The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) will be the newest addition to the University of Toronto Scarborough’s illustrious campus. A one-of-a-kind facility, it will be the first and only medical school in the Eastern GTA. It will be more than just a medical building—it will be a school for students and also a blessing for the community. University of Toronto’s planning, design and construction of this new facility is aimed at solving Scarborough’s ongoing healthcare crises. With this new facility, it will train 300 doctors, 46 physicians, 56 physician assistants, 30 nurses and 40 physical each year. Just as brilliant is the building’s geometric, solar-panel-charged architecture.
UTSC’s new campus is still under construction. Until its gates open in the fall of 2026, we take a comprehensive tour of the facility. From its grand design to an even grander vision, we talk about everything in detail in this blog.
The GroundBreaking Design
The new building is five stories high and 143,500 square feet. It is also named the Myron and Berna Garron Health Sciences Complex in honour of their generous $25 million contribution. Designed by Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt Architects and the Netherlands-based MVRDV, three of the building’s four sides are covered in cool grey multilayered solar panels. These panels provide up to 20% of the building’s energy requirements and change colour in response to changing weather conditions.
Besides innovation and efficiency, there is also geometry at play here. UTSC’s new building features a central-glazed midsection, designed purposefully so that its five-storey atrium appears to tear out of its structure. Don Schmitt, principal of Diamond Schmitt Architects, describes this open atrium as “a fissure in a boulder,” the central hub where professors, students, and the entire campus community can interact beyond their classrooms.
The new building will serve as the entrance to the university’s 1265 Military Trail campus. Native plants, Indigenous planting, and water motifs will be defining elements of its landscape design, helmed by Vertechs Design Landscape Architects and inspired by Highland Creek Valley.
The University of Toronto’s planning, design, and construction are in full swing. It is being designed according to the UTSC and City of Toronto master plans. With foundations and a steel skeleton already laid, Myron and Berna Garron’s recent donations are expected to shift the gears.
One For The Community
Expanding on their vision for the project, Don Schmitt remarked, “The most interesting part of this project is the fact that the building is not only a place where medical expertise is taught, but it is also connected to the community.” The new University of Toronto construction aims to create a space where students learn and then stay back to offer their services back to the community. U of T’s Mississauga Academy of Medicine is a major inspiration behind this vision, where 98% of its inaugural batch went on to serve within the Peel region itself.
In a first-of-its-kind move, the SAMIH campus will feature a clinical psychology clinic and a pharmacy, an anatomy lab, a main-floor amphitheatre, a 21-bed clinical skill lab, 10 case-based learning instructional labs, and 3 teaching clinics. Scarborough District’s director of community planning, Ventresca, details, “This academy gives students a place to come to Scarborough to learn and to stay connected to after graduating in this east-end neighbourhood that is demographically different than downtown”.
Students at UTSC’s newest facility will be trained in partnership with local hospitals and medical centres. The university’s prestigious faculties—the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine—will also contribute to SAMIH’s programme. Upon completion, the school will also partner with Scarborough’s other renowned medical centres, such as the Scarborough Health Network, Michael Garron Hospital, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, and Lakeridge Health.
Scarborough’s medical infrastructure has been stressed, to say the least. The Central East Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN), where Scarborough is located, has one of the lowest physician-to-population ratios in Ontario. Citing the rising immigrant population in the GTA, Scarborough’s need for medical care is expected to only increase in the coming years.
It is this infrastructural strain that raises the anticipation for UTSC’s Myron and Berna Garron Health Sciences Complex, which aims to expand Scarborough’s clinical capacity. This integrated healthcare hub aims to:
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- Strengthen Eastern GTA’s healthcare revitalisation.
- Ensure timely access to medical care, especially for marginalised communities.
- Provide additional mental health and addiction care in the region.
- Create integrated care programmes for people with complex chronic illnesses.
- Provide professional and economic opportunities in the GTA.
Until 2026: Concluding Remarks
Myron and Berna Garron Health Sciences Complex is undoubtedly one of Scarborough’s most anticipated infrastructural projects. Its ability to tackle multiple problems makes it more than just a medical school. It’ll teach, treat and improve the community around it. It is healthcare and education in a two-in-one setup. UTSC’s medical campus is distinguished by its extraordinary design and unique infrastructure. In the years to come, it will play a defining role in building a healthier, safer, and better future for the city.
Upon completion in 2026, the building will be located at the intersection of Military Trail and Morningside Avenue, opposite the Toronto Pan Am Centre.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) is an under-construction medical school, located at U of T’s Scarborough campus. It will provide innovative healthcare education to students and strengthen the GTA’s healthcare infrastructure.
The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health is expected to open for students in the fall of 2026.
The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) will be UTSC’s first medical school.
The SAMIH building will include an anatomy lab, a main floor amphitheatre, a clinical psychology clinic and a pharmacy. It will also feature a 21-bed clinical skill lab, 10 case-based learning instructional labs, and 3 teaching clinics.
SAMIH will be located at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s 1265 Military Trail campus. What is SAMIH?
When will UTSC’s medical school open for students?
Does UTSC have a medical school?
What educational facilities will the SAMIH have?
Where will the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health be located?
