Posted on April 5, 2018

The Rotman Family, who helped transform business education at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, has committed $6 million to support the school’s Centre for Health Sector Strategy. The Centre, which has built a reputation as a leader in research, education and policy making in health care and life science strategy, will be renamed the Sandra Rotman Centre for Health Sector Strategy.

“The Rotman Family’s gift will bolster the Centre’s impact and thought leadership at local, national and international levels. It will ultimately help transform health care delivery and improve health outcomes in Canada,” says Brian Golden, Vice-Dean, MBA Programs and the Sandra Rotman Chair in Health Sector Strategy at U of T and the University Health Network.

The gift will be matched by U of T and the Rotman School, creating unprecedented opportunities for research, teaching and outreach in the field of health care sector management, including three expendable chairs in health economics, policy and evaluation, life sciences commercialization, and artificial intelligence in health care.

It will also support PhD and post-doctoral students, visiting scholars, and the Global Executive MBA for Healthcare and the Life Sciences—a program for mid-to-senior health care professionals launching later this year. “There are only a small number of EMBA programs that are focused on health and life sciences, and they are almost entirely focused on U.S. healthcare funding models and industry,” says Golden. Rotman’s new program, he says, helps address that void.

“This gift from the Rotman Family underscores their deep commitment to and understanding of the evolving landscape of management education, and strengthens the incredible legacy Sandy and Joe Rotman began here,” says Tiff Macklem, Dean of the Rotman School of Management. “Their investment in this critical intersection of health and business will have lasting impact on the health care system in Canada, and help develop a deep body of scholarship in this area. We are deeply grateful for their generosity and leadership.”

The Rotman Family is the most generous benefactor in the University’s history, following numerous significant gifts over the past 20 years, including their initial investment to establish the Rotman School. After Joseph Rotman’s death in 2015, the family created a legacy fund to expand their commitment to experiential education and lifelong learning. “The Rotman Family’s investment in health care sector management adds another layer of generosity that is emblematic of her and Joe’s vision, foresight and enduring support,” says Macklem. “We are deeply honoured and thankful for this transformational gift.”