The Wightman-Berris Academy is named after Dr. K. J. R. Wightman and Dr. B. Berris. Dr. Wightman graduated with the Gold Medal from the Faculty of Medicine in 1937. In 1953, he was appointed Head of the Department of Therapeutics and, in 1960, became the Sir John and Lady Eaton Professor of Medicine. Dr. Wightman also served as Associate Dean and Director of Postgraduate Medical Education at the Faculty from 1969 to 1974. Dr. Berris is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Medicine and was Physician-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital from 1964 to 1977. Prior to retirement, he was a distinguished clinician, respected investigator and award-winning teacher.

In 1998, as a response to hospital restructuring, the number of Academies was reduced to 3, and with the addition of the Mount Sinai Hospital and the Princess Margaret Hospital, the new Wightman-Berris Academy was created. This, the largest of the 3 Faculty Academies, serves 90 medical students in each of the four years of undergraduate training, as well as students from other Faculty disciplines of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Speech Language Pathology.
 

The Peters-Boyd Academy is named after Dr. (Mildred) Vera Peters (1911-1993) and Dr. William Boyd (1885-1979). Dr. Peters was a professor of radiology (radiotherapy) at the University of Toronto. A pioneer in the radiation treatment of cancer, Dr. Peters is associated with the discovery that Hodgkin’s disease is curable with radiation therapy. Dr. Boyd was an award-winning teacher and professor of pathology at University of Toronto who authored several internationally renowned textbooks.

The Academy provide sites of both inpatient and community-based teaching for its undergraduate students. The Academy also facilitates student support and mentoring opportunities between teaching faculty and students. In the undergraduate curriculum, the academies provide a more personal academic environment for students, computer access within the hospitals, and a home (small group rooms) for problem-based learning (PBL).
 

The Fitzgerald academy is named after Dr. John Gerald Fitzgerald, a renowned microbiologist, teacher, researcher and a pioneer in public health care. The founder of what was to become Cannaught Laboratories, where he and his colleagues prepared an anti-rabies vaccine and a diphtheria anti-toxin. He was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto from 1932 - 1936 and also created the School of Hygiene in response to the growing need for post-graduate medical training in public health and hygiene.

The central philosophy of the Academy is that all decision and actions are made for the benefit of students and their education. The fundamental values of our student oriented approach include respect for students, a welcoming atmosphere, dedication to teaching excellence, provision of necessary and appropriate facilities, and an environment that is understanding and responsive to student's needs and concerns.