Chief, Department of Pediatrics

St. Michael’s Hospital – Unity Health Toronto
Employment Type: Full-time, 5 year term
Location: Toronto, ON

Description:
Effective May 1, 2026, or a mutually agreed-upon date, St. Michael’s Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto, is seeking a Chief, Department of Pediatrics. This appointment is for a five-year term, renewable upon successful review.

St. Michael’s Hospital is a leading academic health science centre, fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. St. Michael’s Hospital along with St. Joseph’s Health Centre and Providence Healthcare forms Unity Health Toronto, a network of Catholic healthcare institutions.

The Department of Pediatrics at St. Michael’s Hospital has developed diverse neonatal and pediatric services for southeast Toronto’s diverse inner city population, and is considered a leader in urban neonatal, child and youth health care as well as social pediatrics. Supporting the hospital’s mission, the team is dedicated to caring for vulnerable children whose social circumstances may act as a barrier to accessing child and youth medical, developmental and mental health care. The Department of Pediatrics has a strong pediatric ambulatory program providing consultative care as well as outreach clinics, including family medicine health teams, child and family centres and adolescent homeless shelters. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a fully funded 20-bed, Level 2c NICU with over 500 neonatal admissions per year. The new Chief will oversee the opening of a new state-of-the art NICU, with expected occupancy in 2027. The Chief will be expected to practice in one of these settings and clinical remuneration will form part of the total compensation/recruitment package.

The Department of Pediatrics is part of the Unity Health Toronto Women’s and Children’s Health Program. St. Michael’s pediatric facilities are valued for providing quality education programs, including community based-type learning experiences for undergraduate medical students, family practice and pediatric residents. The department has developed impressive academic initiatives and clinical pediatric research activities, which include studies focusing on physical and developmental outcomes of “at-risk” infants and children.

Position Description & Qualifications:
St. Michael’s seeks an outstanding leader with strong clinical, academic, administrative and interpersonal skills who as Chief will preserve and enhance the department’s clinical, educational and research enterprise and University academic connections, in alignment with St. Michael’s and Unity Health’s mission to serve those most in need. The chosen candidate will enhance strategic collaborations with the Department of Pediatrics at the St. Joseph’s site of UHT. The successful candidate will demonstrate proven leadership and mentorship skills, with a strong commitment to faculty diversity, wellbeing and cohesion.

The successful candidate will be eligible for an academic appointment at the rank of Assistant/Associate Professor, or Full Professor at the University of Toronto. Rank and salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

All candidates must be able to function proficiently in English, hold an MD, MBBS or equivalent thereto and be certified or eligible for certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or have comparable qualifications. Candidates must hold or be eligible for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

Application Process:
Interested individuals should submit a letter of application, a curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of three referees no later than March 20, 2026 to: Najma Ahmed, Interim Executive Vice President, and Chief Medical Officer Unity Health, Toronto 

Email: Najma.Ahmed@unityhealth.to  Cc: Karen.Keung@unityhealth.to 

Posting Close Date:
March 20, 2026

Diversity Statement:
The University of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto are strongly committed to diversity within their communities and especially welcome applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

For more information on the University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, please visit https://paeds.utoronto.ca/

Learn more about Unity Health Toronto at: https://unityhealth.to/