Many pieces,
only one Marv Tile

Sunnybrook celebrates an icon in orthopaedics

Much like a mosaic, Sunnybrook’s rich history is the result of trailblazers working together to create something even greater than their impressive individual contributions.

So it is fitting that one of the most important figures to shape Sunnybrook is a man named Dr. Marvin Tile.

Renowned surgeon, researcher and educator

Reflecting on almost six decades of service, Dr. Tile says the kindness he was shown by many leaders in medicine inspired him on his path toward becoming one of the all-time greats of the profession. He recalls the impact of people like the surgeon who treated him for a fractured ankle from a football injury in his final year of high school, Dr. Ted Mullens, as well as mentors like Dr. George Pennal, who encouraged Dr. Tile’s interest in fracture care and especially in pelvic trauma.

Dr. Tile decided early on he wanted to be part of a revolution in trauma care in Canada, one he felt would only be possible by forging connections with peers and patients alike.

A storied legacy at Sunnybrook

Dr. Tile was appointed to Sunnybrook’s surgical staff in 1966. He soon stood out as an educator, and for his commitment to improving the care of the injured patient.

By 1968, Dr. Tile was asked to become Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery. He agreed, so long as Sunnybrook, which didn’t even have an emergency department at the time, would commit to building a trauma unit on-site.

With Board approval, in 1971 Sunnybrook opened a state-of-the-art trauma unit, with a new emergency room, trauma resuscitation room with X-ray and a fracture clinic. On July 1, 1976, the Ontario government approved Canada’s first and still largest Level 1 trauma centre. As chief of Orthopaedics, full-time orthopaedic staff was appointed including Dr. Robert McMurtry as Director of the Trauma program. Volumes grew quickly from patients worldwide, especially in pelvic trauma in the early years.

As well, many fellows and visiting surgeons came to the unit, then unique in North America, and they in turn returned to their units on five continents to become leaders in trauma care. As the Orthopedic Trauma Association (OTA) was getting started in 1977 and running fracture courses, Dr. Tile was asked to speak at many of their courses, as well as at AAOS, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, on stable internal fixation and especially of pelvic ring trauma.

In 2023, as a testament to Sunnybrook’s continuing leadership in all aspects of trauma care, the Tory Trauma Program became the first outside the U.S. to be verified as a Level 1 trauma centre by the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Tile was appointed Surgeon-in-Chief in 1985, a title he held for more than a decade up to 1996. He estimates he performed well over 4,000 hip and knee replacements before he stopped operating in 2000. He advanced education and research into pelvic fracture care, as well as fracture and trauma care using stable internal fixation.

Dr. Tile improved the prognosis for patients personally cared for over the years, and countless more around the world who benefitted from his efforts.

One of many grateful patients

Marjorie Larmon was one of Dr. Tile’s grateful patients. Marjorie struggled with severe arthritis, but the care she received from Dr. Tile made such a difference that she refused to see any other doctor, and regularly made the 150-kilometre trek from Burgessville, Ont., for her appointments.

Over the years, Dr. Tile performed a total hip replacement for Marjorie. On his annual trips to the nearby Stratford festival with his grandchildren, Marjorie would insist that he and his grandchildren stop by for home-cooked lunch. Her home and barn, known as “The Pig and Plow,” was filled with Canadian treasures she had collected as a famed antique dealer.

To express her gratitude, Marjorie designated a gift to Sunnybrook in her Will of close to $800,000. Her only request: that it be used to improve Sunnybrook in whatever way Dr. Tile saw fit.

Marjorie’s gift set into motion investment in research, renovations and the naming of the Fracture Clinic. Her generosity demonstrates the continuing impact of legacy giving, with her support directed to the next generation of researchers and their new lines of inquiry through the Dr. Marvin Tile Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery, critical upgrades to the emergency department and more.

Kathy Cox is another prime example of Dr. Tile’s lasting impact. A three-time Canadian parachuting champion, Kathy fractured her tibia and fibula on a landing gone wrong. She was lucky to be alive, but thanks to Dr. Tile and his team at Sunnybrook, she not only survived the high-profile incident, she thrived. Kathy went on to win a world championship in her sport within five years of her accident.

In 1984, Kathy was named to the Order of Canada, and Dr. Tile recalls she was the first person to reach out to him when he himself was named to the distinguished hall in 2009. His name hangs proudly alongside all the others deserving of Canada’s highest civilian honour.

A place worthy of his name

With accomplishments and accolades too numerous to count, Dr. Tile is quick to point to his greatest source of pride: his 69-year marriage to the love of his life, Esther, with whom he shares four children, 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Family is the most important thing in his life, and the reason Dr. Tile turned down job offers from across the world, instead devoting himself to Sunnybrook and his patients.

Sunnybrook is proud to recognize Marjorie Larmon’s estate gift in honour of Dr. Tile with the official naming of a clinic most closely associated with him. The Dr. Marvin Tile Fracture Clinic continues its namesake’s tireless efforts, with great skill, compassion and exemplary care.

Great organizations are built upon a foundation of the input and impact of dedicated and exceptional individuals. In the history of Sunnybrook, there is no better exemplar of the spectacular academic surgeon than Dr. Marvin Tile,” says Dr. Andy Smith, Sunnybrook’s President & CEO. “Dr. Tile’s extraordinary work in the field of orthopedics, including trauma surgery, continues to have a positive impact around the world. However, his impact at home, at Sunnybrook, is second to none, and we at Sunnybrook are forever indebted to him for his contributions across nearly six decades!”

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Tile repaired bones and replaced joints, but along the way he also shaped orthopaedic care into what it is today. He says he did it all by following one guiding principle: “I’m not religious, but I am a great believer in tikkum olam, an edict of Judaism. It means ‘Repair the world. Make it a better place.’”