This Canadian Hospital Proves Why it's No.1 in First Brand Campaign

For the first time in its history, University Health Network (UHN) is claiming the title 'Canada’s #1 hospital' by focusing on the reason it got there: its people. Launching today, the UHNITED campaign focuses on the teams working together across UHN to challenge the status quo of healthcare. It features real stories of innovation, trailblazing discoveries and lives transformed. 

“True to our Canadian roots, UHN has tended to be modest about our achievements, quietly going about the business of caring for our country’s sickest patients while relentlessly pursuing discovery and innovation,” says Dr. Kevin Smith, president and CEO of UHN. “UHN is the top hospital in the country and the #1 publicly funded hospital in the world. We should all be proud that Canada is having such a profound impact on medicine worldwide, and that we are demonstrating that it’s possible to provide excellence in care to all patients, regardless of economic status. All of this is thanks to our incredible team. The UHNITED campaign is a celebration of TeamUHN coming together to transform healthcare.” 

UHN is confidently placing itself at the head of the pack as Canada’s #1 hospital, having demonstrated its leadership in more ways than one, including: 

• Ranked one of the top five hospitals in the world four years in a row, also making it the world’s #1 publicly funded hospital (Toronto General Hospital/source)
• Ranked as Canada’s #1 research hospital for 13 consecutive years since the inception of the list by Research Infosource Inc., with a research budget of $475M in 2023 
• Serving as a referral centre for the entire country: when partner hospitals are no longer the optimal place to treat Canada’s sickest patients, they rely on UHN to address patient needs from assessment and treatment to recovery 
• A prodigious track record of numerous world-first innovations designed to improve the lives of patients, including the Toronto Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion System, which has helped double the number of lung transplants at UHN and is now used in clinical practice around the world 
• The first hospital in Canada to use remote deep brain stimulation technology to treat Parkinson’s disease, and home to the largest neuromodulation program in Canada
• Home to Canada’s largest physical rehabilitation hospital, featuring a one-of-a-kind research lab focused on falls prevention  
• Developing the Medly remote management program, which provides people living with heart failure self-care guidance and access to their care team through their smartphone
• The leading and most successful transplant centre in North America, and one of the top three transplant research centres in the world
• A leading partner in healthcare education, UHN is Canada’s largest robotic surgery training ground via telesimulation 
• The first hospital in Canada to introduce a Chief AI Scientist role and build an AI Hub 

“UHN could not be Canada’s #1 hospital without the support of our community,” says Julie Quenneville, CEO of UHN Foundation. “All teams at UHN are constantly trying to challenge the status quo of healthcare, and donor support is what gives them the ability to do so. When our community is UHNITED, we are not only investing in UHN’s biggest and boldest ideas, but showing other Canadians that reimagining healthcare is only possible when we all come together.”

With lofty fundraising goals for the years ahead, UHN Foundation aims to educate the public about the #1 hospital in Canada, the various parts of its network, and the impact of charitable donations on medical research, education and excellence in patient care at UHN. 

Zulu Alpha Kilo – one of the top creative agencies in the country – developed the campaign alongside UHN and UHN Foundation. They also developed and executed the media strategy in partnership with The Aber Group. The UHNITED campaign features paid advertising that will run across digital, print and out-of-home channels, along with digital content.