A Pandemic

The first warning that something dramatic could be about to shake the world came in the form of a short news item in December 2019: a new, infectious virus had been discovered in China, and it was spreading rapidly. For those who study public health and the impact of pandemics, such as Professor Emeritus Tim Sly of the School of Occupational and Public Health at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), the warning was ominous and yet, not unexpected. 

“Our long human history with global pandemics tells us that a quick spreading virus can outmanoeuvre all the best planning and preparation the world can command. And here we were as a society, not particularly prepared for even a mild, unexpected outbreak. It was chilling,” he said. 

It was just 16 weeks from that first bulletin to the remarkable shutdown of most public activities in the province of Ontario, including universities. It came on a Friday March 13, 2020, when TMU announced it would, to the extent possible, switch all of its activities to an online model. Incredibly, by the following Monday, the systems were up and running.

The continued delivery of academic, financial and mental health supports for students was given top priority. The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching pivoted from its usual activities to focus on helping faculty and contract lecturers gain the skills and know-how to deliver the best possible academic experience for students online. Support functions such as student financial aid and student services retained limited in-person activities, while deploying most staff to a work-from-home model. 

The university established a Student Relief Fund to help those facing financial hardship resulting from the pandemic. More than 8,000 students received help to deal with issues such as loss of part-time jobs and lease cancellations. 

Graduation ceremonies were not immune from the impact, moving entirely online. With the help of 20 student and staff volunteers, the university managed to print, package and send by courier 7,700 diplomas for June 2020 graduates. 

In addition, in its role as a community builder, the university held vaccine clinics for the public, helping to reach an underserved, downtown population.

Meanwhile, members of the university community also engaged in the frontline response to COVID. Faculty researchers tackled some of the many issues and perplexing questions arising from the pandemic, and the shutdown. Science Professor John G. Marshall and his lab led the development of an ultra-sensitive and reliable COVID testing method that provided patients with a highly accurate assessment of whether they have or have had COVID. Collaborating with partners including St. Michael’s Hospital, Marshall and his team adapted the method called Enzyme Linked Mass Spectrometric Assay, which was invented by the team in previous research.

At TMU’s Creative Technology Lab, Director Jonathon Anderson rapidly developed a reusable face shield to protect frontline workers. Initially leveraging 3D printers, Anderson tested around 100 prototypes with the Infection, Prevention and Control team at Unity Health Toronto. His breakthrough came with a design using a laser cutter, reducing production time from four hours to just 35 seconds per shield. Unlike traditional face shields, Anderson’s design used a single sheet of polyethylene terephthalate and featured a unique fold that protected against droplets from above as well. 

This innovation meant that the shield could be disinfected and reused, addressing potential PPE shortages. It also significantly reduced costs by 60 per cent and waste because 91 per cent of the material was used. St. Michael’s Hospital ordered 10,000 of the shields, which Anderson and his team produced in just seven business days. Anderson received a Medical Device Establishment License from Health Canada.

When School of Fashion Professors Danielle Martin and Sandra Tullio-Pow learned that Toronto hospitals were in desperate need of face masks, they mobilized their community. They assembled 60 volunteers, primarily students, to sew 4,000 masks for St. Michael’s Hospital and Michael Garron Hospital. Initially, Martin and Tullio-Pow researched effective mask designs and fabrics, ultimately creating a custom version made from two layers of cotton tea towels. 

As hospitals faced an influx of patients from the pandemic, critical supplies such as hospital beds were limited. The Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing (DCSN) stepped in to fill the immediate needs of its clinical partners. With nursing labs temporarily closed, DCSN was able to lend 20 hospital beds to Women’s College Hospital and helped the hospital create additional space for overnight care. DCSN also donated its supply of PPE, typically used for teaching purposes, to St. Michael’s Hospital and to the Scarborough Health Network-Rouge Valley. In all, teams in the Department of Chemistry and Biology and DSN gathered close to 100,000 nitrile gloves and 800 N95 masks, along with isolation gowns and goggles, for Toronto-area hospitals. 

Meanwhile, the Social Media Lab in the Ted Rogers School of Management developed a real-time dashboard to debunk coronavirus misinformation online. 

Overall, the pandemic rapidly accelerated education and service delivery trends already underway in the university system. When the worst of the pandemic had subsided, the university was transformed in ways that are still being identified and measured.

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