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Feb 11, 2026

In Memoriam: Dr. Michael Paul Figueroa Fralick

Headshot of Dr. Michael Fralick

Dr. Michael Fralick, friend, colleague, internist, scientist, and teacher, died suddenly and unexpectedly on February 1, 2026, at the age of 39. He is survived by his loving wife Brittany Lostracco, daughter Hailey Fralick, parents Nancy Figueroa and Dr. Richard Fralick, and brothers Dr. John Fralick and James Fralick. He is also deeply mourned by friends and colleagues in the medical and scientific community, who share our admiration for him and our devastation at his passing.

Mike was exceptional, one of one in our community.

Always a first-rate student, Mike completed a BScH at Queen’s University and an MD and internal medicine residency training at the University of Toronto, including a year as Chief Medical Resident at St. Michael’s Hospital. With his career underway, and every trainee award under his belt, he then completed an MSc in Clinical Epidemiology at Harvard University and a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.

Mike was already a remarkable scientist when he came on faculty in 2019 as a Clinician Scientist in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Sinai Health and the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He had the rare combination of insatiable curiosity, intelligence, pragmatism, and grit. He knew how to take an idea and turn it into something tangible that mattered to patients.

Mike led his research team at the Fralick Lab with kindness, ethics, determination, and humility. His research program focused on machine learning, clinical trials, and epidemiology, always with the primary goal of improving patient care and outcomes. He collaborated with colleagues across the city, the country, and the world, including close partnerships with researchers in Denmark. He had over 200 publications with many in the highest-impact journals in his field. He was one of the founding board members of the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence and served as the Deputy Editor from 2024-2025.

Among his research honours were the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine New Investigator Award, the Ontario Early Researcher Award, the AMS Fellowship in Compassion and Artificial Intelligence, the PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship, and the Gairdner New Investigator Award. His success was in no small part attributable to his ability as a leader to create a nurturing learning environment that brought out the best in everyone.

These academic accomplishments were more than matched by his clinical acumen and compassionate bedside manner. Mike was the complete physician. He personally called every one of his recently discharged patients to ensure a smooth transition from hospital to home. Over the pandemic, he wrote a weekly COVID newsletter to keep the public aware and properly informed. He was especially passionate about his work at the Sault Area Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, where he created a clinical elective for residents and students in rural medicine, and was developing a local clinical trials platform to strengthen research capacity.

Mike was also a dedicated teacher and mentor. He was recognized with the Ontario Medical Association Mentor for Students and Residents Award as well as multiple teaching awards at Sinai Health and the University of Toronto. When Mike identified a gap or challenge, he worked relentlessly to address it. He led educational initiatives such as Work in Progress Rounds, the Rounds Table, Trial Files, an annual summer Epidemiology & Statistics Crash Course, and published a handbook dedicated to common issues residents face while on-call entitled One-Pagers for the Wards. He took particular care in supporting trainees, his research team members, and new faculty as they developed their own scholarly and clinical identities.

As a colleague and friend, Mike was entirely reliable. He always showed up and did more than was asked or needed. He had a light-hearted and playful sense of humour. He was thoughtful and generous. He had integrity without being sanctimonious or condescending. He had a pure, genuine desire to help people.

Mike was a well-rounded person who loved many things, including coffee, music, travel, the Toronto Blue Jays, and golf. He adored his family and friends and was a steadfast advocate for his brother James. Above all, the role he loved most - and what he was most proud of - was being a devoted husband to his wife, Brittany, and a loving father to his daughter, Hailey.

Knowing Mike was an inspiration and privilege. He was extraordinary. He protected, promoted, and supported those around him. May we use our memories of him, and the light he brought, to help fill the profound void left by his passing.

The Department of Medicine thanks Dr. Fralick’s friends, and especially Drs. Stephanie Lee, Michelle Sholzberg, Kieran Quinn, Zane Gallinger, David Katz, and Nathan Stall, for this memorial notice.

Dr. Michael Fralick’s obituary may be read here. The memorial scheduled for February 9, 2026, will be livestreamed and hospitals around the city are arranging rooms for collective viewing. At Mount Sinai Hospital, this will occur in the 18th floor Main Auditorium, and at Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, it will occur in Room M.160 Auditorium/Lecture Theatre A, both starting at 10:30 AM. Please watch for details at other sites. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Mental Health Association or Dr. Taufik Valiante’s Epilepsy Research Lab. To contribute to a fund for Mike’s wife Brittany and daughter Hailey, please visit this GoFundMe page. 

In the coming weeks, we anticipate holding an event to bring our community together to remember and honour Mike and will share details when available.

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