If not for the grit and determination of these women in spending years raising funds to open a hospital where everyone was welcome, the place where Dr. Shandling would devote her entire 36-year career would not have existed.
“These indomitable women saw a need in a poor, marginalized Jewish immigrant community and decided they were going to make a difference,” she said. “To this day, Sinai Health reflects the same generous, inclusive, and don’t-take-no-for-an-answer characteristics of our founders. To work in a place that truly lives by its values makes me incredibly proud.”
As Dr. Shandling prepares to retire following more than three decades of service as a practising neurologist and executive leader, we celebrate her profound impact on our entire hospital community.
“From patients, to physicians, employees, learners, and scientists, Dr. Shandling has touched countless lives with her compassion, mentorship, and leadership,” says Dr. Gary Newton, President and CEO of Sinai Health. “The culture of kindness that exists at Sinai Health is in ways a culture created by Maureen over her tenure, and she is leaving behind a remarkable legacy.”
Dr. Shandling graduated from medical school at the University of Alberta in 1981. Eager to spread her wings and experience life in a bigger city, she moved to Toronto to undertake a rotating internship program. Inspired by wonderful clinicians she trained with, Dr. Shandling then completed a neurology residency, coming on staff at Mount Sinai in 1988. She counts herself lucky to have spent her entire professional career first at Mount Sinai and now Sinai Health.
“It was a very different place then, as was the whole practice of medicine,” she recalls. “There were paper charts of vital signs hooked at the end of each patient’s bed, nobody had heard of a laparoscope, our Emergency Department was essentially one big ward room, and the interns’ job was to line up in the radiology department to pick up hard copies of X-rays.”
In tandem with her neurology practice, Dr. Shandling also held a wide range of hospital leadership roles over the years including Medical Education, Physician Affairs, Pharmacy and Diagnostic Imaging, Accreditation Lead, and Quality and Safety programs.
“I have known Maureen since I was a med student and she was in charge of clerkship, and after that she was my program director when I was a resident,” recalls Dr. Chaim Bell, Physician-in-Chief for Sinai Health. “She has always supported me, encouraged me, and looked out for me, first as a teacher and a mentor, and then as a colleague and a friend.”
As a female leader, she has inspired many of us, demonstrating what compassionate and effective leadership looks like. Her influence extends far beyond the decisions she made; it’s felt in the confidence she inspired in others.
Dr. Erin Bearss, Family Physician-in-Chief
Dr. Shandling also participated in, and led a number of national and international initiatives in medical education, including as a member of the MR-5 (MCAT Revision) Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Committee on Specialties, and a member of the National Steering Committee on the Future of Medical Education in Canada.
Dr. Jacqueline James, Vice President of Education for Sinai Health, will always remember Dr. Shandling as an inspirational role model as a medical educator, as well as a trusted decision maker. “She is highly supportive of others in their development as teachers and leaders. But most importantly, she has always understood the importance of Sinai Health being at the forefront of medical and health professions education.”
From her perspective, working through the amalgamation of Mount Sinai Hospital, Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and system partner Circle of Care has been incredibly rewarding. “Partnering with the leadership team to drive forward the kind of integration that we've been able to put in place has not only raised the level of care at our hospitals, but also created significant pride in the people who work here.”
More recently, the creation of Sinai Health proved how an integrated system could help manage the unprecedented load during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our people were amazing, stepping up without hesitation to take on our local and system challenges,” recalls Dr. Shandling. “When I look back at my career as a whole, I realize that my greatest accomplishments were never individual, but always achieved as a team”
For their part, Dr. Shandling’s colleagues will miss her sage advice, collaborative spirit, and open door.
“Maureen’s retirement is a bittersweet moment for all of us,” says Dr. Erin Bearss, Family Physician-in-Chief. “As a female leader, she has inspired many of us, demonstrating what compassionate and effective leadership looks like. Her influence extends far beyond the decisions she made; it’s felt in the confidence she inspired in others.”
In the coming days, Dr. Shandling will begin to pack up her office and the memories she has collected over the past 36 years. When asked what she will miss most about coming to work each day, she says, “We have people who do truly amazing things here. All of that is great, but at the end of the day, it all comes together in terms of values. That’s what I’m most proud of – the values this organization holds, and our people’s commitment to these, both in the service of our patients and to each other.”
“This last year has been spectacular for Sinai Health,” she says. “We wrapped up a major building renewal project, we achieved perfect accreditation status, and we celebrated Mount Sinai’s 100-year anniversary. It’s nice to leave on a high note. But I will miss being an inside part of Sinai Health’s bright future, and I will certainly miss all of my colleagues.”
