Our Community

��߲ݴ�ý

Indigenous

Women's College Hospital

Subheadline

The ZNBGK program is a collaboration between Ganawishkadawe – the Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health at Women’s College Hospital and U of T's Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Charli Mackay wouldn't have pictured a career for herself in medical imaging – that is until a unique program at the ��߲ݴ�ý brought the idea into sharper focus.

The Grade 10 student was one of several students, including her sister, who took part in the ZKA’AN NI-BMIWDOOWIN GCHI-KINOOMAADWINAN (ZNBGK) program at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Also known as “Building the Fire, Walking with Medicine,” the program runs for one week each summer in collaboration with Ganawishkadawe – the Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health at Women’s College Hospital.

“ZNBGK really opened my eyes to pursuing a career in the medical sciences,” says Mackay. “It was exciting to see just how broad the field is. There are so many more options available than I had realized.

“I’m really drawn to research and imaging.”

Launched as a pilot in 2021, ZNBGK aims to increase Indigenous participation in health-care professions. It provides students in Grades 9 and 10 with culturally appropriate programming that includes land-based learning experiences, opportunities to build relationships with mentors and one another, and exposure to Indigenous leadership, knowledges, governance systems and healing practices.

This year, Temerty Medicine’s office of Indigenous health and office of access and outreach leveraged relationships between the organizations to provide participants with more varied clinical experiences and programming.

“The proportion of Indigenous faculty members is small, so it’s critical to think and collaborate across institutions,” says Ryan Giroux, a pediatrician at St. Michael’s hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and the Inner City Health Associates, who is also Indigenous health lead for postgraduate medical education at Temerty Medicine.

“If this program only operated within a single organization, that [means] we would risk not being able to provide the community what they need.”

Associate Professor Doug Campbell speaks to ZNBGK students during a simulation session (supplied image)

This year’s session included: a lab tour at the MaRS Discovery District; drop-in chats with Women’s College Hospital CEO Heather McPherson, Temerty Medicine Assistant Professors Dana Ross and Jason Pennington, as well as current Indigenous medical students; an image-based journaling workshop with postdoctoral researcher Lisa Boivin; and a holistic healing session with Assistant Professor Chase McMurren.

Students also took part in simulation activities at Unity Health Toronto’s La Ki Shing Knowledge Institute.

“Simulation in health care is often thought of as a way to teach someone how to do a task, but it offers far more than that,” says Doug Campbell, an associate professor of pediatrics at Temerty Medicine who co-led the simulation session with Giroux. “We’ve always kept in mind that we can advocate and share educational experiences with the community.”

After a short lecture about the work pediatricians or neonatologists do, students had the opportunity to don gloves and gowns and see what it’s like to insert an umbilical vein catheter and ventilate – and possibly intubate – a mannequin of a newborn.

“I believe we have an obligation to open doors to historically marginalized communities. As we open our eyes to what's happened in the past, we also need to think about how we interact day-to-day with people in the future, says Campbell, who is also director of the Allan Waters Patient Simulation Centre at Unity Health. “Our duty to care needs to continually evolve. We have an obligation to move forward on the path of reconciliation.”

Students also toured First Nations House, visited the Earth Sciences courtyard, learned about the supports and resources available to Indigenous learners and took part in drumming, songs and smudging.

The program was led by Ganawishkadawe Elder-in-Residence Kawennanoron Cindy White, who offered traditional teachings and spiritual guidance throughout the week.

Mackay says she was particularly inspired by White, who described some of her own struggles after college and how she became more involved with traditional teachings and became an Elder.

“She really emphasized that better is always possible.”

U of T to host new national hub to advance life sciences breakthroughs

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:20:31 +0000

U of T to host new national hub to advance life sciences breakthroughs

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 01/15/2025 - 12:20

Cutline

The new health hub will build on the university's track record of supporting research commercialization including events such as AcceleratorFest (pictured above), held in September 2024 (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)

Betty Zou

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science Staff

Entrepreneurship

Health Innovation Hub

Subheadline

The hub will be hosted at the Health Innovation Hub (H2i) accelerator based in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine

The ��߲ݴ�ý and its partners are receiving $4.25 million over the next five years to establish a national hub aimed at accelerating the commercialization of life sciences discoveries.

The funding is part of a $32-million grant awarded to Dalhousie University by the Government of Canada through the Lab to Market program, administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The grant will expand Lab2Market – Canada’s national network for innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship skills training – through the creation of a national health hub based at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and six regional hubs.

“This funding support will play a critical part in our drive to translate research for the public good,” says Justin Nodwell, vice dean, research and health science education at Temerty Medicine. “There is an incredible wealth of important science happening at Temerty Medicine and we are committed to seeing as much of it as possible incorporated into new diagnostics, therapies and other technologies that can be scaled and distributed globally.

“As the new home for the national health hub, we look forward to building on the university’s stellar track record in research commercialization and working with our partners to strengthen the life sciences innovation economy across the country.”

The hub will develop and deliver programs to help students and faculty bring breakthrough ideas to market, with a focus on addressing regulatory challenges facing health and medical startups.

It will be hosted at Temerty Medicine’s Health Innovation Hub (H2i), a campus-based accelerator that helps early-stage entrepreneurs turn their discoveries and innovations into problem-solving designs, products and services. Since 2014, H2i has supported more than 750 ventures along the commercialization pathway. Collectively, these startups have generated over $520 million in investments, sales and other revenue sources.

“With a comprehensive scope from ideation all the way to regulatory validation, H2i will bring unparalleled expertise and experience to support life sciences entrepreneurs through the national health hub,” says Paul Santerre, co-founder and director of H2i and a professor of biomedical engineering and dentistry at U of T.

Leveraging H2i’s network of 118 partner organizations and over 130 industry mentors, the hub will provide opportunities for students to build their entrepreneurship and business acumen while strengthening Canada’s innovation sector through the development of highly skilled workers and life sciences startups.

“Our trainees understand that they don’t only want to do outstanding research, but they also want their research to impact society,” says Santerre.

“I hope that this new funding will be culture-changing because if we want to keep those young people in Canada, we need a thriving innovation ecosystem where they can apply their knowledge, and we need to give students opportunities to expose themselves to the commercial innovation sector while they are still training.”

Over five years, Lab2Market will scale nationally, growing its network of 150 partners and collaborators including more than 50 universities, colleges and research hospitals, which collectively generated nearly $7.8 billion in research funding income in 2022–23.

The national health hub includes 38 university, hospital and organizational partners and will be guided by a steering committee comprising representatives of the eight university partners – Dalhousie University, McGill University, McMaster University, Toronto Metropolitan University, Université de Montréal, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary and U of T.

Astronomers discover actively forming galaxy that may resemble a young Milky Way

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 16:38:22 +0000

Astronomers discover actively forming galaxy that may resemble a young Milky Way

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 01/09/2025 - 11:38

Cutline

A massive cluster of galaxies called MACS J1423 includes a young galaxy, nicknamed Firefly Sparkle, that may resemble our own Milky Way in its early life (photo by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Chris Willott of NRC-Canada, Lamiya Mowla of Wellesley College and Kartheik Iyer of Columbia University)

Topic

Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics

Milky Way

Space

Subheadline

U of T astronomer Roberto Abraham says a galaxy nicknamed "Firefly Sparkle" by researchers likely has the same mass as our Milky Way galaxy did in its infancy

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected and “weighed” a galaxy – seen 600 million years after the Big Bang – that is similar to what our Milky Way galaxy might have looked like at the same stage of development.

Nicknamed the Firefly Sparkle, this young galaxy is gleaming with star clusters – 10 in all – that may be signs that early galaxies form by fragmenting into giant star clusters, with some surviving today as globular clusters.

The lead co-authors of the study, published in Nature, are Wellesley College’s Lamiya Mowla and Columbia University’s Kartheik Iyer – both former postdoctoral researchers at the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Roberto Abraham (supplied image)

Roberto Abraham, professor and chair of the David A. Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics in U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science, is also part of the CAnadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS) team behind the research.

He recently shared his insights on the new discovery with the Faculty of Arts & Science news team.

How is Webb helping us understand things about the universe that we didn’t know before?

Webb’s resolution and sensitivity allows us to study extremely distant objects – like those gleaming star clusters that initially drew us to the Firefly Sparkle galaxy – in crisp detail. We’re also able to “zoom in” due to a natural effect known as strong gravitational lensing. In this case, a galaxy cluster in the foreground enhanced the Firefly Sparkle galaxy behind it, acting like a giant magnifying glass.

With Webb, we can go back in time and look at distant objects like the Firefly Sparkle and see objects in it that may be young globular clusters, which are seen today as dense groups of millions of ancient stars. Witnessing things that are ancient today being born in the distant past is mind-blowing. Seeing 10 of them forming this way makes the Firefly Sparkle a goldmine for understanding the earliest phases of formation and growth in galaxies.

Using Webb’s images and data, the researchers concluded that the Firefly Sparkle had the same mass as our Milky Way galaxy would have if we could “turn back time” to weigh it as it was assembling.

For the first time, astronomers have identified a still-forming galaxy that weighs about the same as our Milky Way if we could “wind back the clock” to weigh our galaxy as it developed. The newly identified galaxy, the Firefly Sparkle, is in the process of assembling and forming stars, and existed about 600 million years after the Big Bang (photo by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Chris Willott of NRC-Canada, Lamiya Mowla of Wellesley College and Kartheik Iyer of Columbia)

Why is knowing the “weight” of the Firefly Sparkle galaxy important?

It gives us a glimpse of how much young galaxies weighed when the universe was very young. Today’s galaxies are way more massive. We’ve known this for a while, but Webb lets us figure out how they get more massive and how they get so many stars within them. In some models, the stars form slowly via internal processes, while in other models they form in small galaxies that crash together and grow bigger. Galaxies like the Firefly Sparkle tell us that both things are happening, but the latter process is probably dominant.

In 2022, the CANUCS team used Webb to identify the most distant globular clusters known in what they dubbed “the Sparkler galaxy.” How does this new discovery build upon the previous one?

The little points of light – “sparkles” – seen in the Sparkler galaxy we studied in 2022 were four billion years old when their light was emitted, which was similar to the age of the universe then. Nine billion years later, in today’s universe, we know exactly what they look like: today’s globular clusters. With the new Firefly Sparkle galaxy, we’re closer to the starting point of growth, so we’re not 100 per cent sure what the little points of light in the galaxy evolve into.

You could say that looking at the Sparkler galaxy was like looking at a toddler: you’re pretty sure a toddler is going to eventually grow up to look like an adult. But with Firefly Sparkle, it’s like looking at an embryo: all sorts of animals have similar-looking embryos, so in this case what those sparkles turn into is more ambiguous.

What are you excited to look for next with Webb?

It’s more like, what am I not excited to look at next with Webb? All the data and images coming from Webb fill me with a sense of giddy joy – it feels a bit like the universe is letting us in on some pretty big secrets and we’re lucky to be alive right now.

In this case, we need to find more examples of systems similar to the Sparkler and the Firefly Sparkle to be totally confident that these little points of light in the Firefly Sparkle are indeed very young globular clusters. What we’ve got now is a spectacular starting point. Canada has a long history of galaxy formation and globular cluster research, so I look forward to seeing us continue along that path. 

With files from Space Telescope Science Institute/NASA

Sowing seeds of discovery: U of T postdoc makes waves in plant metabolism research

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:29:58 +0000

Sowing seeds of discovery: U of T postdoc makes waves in plant metabolism research

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 12/23/2024 - 10:29

Cutline

Sonia Evans completed her PhD at U of T Mississauga and will continue her research as a Provost's Postdoctoral Fellow at U of T Scarborough (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Kristy Strauss

Topic

Department of Biological Sciences

Department of Biology

Graduate Students

Research & Innovation

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

Subheadline

Sonia Evans's research is opening the door to novel strategies for engineering crops that are more productive and resilient

Sonia Evans has published in high-profile scientific journals, won several awards and completed a PhD from the ��߲ݴ�ý, but she traces her achievements to someone who had no formal education whatsoever: her grandmother.

A believer in the healing power of plants, Evans’s grandmother hailed from a southern Nigerian village, and regularly crafted plant-based traditional medicines for ailments ranging from infertility to skin conditions.

“She knew the type of plants to go to, and made different concoctions for us,” says Evans, who defended her PhD in U of T Mississauga's department of cell and systems biology in November and is poised to continue her research as a postdoctoral fellow at U of T Scarborough. “She never knew the names of the plants, but she knew the types of plants to put together to get the result she was expecting.”

Evans, who was born and raised in Nigeria, completed undergraduate studies in plant science in her home country before earning a master's degree in plant biology in Israel. With a growing interest in plant metabolism, she decided to pursue a PhD at U of T Mississauga under the supervision of Michael Phillips, an associate professor in the department of biology.

“[Phillips] was really involved in plant metabolism… and really trying to understand how plants make chemicals that are important not just for their growth, development and for photosynthesis, but also for us,” Evans says. “These are chemicals that we use as drugs, flavours, fragrances, cosmetics and biofuels. I was really interested in that part of the research.”

Since joining the Phillips lab, Evans has focused on how plants control carbon supply towards the production of isoprenoids – high-value compounds that are critical to plant growth, defense and crop productivity and also have a range of industrial and pharmaceutical applications.

Her research has had a huge impact on the field. In 2024 alone, Evans published two papers in the prestigious Nature journals, as first author.

The most recent paper, published in Nature Plants in October, sheds light on a decades-old mystery: the origins of pyruvate, a vital precursor for production of isoprenoids, amino acids and fatty acids in chloroplasts, which are responsible for plant photosynthesis. The research revealed that Rubisco, a critical enzyme that’s responsible for fixing carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, also plays a secondary role in supplying pyruvate.

This discovery not only redefines how scientists understand plant metabolism, but also solves a long-standing paradox of the origin of pyruvate, with Evans’s findings providing a critical link between photosynthesis and the production of isoprenoids. By uncovering how plants channel carbon toward these valuable compounds, her research opens the door to innovative biotechnological strategies for engineering crops with enhanced productivity and resilience.

The previous paper, published in Nature Communications in February, laid the groundwork for how a key metabolic pathway could be engineered in plants for synthetic biology applications.

All the more impressive: Evans managed these accomplishments while carrying out her responsibilities as mother to a young child – which she credits to a strong support system of family, her spouse, friends and peers. “It’s been a learning curve… but I have tried to take everything one step at a time, and check myself every day,” she says.

Evans’s scholarly excellence resulted in her earning the Roberta Bondar Graduate Student Excellence Award last fall. She was also named a Provost's Postdoctoral Fellow, and will carry out her postdoctoral research in the lab of Eliana Gonzales-Vigil, assistant professor in U of T Scarborough's department of biological sciences.

Reflecting on her decision to come to U of T, Evans reveals she doubted her chances of being granted admission to Canada’s top-ranked university. “I was like, ‘Oh my God – who am I to be at the ��߲ݴ�ý?’” she says. “But I wanted to be at a very good university, and I had to keep trying to aim higher and higher for myself.”

Reimagining the curb: U of T alum helps cities design smarter streets

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 15:26:17 +0000

Reimagining the curb: U of T alum helps cities design smarter streets

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 12/20/2024 - 10:26

Cutline

Marian Mendoza, who earned an honours bachelor of arts in geography and international relations at U of T, is among a new generation of city-builders using data and emerging technologies to build more inclusive and sustainable cities (supplied image)

Topic

Geography and Planning

Victoria College

Subheadline

Marian Mendoza is a product operations specialist at CurbIQ, a Toronto company that's helping cities wield data to better manage curbsides

For Marian Mendoza, curbsides aren’t simply where road and sidewalk happen to meet – they’re dynamic urban spaces with the potential to boost sustainability, inclusion and mobility.

An alum of the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Faculty of Arts & Science, Mendoza is a product operations specialist at CurbIQ, a Toronto-based company that offers a digital platform to help urban centres gather information about curbsides and optimize their use.

“Cities are finally starting to see the value of this real estate and taking steps to make the most of it,” says Mendoza, who earned her honours bachelor of arts in geography and international relations in 2019 as a Victoria College member.

Curbside management has become increasingly important as curb use expands beyond vehicle parking to include bike lanes, patios and designated pickup areas for rideshares. Toronto, for example, has about 5,600 kilometres of curbside – a distance roughly equal to that between U of T’s St. George campus and Whitehorse, Yukon.

By providing cities with the tools to analyze real-time and historical data, CurbIQ helps municipalities and large urban institutions that manage roadways – such as universities and airports – make strategic, data-informed decisions to better optimize curbside space.

“A city can use CurbIQ to see that certain on-street parking spaces are underutilized,” says Mendoza. “And this could help decision-makers to consider converting those spaces into alternative curbside uses, such as a dedicated lane for transit or active transportation – improving accessibility and mobility in general for the city.”

CurbIQ digitizes curb regulations, integrates usage data from multiple sources and centralizes the information into a single platform (Image courtesy of Arcadis)

Since its founding in 2019, CurbIQ has had an impact in cities across Canada and around the world.

In Toronto, the platform facilitated the expansion of bike lane infrastructure on Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue, and helped identify potential patio sites for the city’s CaféTO program, which created curb lane patios for restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Edmonton, Alta. and Arlington County, Va., CurbIQ was used to optimize management of parking spaces.

And in Dublin, Ireland, CurbIQ mapped more than 30 kilometres of curbside, helping city staff and third-party vendors, such as delivery services, better understand curb usage patterns – reducing congestion, lowering carbon emissions and improving traffic flow.

“I’ve already noticed a shift in support from the public and private sectors for building our cities smarter, in ways that use technology to improve urban planning processes,” says Mendoza, noting digital tools like CurbIQ are essential to helping manage rising demand for housing, transit and curb space as cities and populations grow.

“But I’m a firm believer that technology doesn't replace human expertise; it just gives us the data and confidence to make better decisions.”

CurbIQ's platform has been used in cities across Canada and around the world (image courtesy of Arcadis)

Mendoza says the skills she developed at U of T have stood her in good stead as she establishes herself among a new generation of city-builders using data and advanced technology.

“U of T taught me to be curious, ask questions and develop strong research skills,” says Mendoza. “You’re free to ask any questions you want, and you have guidance from professors to explore and nurture your research interests.”

Mendoza’s work at U of T included an independent research project on multimodal transportation in Portland, Oregon, conducted under the mentorship of Michael Widener, chair and professor in the department of geography and planning. “As a student, Marian had a special talent for thinking through complex urban problems, their connections to both social and technical systems, and then charting a way forward,” says Widener.

“She always brought to class a wonderful mix of intellectual curiosity and positivity,” adds Don Boyes, a professor, teaching stream and associate dean, teaching and learning, who taught Mendoza in several courses. “It’s great to see her doing so well in her chosen field.”

In addition to the support of professors and peers, Mendoza is grateful for the numerous scholarships she received at U of T, which included the William G. Dean Scholarship in Geography Field Research.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I had,” says Mendoza. “Scholarships gave me the freedom to explore a career path that wasn’t a straight line.”

U of T community members recognized with Order of Canada

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 16:01:38 +0000

U of T community members recognized with Order of Canada

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 12/19/2024 - 11:01

Cutline

(photo by Sgt Johanie Maheu)

Adam Elliott Segal

Topic

Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute

Alumni

Anthropology

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Hospital for Sick Children

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Law

Institute of Medical Science

Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

Subheadline

"Each in their own way, they broaden the realm of possibilities and inspire others to continue pushing its boundaries"

A pediatric surgeon who pioneered techniques to keep children’s hearts pumping. An anthropologist whose work has explored how land development shapes communities. A leading mathematician also renowned for scholarship on Indian philosophy.

These are a few of the ��߲ݴ�ý community members who were recently recognized by the Order of Canada.

The Governor General announced 88 new appointments to the Order of Canada on Dec 18, including three promotions. They include George Trusler, former head of cardiac surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children and a professor emeritus in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine; Tania Li, a University Professor in the department of anthropology in the Faculty of Arts & Science; and Vijaya Kumar Murty, a professor in the department of mathematics in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“Members of the Order of Canada are builders of hope for a better future,” Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said in a statement. “Each in their own way, they broaden the realm of possibilities and inspire others to continue pushing its boundaries. Thank you for your perseverance, fearless leadership and visionary spirit, and welcome to the Order of Canada.”

Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest civilian honours. It recognizes individuals whose achievements and service have had an impact on communities across Canada and beyond.

Here is a list of U of T faculty, alumni, supporters and friends who were appointed to, or promoted within, the Order of Canada in the latest round:

Current and former faculty

Steve Arshinoff, a professor in the department of ophthalmology and vision sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was named an Officer of the Order for his contributions to eye care, pioneering now-standard practices. Co-founder of the Eye Foundation of Canada, he also serves as a medical director of Eye Van, providing care to remote northern Ontario communities. He completed his ophthalmology residency at U of T.

Sylvia Bashevkin, a professor emerita in the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, was named an Officer of the Order for her contributions as a leading scholar of gender and politics. A former principal of University College and a senior fellow of Massey College, she pioneered research on the barriers faced by women in public life and has worked to expand opportunities for diverse political engagement.

Zulfiqar Bhutta, a professor in the department of nutritional sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was named an Officer of the Order for his contributions as one of the world’s foremost authorities on maternal and child health, shaping public health strategies that have reduced mortality and improved the well-being of women and children worldwide.

Sandy Buchman, medical director of the Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care at North York General Hospital and associate professor in the department of family and community medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was named a Member of the Order for contributions to palliative medicine. A former president of the Canadian Medical Association, Buchman has advocated for palliative care, MAID and equitable access to compassionate care. He completed his residency in family medicine at U of T.

David Chitayat, head of the prenatal diagnosis and medical genetics program at Mount Sinai Hospital, physician at SickKids and professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s departments of paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, laboratory medicine and pathobiology, and molecular genetics, was named a Member of the Order for his globally acclaimed work identifying genes associated with fetal abnormalities and postnatal newborns.

Stacy Churchill, a professor emeritus in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, was named a Member of the Order for his expertise in education and linguistic rights for Francophone minorities. Churchill has advised the federal and provincial government on language policy and consulted on UNICEF and UNESCO education missions.

Dafna Gladman, a senior scientist at the Toronto Western Research Institute and a professor in the Institute of Medical Science in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was named an Officer of the Order for her contributions to the psoriatic arthritis field. Her research advanced the understanding of the chronic disease, and her advocacy has improved the treatment and care. She earned her medical degree from U of T.

Daniel Haas, a professor and former dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, was appointed a Member of the Order for his expertise in dental anesthesiology and pharmacology. The former head of the faculty’s graduate dental anaesthesia speciality program, Haas has influenced dental training and practices worldwide. He earned his bachelor of science, doctor of dental surgery and PhD at U of T.

Tania Li, a University Professor in the department of anthropology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, was named an Officer of the Order for her contributions as one of Canada’s leading anthropologists. Her research – including groundbreaking work in understanding how international land development and corporate agriculture generate unintended poverty – has had a profound interdisciplinary impact, shaping policy and advancing human rights and sustainability initiatives.

Vijaya Kumar Murty, a professor in the department of mathematics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, was named a Member of the Order for his contributions as one of Canada’s leading mathematicians. A former director of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences at U of T, he has advanced knowledge in various mathematical fields, including analytic number theory. He is also a renowned scholar of Indian philosophy.

Greg Ryan, a perinatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, head of the fetal medicine unit at Sinai Health and professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was named a Member of the Order for his groundbreaking contributions to fetal medicine. A senior clinician scientist in the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, he has revolutionized in-utero treatment and care, improving outcomes for mothers and their unborn children globally.

Valerie Sue Tarasuk, a professor emerita in the department of nutritional sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine with a cross-appointment to the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, was named a Member of the Order for her expertise on food insecurity in Canada. Tarasuk has worked to reduce food insecurity with policy intervention through PROOF, an interdisciplinary research program. She earned her master of science and PhD at U of T.  

George Trusler, former head of cardiac surgery at SickKids and a professor emeritus in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was named an Officer of the Order in recognition of innovations in pediatric and cardiac surgery. His innovations have saved thousands of lives, including his groundbreaking invention to preserve the aortic valve and his design of an algorithm to control excess blood flow to the lungs of infants suffering heart failure.

Alumni and Friends

J. Anthony Boeckh, who earned a bachelor of commerce in 1960 as a member of Trinity College, was named a Member of the Order in recognition of contributions to youth mental health through the Graham Boeckh Foundation, which he founded in honour of his late son. Boeckh has worked with leading global experts to establish strategies to transform Canada’s mental health care system. He is also a founding trustee of the Fraser Institute.

Carol Cowan-Levine, who earned her master’s in social work from U of T, was recognized with the Order of Canada for her leadership role in social work and the establishment of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Her extensive volunteer work has impacted government, health care institutions and the non-profit sector in Ontario.

Stan Douglas, a renowned multimedia artist, was named an Officer of the Order for his body of work that explores history, technology and memory. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the 2022 Venice Biennale. His donated piece, Maritime Workers Hall, Vancouver, hangs in the halls of U of T’s Hart House as part of the Hart House Permanent Collection.

Donald Dippo, who earned a master of education and PhD from U of T, was named a Member of the Order for increasing educational access for children and teachers in Canada and internationally. He co-founded the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees program, based in the Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya.

R. Douglas Elliott was named a Member of the Order for his advancement and protection of 2SLGBTQI+ rights under Canadian law. An alumnus of the Faculty of Law, he has been involved in landmark constitutional cases and class actions, notably serving as lead counsel in the LGBT Purge class action.

Aura Kagan, a speech language pathologist who earned a PhD from U of T, was named an Officer of the Order for contributions that profoundly shaped care for people living with aphasia – a disorder that disrupts the ability to speak, understand, read, and write – including groundbreaking methods to help individuals communicate more effectively.

Jeffrey J. McDonnell, who earned a bachelor of science from U of T Scarborough in 1984, was named an Officer of the Order for his seminal scientific impact on the field of hydrology. A professor at the University of Saskatchewan, he has transformed the understanding of streamflow generation and the water cycle.

Maureen Jennings, who earned a master’s degree at U of T in 1967, was named a Member of the Order for her achievements as an historical crime author, most notably for the creation of the Detective Murdoch series – which inspired the long-running TV show Murdoch Mysteries – and for her contributions to Canadian history regarding women's roles during the Second World War.

Karen Levine, who earned a bachelor of arts as a member of University College in 1977, was named a Member of the Order in recognition of her decades-long career at CBC Radio. She is also honoured for her book Hana’s Suitcase, which has educated young readers worldwide about the Holocaust.

Sam Shemie, who completed his pediatric cardiology fellowship at U of T, was named a Member of the Order for shaping new ethical standards surrounding organ donation, creating new protocols for hospital culture and mentoring hundreds of clinical care physicians in Canada and abroad. He is medical director of the pediatric intensive care unit at Montreal Children's Hospital.

Walter Schneider, who earned a degree in literary arts from U of T Mississauga, was named a Member of the Order for contributions to business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. As president and co-founder of RE/MAX INTEGRA, he transformed Canadian real estate, building the company into the nation’s top-selling organization.

– With files from Mariam Matti

Read about more U of T community members recognized with the Order of Canada in recent years

‘In joy and friendship’: A holiday message from Principal Alexandra Gillespie

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:59:02 +0000

‘In joy and friendship’: A holiday message from Principal Alexandra Gillespie rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 12/17/2024 - 09:59

Topic

Alexandra Gillespie

U of T Mississauga

In an annual video message, Alexandra Gillespie, ��߲ݴ�ý vice-president and principal, U of T Mississauga, joined members of the university community to reflect on the year’s many accomplishments and share warm wishes for the holiday season.

“It’s a great been year,” Gillespie said, noting 2024 saw U of T Mississauga break ground on a new residence building and open the New Science Building; foster connection via the interim Black Student Space, welcome people for the first outdoor All-Nation’s Powwow; and launch U of T Mississauga’s first co-op internship program.

Gillespie, a professor of medieval and renaissance literature in the department of English and drama, encouraged the U of T Mississauga community to take some time to rest and relax as the holiday season approaches.

“It’s that time of year where it gets a bit cold and dark, but that’s OK because we get to come together with the people we love, in joy and friendship,” she said.

“From all of us here, happy holidays.”

‘Time to take for yourself’: Principal Linda Johnston shares holiday greetings

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:17:21 +0000

‘Time to take for yourself’: Principal Linda Johnston shares holiday greetings rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 12/17/2024 - 09:17

Topic

U of T Scarborough

In her first holiday message as ��߲ݴ�ý vice-president and principal, U of T Scarborough, Linda Johnston encouraged students, faculty, staff and librarians to reflect on their achievements and enjoy a well-deserved break.

“The holiday season is probably the only time of the year at U of T where you will not get your inbox full of emails. It’s time to take for yourself,” said Johnston, who began her role on July 1.

“You may be going to experience your holidays in a different way. Maybe you’re going to be going home to your folks, maybe you’re going to stay here on campus – you are making a new tradition for yourself.”

Johnston, who is a professor in the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, said 2024 “was a big year for UTSC,” noting the ongoing construction of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH), the opening of the Sam Ibrahim Building, and progress on Indigenous House.

Heading into the new year, Johnston said she envisions the campus continuing to emphasize a “culture of care” for its community members. “So take this time now. It’s really important for you. Just enjoy yourself,” she said. “Everybody belongs here and I want to help people to feel that way.”

In photos: Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel week in Sweden — and at U of T

mattimar — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:42:24 +0000

In photos: Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel week in Sweden — and at U of T

mattimar Fri, 12/13/2024 - 10:42

Cutline

Geoffrey Hinton delivers a speech during the Nobel Prize banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on Dec. 10 (photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images)

Mariam Matti

Topic

Department of Computer Science

Artificial Intelligence

Geoffrey Hinton

Nobel Prize

Research & Innovation

It was a whirlwind week for the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Geoffrey Hinton, who travelled to Sweden to officially accept the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside a jam-packed schedule of receptions, lectures, talks, ceremonies, banquets and media engagements.

The U of T University Professor emeritus of computer science known as the “godfather of AI” received the prestigious award during a formal ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall — the main event during Nobel Week, held from Dec. 6 to 12 in Stockholm and Oslo.

He shared the honour with John J. Hopfield of Princeton University for foundational work that paved the way for today's rapid advances in artificial intelligence, which some have called “the next industrial revolution.”

From the days leading up to the ceremony to the celebrations overseas and back home in Toronto, here are a few highlights and behind-the-scenes glimpses of a historic moment for Hinton and the rest of the U of T community.

(Photo by Jennifer Cressman)

After arriving in Stockholm on Dec. 5, Hinton takes part in a panel discussion at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) on AI development, humanity and the future. He is joined by IVA fellows Kristina Höök, Anders Sandberg and Staffan Truvé, and moderator Anette Novak.

On Dec. 6, Hinton signs the guest book at the Nobel Prize Museum, where he donated an early Boltzmann machine – a chip about the size of a postage stamp that can be used to recognize elements in data.

Continuing a Nobel tradition dating back to the event’s 100th anniversary in 2001, Hinton signs the underside of a chair at the Nobel Prize Museum’s restaurant, joining the names of fellow laureates etched into history.

(Photos by Jennifer Cressman)

During a news conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Dec. 7, Hinton pauses to snap a personal photo, capturing a moment of his historic week.

(Photo by U of T staff)

In his Nobel Prize lecture in physics on Dec. 8, Hinton talks about how decades of his fundamental research, and that of his co-laureate, paved the way for the development of artificial neural networks and machine learning.

Hinton explains the significance of the Boltzmann machine, which he based on an invention of his co-laureate that was known as the Hopfield network.

(Photo by Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)

Hinton and John J. Hopfield shake hands after delivering their Nobel Prize lectures.

Since the 1960s, the laureates have participated in a roundtable discussion for television’s Nobel Minds. At the taping on Dec. 9, Hinton was joined by David Baker, Demis Hassabis, Gary Ruvkun, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.

The following day, Hinton officially accepted his Nobel Prize in Physics.

(Photo by Jonas Borg)

Hinton poses with Ulrika Gustafsson, his Nobel attaché, prior to the formal ceremony on Dec. 10.

The event, which was livestreamed from Stockholm Concert Hall, was watched around the world.

Congratulations to Canada’s own Geoffrey Hinton — “Godfather of AI”, Professor Emeritus, and now, Nobel laureate. pic.twitter.com/CON0AtXokq
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 10, 2024

(Photos by Diana Tyszko, Matt Hintsa, Sobica Vinayagamoorthy and Shauna Rempel)

On Dec. 10 in Toronto, U of T community members shared in the moment via Nobel ceremony watch parties that were held across U of T’s three campuses.

Hinton receives his Nobel Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the ceremony.

(Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)

Hinton sits next to Anna Sjöström Douagi, acting CEO of the Nobel Foundation, during the Nobel Prize banquet on Dec. 10.

“If the benefits of the increased productivity can be shared equally, it will be a wonderful advance for all of humanity,” Hinton told the audience, before repeating his warnings about the near- and longer-term dangers posed by rapid, unfettered progress of the technology. See the complete text of Hinton's acceptance speech.

Researchers at U of T, partner hospitals receive $35 million in provincial support

lanthierj — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 18:57:47 +0000

Researchers at U of T, partner hospitals receive $35 million in provincial support

lanthierj Wed, 12/11/2024 - 13:57

Cutline

The performance of lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles, like the ones plugged into these chargers, can be degraded by temperature fluctuations – a limitation researchers at U of T Engineering are working to change (photo by koiguo/Getty Images)

Tyler Irving

Topic

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Leah Cowen

Sinai Health

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Unity Health

Cell and Systems Biology

Anthropology

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Biochemistry

Chemistry

Computer Science

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering