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SickKids

Firsts​

SickKids has been changing the game for paediatric health care since we became the first children’s hospital in Canada in 1875. From groundbreaking research discoveries to world-class clinical innovations and patient and family-centred care, SickKids continues to be a global leader in advancing children's health.​

1875

Elizabeth McMaster opens The Hospital for Sick Children, the first children’s hospital in Canada. ​

Elizabeth McMaster in nursing uniform holding a book, founder of The Hospital for Sick Children in 1875, photographed in black and white.

1909

SickKids installs Canada’s first milk pasteurization plant 30 years before it becomes mandatory in Ontario.​​

SickKids milk pasteurization plant from 1909 showing three workers in white uniforms processing bottles of milk in an industrial setting.

1913

SickKids, with the expertise of Dr. Lawrence Bruce Robertson, begins performing a pioneering method of blood transfusions. ​​​

Medical team performing an early blood transfusion procedure at SickKids in 1913, showing three medical professionals in surgical attire around a patient.

1937

When the polio epidemic hits, SickKids manufactures more than 30 iron lung machines for use across Ontario.​​​​

Row of iron lung machines from 1937 at SickKids, used to treat children during the polio epidemic, with patient beds visible.

1963

Dr. William Mustard pioneers the “Mustard procedure” to correct a rare heart condition known as Blue Baby Syndrome. ​​​​​

Portrait photograph of Dr. William Mustard in a suit with bow tie, who pioneered the 'Mustard procedure' in 1963 to correct Blue Baby Syndrome.

1968

SickKids opens one of North America’s first Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU). ​​​​​

A black and white photograph from 1968 showing a busy hospital room with medical staff attending to patients in the newly opened Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at SickKids. The room is filled with medical equipment, and nurses are seen working diligently.

1971

SickKids performs Canada’s first successful surgical separation of conjoined twins.​

Cover of 'What's New' hospital newsletter from May 1971 announcing the first successful separation of conjoined twins, showing a nurse holding the two separated babies.

1974

SickKids performs Canada's first successful bone marrow transplant for a four-year-old with congenital aplastic anaemia.​

Blue hospital newsletter showing a black and white photograph of two medical professionals examining laboratory equipment, with headline text about bone marrow transplants.

1979

Dr. Robert Salter develops continuous passive motion to help patients regain range of motion in their joints to aid post-operative recovery. ​ ​

Portrait photograph of Dr. Robert Salter in a white lab coat with glasses.

1989

Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui leads a team to discover the gene that, when defective, causes cystic fibrosis.

Image: Dr. Jack Riordan (left) and Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui (right).

 

Two men in a laboratory - one with light hair in a lab coat over casual clothing, standing beside an Asian man in a striped shirt - with computer equipment visible in the background.

1996

SickKids performs the world's first ABO incompatible infant heart transplant, allowing for infant heart transplants from any blood type.

Collage of newspaper clippings with visible headlines about heart transplants and infant care, appearing to be cut from various publications and overlapping each other.

1998

SickKids establishes North America's first Paediatric Academic Multi-Organ Transplant Program.

Image: In 2008, this program became SickKids' Transplant & Regenerative Medicine Centre.

Sign for the Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Centre at SickKids, which began as the Paediatric Academic Multi-Organ Transplant Program in 1998.

2007

Dr. Stephen Scherer and his team identified copy number variations (CNVs) as a crucial factor in the genetics of autism spectrum disorder.

A researcher in a white lab coat standing in a laboratory with scientific equipment.

2008

SickKids is the first in the world to use the NovaLung artificial lung to bridge a paediatric patient to a life-saving lung transplant.

Image: Kate Sutherland, who was temporarily fitted with the artificial lung until receiving a double lung transplant.

Young teenage girl with a bandage on her face smiling while seated in a wheelchair, wearing a hospital gown with medical tubes visible around her neck area.

2015

SickKids leads a new study that shows how researchers used CRISPR to remove a duplicated gene from a genome for the first time. 

Close-up image of a hand wearing a surgical glove and using metal tweezers to manipulate a stylized blue DNA helix against a light blue background with other DNA models blurred in the background.

2018

SickKids and Toronto Western Hospital use deep brain stimulation on a child with drug-resistant epilepsy for the first time in Canada.

Image: Dr. George Ibrahim, the paediatric neurosurgeon who performed the operation.

Man in dark blue surgical scrubs and glasses wearing a light blue surgical mask, standing in an operating room with large circular surgical lights hanging overhead.

2019

SickKids treats Canada's first child with chimeric antibody receptor (CAR) T cells for acute lymphoblastic leukemia following Health Canada approved indication. ​

Close-up of a gloved hand holding a clear circular container with visible orange and purple layers of separated liquid or biological material.

2022

A SickKids team delivers the world’s first gene therapy for SPG50, an ultrarare genetic disease. Two years later, the findings show promise in halting the disease’s progression. ​

Medical professional in PPE interacting with a young patient sitting on an adult's lap in a hospital room

2024

​SickKids leads a study finding blinatumomab immunotherapy offers improved outcomes for children with B-ALL, the most common childhood cancer. To facilitate this innovative new therapy, SickKids nurses develop a new backpack to administer treatment. ​

Four colorful child-friendly medication backpacks with patterns including pandas, flamingos, koalas, and llamas.
Vintage black and white aerial photograph of large hospital complex with multiple buildings surrounded by urban neighborhood.

Explore SickKids history

Discover how SickKids grew from humble beginnings to become a world leader in children's health, committed to our vision: Healthier Children. A Better World. 

Learn more about our history
 
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