$250 million Temerty Faculty of Medicine at university receives new support from Dean Lisa Robinson and family to establish a new MD/PhD Award
Clinician-scientists are central to the identity of the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine—and to its global impact.
Now, a new MD/PhD Award established with a personal donation by Dean Lisa Robinson and her family is supporting students who commit early to this challenging but critically important career path.
The idea for the award was born in the lead-up to last year’s University of Toronto Giving Day—prompting Robinson to reflect on where her family’s personal philanthropy could most meaningfully advance Temerty Medicine’s education and research mission. The answer, she says, lies upstream—in the training of clinician-scientists who play an outsized role in translating discovery into real-world impact for patients and communities.
“Clinician-scientists really are the secret sauce,” says Robinson, who also serves as U of T’s vice-provost, relations with health care institutions. “They live at the intersection of discovery and care. They’re uniquely positioned to ask the right questions and then make sure the answers actually reach patients.”
Temerty Medicine is home to more than 700 clinician-scientists — a scale that sets it apart globally and underpins much of its research and clinical impact. But becoming a clinician-scientist takes time, commitment, and specialized training. For students in the MD/PhD program, the journey typically spans 8 to 9 years, combining undergraduate medical education with the pursuit of a life sciences doctorate.
The strength of that integration, Robinson says, is what makes the pathway so powerful.
Clinical experiences inform research questions in real time, while scientific discovery shapes how students approach patient care from the outset.
“This pathway keeps both worlds alive in your mind throughout your training,” she says.
Despite U of T’s MD/PhD Program’s long-standing leadership and track record of success, Robinson was struck by how small it remains relative to Temerty Medicine and to comparable institutions internationally.
Funding—particularly student support—remains one of the biggest constraints on expanding the number of learners.
“It’s a long and demanding pathway,” she says. “And in a city like Toronto, the financial realities are real. If we want to attract and retain the very best students, we have to remove as many barriers as we can.”
The new MD/PhD Award is designed to do just that, providing meaningful support to students who commit early to a clinician-scientist career. Recipients are selected independently by the MD/PhD Program based on demonstrated financial need, ensuring the award reaches students for whom additional support can make the greatest difference.
Robinson describes these learners as driven by deep purpose — individuals who choose a demanding path not for ease or speed, but for impact.
“These students aren’t making this choice lightly,” she says. “They’re coming in from the very beginning saying, ‘This is the work I want to do.’ Our responsibility is to make that choice possible.”
Robinson’s decision to give was also shaped by a personal sense of gratitude.
As both a dean and a proud U of T and Temerty Medicine alumna, she sees philanthropy—particularly on moments like U of T Giving Day—as an opportunity to reflect on impact and to help smooth the path for others.
“I think all the time about how lucky I am,” she says. “I’ve had extraordinary opportunities throughout my career. For me, this is about paying that forward—about creating opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.”
She hopes the gift also signals something larger about leadership and participation within the faculty.
“Everyone has a sphere of influence,” Robinson says. “It changes over time, but there’s always something you can do. As a leader, my sphere of influence is different now—and I want to use it thoughtfully.
As Temerty Medicine looks to the future, the MD/PhD Award represents a strategic investment in people who will shape the next generation of health care and discovery—and a reaffirmation of the faculty’s commitment to the clinician-scientists who bring research and care together.
“We have all the ingredients here,” Robinson says. “Brilliant students, extraordinary faculty, and an environment that sparks ideas. Supporting clinician-scientists upstream is one way to make sure that potential turns into impact.”