving on to new and exciting challenges where you're going to continue to help change lives and medicine. What has been your favorite part about seeing this evolution at the MUHC and the MUHC Foundation?

Julie Quenneville: 27:23

Well, as I mentioned, watching the size of our community of support and grow is extremely emotional for me. If I look back in 2015, we had at the MUHC Foundation, about 8000, we were raising about $8 million a year which is which is powerful, right? That's incredible. But this past year, we raised nearly $30 million, you can see that continued growth, that's a 350% growth. But Tarah, that is not the most important part. The most important part is in 2015, we were contributing to the hospital about $8 million a year. And in the last couple of years, we've been dispersing giving to the hospital for priority projects, making a difference every day between $27 and $28 million a year. That's incredible. So this is what the community is doing with us. And we are so touched that they would have the confidence in us to partner with us and to make a difference in healthcare.

Tarah Schwartz: 28:21

And I give you these last few words Julie as you're changing the course of your life right now to say thank you to the donors that have reached out on behalf of the MUHC Foundation, what would you like to say to them?

Julie Quenneville: 28:36

I would like to say thank you to our community. To our listeners, I would like to say thank you to the amazing doctors, the researchers, the nurses and the staff who I've been here at the MUHC for 18 years now. And so I love them dearly. And I'm going to miss everyone. But most of all, I'm going to miss our team Tarah, we have built and that is quite emotional for me. We have built over the years, what I believe to be the best team and philanthropy in this country. And I'm so proud of the talent that we've recruited and brought into the institution. Because this is the team that is going to continue to make sure that they partner with the community to make that difference in health care.

Tarah Schwartz: 29:20

You thank everybody. So I will end by thanking you for everything that you have done. Truly it has been one of the great honors of my life to have worked alongside you these last several years. Thank you for everything that you've done.

Julie Quenneville: 29:32

Thank you so much, Tarah.

Tarah Schwartz: 29:34

Next up on Health Matters how the MUHC sees its philanthropic arm. I'm Tarah Schwartz, you're listening to Health Matters. It is important for the MUHC Foundation to support the hospital in a variety of ways. From supporting researchers to compassionate care for patients to putting purchasing cutting edge equipment. We work closely with the health care workers at the MUHC to ensure that they have everything they need. We also work with the MUHC's leadership team and its board of directors, Peter Kruyt, the chair of the MUHC's board of directors and the Vice President Power Corporation. Peter, thank you so much for being here.

Peter Kruyt: 30:09

Thank you.

Tarah Schwartz: 30:10

So what inspired you to get involved with the MUHC's board of directors?

Peter Kruyt: 30:15

Well, there was a huge vacancy, because a lot of people had resigned, but a number of my friends had encouraged me to think about becoming involved because of my previous engagements with various nonprofit organizations. And they thought I could add some value. And I was a bit concerned at the at the outset, because I had only had an involvement with foundation hospital boards, and the actual operation of hospitals is quite a different matter.

Tarah Schwartz: 30:49

I would be curious to you, I'd be curious to pick up on that answer. What about it was so interesting and unexpected for you being part of the hospital board?

Peter Kruyt: 30:58

I think there are hospital boards, and then there are University Hospital boards, that are deeply involved with integrated in the university life, of the faculty of medicine, and teaching and residents, and tertiary and quaternary care, complex and highly complex care. So it's an incredibly intellectually intriguing environment. And the people that are involved are just, knock it out of the park. So we have some amazing people that make this place a super place to be involved with, and it's just an honor to be having a small role to play.

Tarah Schwartz: 31:44

As part of the Board of Directors of the hospital, you get to hear about incredible stories from doctors programs, what kind of impact that the hospital is having? What is it like to learn about these doctors in these programs firsthand?

Peter Kruyt: 32:00

It's fascinating. We don't actually spend a lot of time talking about as much as we'd like to try time talking about doctors and what they're discovering and doing. Because our focus is a bit more on the administrative side. But we do learn of their exploits, and how they help society, I just think about MI4 and how, the creation of MI4 for 18 months before COVID was such a critical addition to, knowledge of this disease, and in that was hitting the world. We were really on the cutting edge of knowledge as a result of that initiative, and the great brains that we had actually got attracted to be in other places around the world to help the cause everywhere. So, being part of that on the inside was just fascinating.

Tarah Schwartz: 33:04

It must have been aware, where, according to you does the MUHC and its research institute stand on the world stage in terms of what it's able to deliver the kind of care that it brings kind of innovation that it's doing? Where does it stand on the world stage?

Peter Kruyt: 33:18

The world is a big stage, and there's a lot of money involved everywhere around the world, the Americans, the Europeans are heavily invested in this, the MUHC, of course, is associated with the neuro. There is no doubt that the neuro is probably the leading component of the MUHC on a global basis. There are other areas of expertise, but the one that would be best known is really the neural and the neural research component is actually part of McGill, but there's a lot of interaction between the MUHC and the neuro.

Tarah Schwartz: 34:04

Peter Kruyt is the chair of the board of the MUHC. Peter, you are also very present in terms of the MUHC Foundation, you're at multiple events that we host you're often present when we're meeting donors to share impact of, of their donation. What is it about philanthropy in your mind? And I always think it's wonderful when I see you at these events, because it shows that you really understand the value of philanthropy. How do you describe that the value of philanthropy in terms of making sure that we can fund innovative medical research at the hospital?

Peter Kruyt: 34:36

Well, it's more of an honor for me, to be involved to play the small role that I play. I think, to frontline philanthropy to work, the organ organizes stations have to be finely tuned, and the hospital has to be ready to accept philanthropy and have ideas for how philanthropy can help, foundations have to attract donors that are interested in these areas of endeavor. All of these things have to come together. So I'm really a little bit more the glue than the content. I mean, the brilliant minds that are doing the research. And the amazing donors that are contributing are really the poster people for what happens at the hospital. It's just exciting to be next to them and to hear how they're interested in contributing and delivering new opportunities to doctors who are doing fabulous research.

Tarah Schwartz: 35:44

Now you're the vice president of Power Corporation.

Peter Kruyt: 35:49

Retired.

Tarah Schwartz: 35:49

On the MUHC board of directors, is there a favorite part of that job? Like when you get to go into the hospital? Aren't those board meetings you mentioned they're very operational, but you're also at a lot of the foundation events? What is it that you like most about what you're doing now?

Peter Kruyt: 36:03

Well, it's always about the people. And I think that right now, we had an outstanding CEO that the board was able to attract five years ago, Dr. Gfeller, and he really brought the MUHC to a new level of credibility in Quebec in the Health Network. And now, just in February, we had the arrival of Lucie Opatrny, Dr. Opatrny, who is looking forward, taking the base that Dr. Gfeller created and looking forward to building very, very exciting things. She's got lots of ideas, she had a terrific track record at the ministry, running all the hospitals or overseeing the hospitals during COVID. So she's well established and has great credibility in Quebec City. And she's got tons of energy. She's young, bright, and it's just a joy to work with her.

Tarah Schwartz: 37:04

Peter, this is our final radio show on CJAD 800. It's been a wonderful three years, and I'm sort of ending the show in a sort of a note of gratitude. And for the listeners who are listening to us today and who have donated to the MUHC Foundation being a part of our healthcare community, what would your words of thanks, be your final words of thanks, as we close our show?

Peter Kruyt: 37:25

I hope that they're seeing the results that they anticipated. They are making huge difference in the lives of patients and that we want to stay close to them to make sure that we're delivering on their objectives. They've made a huge difference to the MUHC and we can't say thank you enough.

Tarah Schwartz: 37:49

Peter Kruyt, chair of the MUHC Board of Directors. Thank you so much for taking the time to come on the show today.

Peter Kruyt: 37:55

My pleasure.

Tarah Schwartz: 37:56

I'm Tarah Schwartz, you have my heartfelt thanks for having tuned in these last three years, it has been such an honor, I hope that we've inspired you. Perhaps you've learned something, heard from doctors or researchers that helped you see things in a new light, or maybe helped you identify something about your own health. Ultimately, I hope you remain a part of our community. Health Matters will continue as a podcast for the MUHC Foundation. Just head to muhcfoundation.com to sign up for our newsletter. Signing up means you are a part of that community and will continue to learn and hear from the doctors and researchers that are changing medicine. Once again, thank you so much for tuning into Health Matters and stay healthy.