The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every part of our society, and we in the Osler Residency Program are among those in our health system most affected by it. From the outset, our residents were the first and largest single group of physicians to respond to urgent needs. By the time the surge of COVID-19 cases is behind us, our residents will have been the longest-serving responders.

I am in awe of their resilience and resourcefulness. They have developed new models of delivery, supervision and education. Although many of these changes were forced on them, our residents were deliberate enough to ensure that they were innovative. Because of this foresight, many of the changes made helped us “leapfrog” into a better state. For example, we now have residents helping our inpatient teams virtually, Zoom-based education and social forums, and more effective patient-centered clinical delivery systems. Those efforts will no doubt endure.

The Osler residents have been a bright spot in this crisis. When called, they responded swiftly. They sacrificed time with their families — to support patient care. They brought conviction and passion. They served as role models. 

As always, our Osler residents exceeded every possible expectation. I believe that all of you, like me, will never be more proud of them than we are at this moment.

Sanjay Desai, Director

Osler Medical Residency Program