Department of Medicine

Thirteen faculty members from across the UUֱ�� have been appointed Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada – a prestigious distinction given to the country’s most distinguished scholars, artists and scientists.

“The UUֱ�� congratulates these extraordinary researchers on this important recognition of their dedication, leadership and impact,” says Leah Cowen, UUֱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “Across a diverse array of disciplines, they are addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges – and their contributions to their respective fields continue to break new ground.”

The new Fellows are:

Ryan Balot of the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Paul Bloom of the department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Tom Chau of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Robert Gerlai of the department of psychology at UUֱ�� Mississauga
Alberto Leon-Garcia of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Jason Moffat of the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Amit Oza of the University Health Network (UHN) and the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Daniela Rotin of SickKids and the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Aaron Schimmer of UHN and the department of medical biophysics in in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
William Seager of the department of philosophy at UUֱ�� Scarborough
Valerie Tarasuk of the department of nutritional sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
R. Paul Thompson of the Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science and Technology in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Daniel Trefler of the Rotman School of Management

They join more than 350 Fellows of the Royal Society affiliated with UUֱ��.

Eno Hysi recognized with Polanyi Prize in Physics

lanthierj — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:21:59 +0000

Eno Hysi recognized with Polanyi Prize in Physics

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Tue, 01/18/2022 - 15:21

Faculty

St. George

Polanyi Prize in Physics

Council of Ontario Universities

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

St. Michael’s Hospital

Department of Medicine

portrait

Eno Hysi, a post-doctoral researcher with the division of nephrology in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital who is affiliated with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine's department of medicine, has won a 2021 Polanyi Prize in Physics for his work on the use of photoacoustic imaging to map scarring in kidneys.

The prestigious John Charles Polanyi prizes are awarded in honour of University Professor John Polanyi, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Funded by the government of Ontario and administered by the Council of Ontario Universities, they recognize innovative researchers who are continuing postdoctoral work or have recently been appointed as faculty at an Ontario university.

Hysi, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Banting and Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training program (KRESCENT) fellow, uses photoacoustics to investigate light and sound interactions in kidney blood vessels and surrounding soft tissues – enabling better identification of kidneys not suitable for transplant due to excessive scarring.

“Donated kidneys save thousands of lives each year, but more can be done to optimize transplant processes and improve outcomes for patients,” said Leah Cowen, UUֱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “Eno Hysi’s research on the interplay of optical and acoustical signals in donated kidneys is helping to provide a clearer picture of kidney health for physicians, enabling them to reduce wait times and improve outcomes for patients with kidney failure – and the UUֱ�� congratulates him on this important recognition of his work.”

David Jenkins, Daniel Drucker named to Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

lanthierj — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 17:20:41 +0000

David Jenkins, Daniel Drucker named to Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 10/06/2021 - 13:20

Faculty

St. George

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Temerty Medical Association

Department of Medicine

Insulin 100

landscape

(Photos by Mark Bennett and Johnny Guatto)

Daniel Drucker and David Jenkins of the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine will be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2022.

The prestigious honour recognizes individuals who are role models in the field of health sciences and whose leadership and contributions have led to improvements in human health in Canada or abroad.

Drucker, a physician who is also senior investigator at Sinai Health's Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, is recognized for his work revealing the potential for gut hormones to achieve dramatic clinical outcomes in the treatment of life-limiting and life-threatening metabolic and intestinal disorders.

Earlier this year, he received the 2021 Canada Gairdner International Award for research that has helped revolutionize treatments for type 2 diabetes, obesity and intestinal disorders.

University Professor Jenkins is director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre and scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's Hospital and a 2021 Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He is honoured for inventing the glycemic index to classify carbohydrates and their effects on blood glucose levels, associated with the incidence of diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease mortality.

“I am beyond thrilled to see Dr. Drucker and Dr. Jenkins inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame,” said Gillian Hawker, Sir John and Lady Eaton Professor and Chair of Medicine. “This honour reflects a tremendous lifetime achievement. The Department of Medicine congratulates them for this important recognition of their outstanding contributions to health in Canada and around the world.”

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Daniel Drucker wins 2020 Warren Alpert Prize

lanthierj — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 18:56:18 +0000

Daniel Drucker wins 2020 Warren Alpert Prize

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Fri, 09/18/2020 - 14:56

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Medicine

Department of Medicine

landscape

Endocrinologist Daniel Drucker, a pioneer in diabetes treatment and a professor in the Faculty of Medicine, is one of three winners of the 2020 Warren Alpert Prize.

Dr. Drucker, who is also senior scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, was recognized along with Joel Habener of Harvard Medical School and Jens Juul Holst of the University of Copenhagen. The trio won for their seminal discoveries about the function of key intestinal hormones, the hormones' effects on metabolism and the subsequent design of treatments for Type 2 diabetes, obesity and short bowel syndrome.

“The Alpert Award is wonderful, prestigious international recognition of the work over several decades of my laboratory, including trainees and research staff, together with key contributions from my co-awardees,” Drucker said. “It is a great honour to be recognized for the bench-to-bedside science that we and colleagues have worked so hard to translate into new therapies for human metabolic disease.”

The $500,000 award, to be shared among the recipients, is given by the Warren Alpert Foundation in recognition of work that has improved the understanding, prevention, treatment or cure of human disease. The prize is administered by Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Frances Shepherd named University Professor

lanthierj — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 21:40:28 +0000

Dr. Frances Shepherd named University Professor

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/09/2020 - 17:40

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Medicine

Department of Medicine

University Professor

landscape

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Dr. Frances Shepherd, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and a senior staff physician and the Scott Taylor Chair in Lung Cancer Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been named a University Professor.

“Professor Shepherd’s exceptional scholarly achievements have made her one of the most distinguished lung cancer researchers worldwide and established the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as one of the top lung cancer research centres in the world,” Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regher said.

Dr. Shepherd’s research has contributed to more than 530 publications. She has written 47 book chapters, designed and led more than 100 clinical trials, and mentored almost 50 post-graduate clinicians and clinician-scientists.

“It really is an honour to reach the pinnacle of academic success at a university that is at the pinnacle of academia at a global level,” Dr. Shepherd said. “Being a doctor, being a medical oncologist and in particular being a lung doctor is not a solo sport – it’s a team sport and that’s what the UUֱ�� provides. I have so many colleagues that support me. I could never have done this on my own.”

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Five UUֱ�� professors receive elite University Professor designation

lanthierj — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:53:42 +0000

Five UUֱ�� professors receive elite University Professor designation

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/09/2020 - 11:53

Faculty

St. George

University Professor

Department of History

Faculty of Arts & Science

Rotman School of Management

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Department of Medicine

Faculty of Medicine

Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry

landscape

Chancellor Rose Patten, Professor Anita McGahan, President Meric Gertler, Professor Prabhat Jha, Dr. Frances Shepherd, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr and Professor James Retallack (front) Absent: Elizabeth Edwards (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Five UUֱ�� professors were recognized last week as University Professors, an elite designation bestowed on a small number of UUֱ�� faculty members for their distinguished scholarly achievement and pre-eminence in their fields.

Elizabeth Edwards, Prabhat Jha, Anita McGahan, James Retallack and Frances Shepherd were honoured at a reception attended by President Meric Gertler, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regher and Chancellor Rose Patten.

The new University Professors are global leaders who’ve had a profound impact on their fields and on society more broadly, President Gertler said.

The five professors have, among them, earned two Rhodes Scholarships, three Royal Society of Canada fellowships, two Order of Canada appointments, two Canada Research Chairs, a Killam Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship and an Academy of Management fellowship.

“They have advanced influential new ideas, new methodologies and new technologies,” President Gertler said. “They’ve challenged established paradigms and defined entirely new areas of study – and they’ve changed the way that we understand key challenges, both historical and contemporary.

“Between them, they’ve offered fresh insights into age-old questions concerning society and government; they’ve brought fundamental discoveries to market; and they’ve pioneered innovative approaches to pressing challenges in global health, cancer care and the environment.”

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Professor Stephen Hwang receives President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:32:15 +0000

Professor Stephen Hwang receives President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Fri, 02/21/2020 - 08:32

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Medicine

Department of Medicine

President's Impact Award

landscape

For his work to improve the health of people experiencing homelessness and to make social justice and health equity central to medical practice, Dr. Stephen Hwang has received the President’s Impact Award.

A professor in the department of medicine and scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Hwang is a world-renowned expert. His research and advocacy has elucidated the causes and risk factors for death among homeless people, the relationship between traumatic brain injury and homelessness, and the effects of homelessness on health status.

Hwang has played a pivotal role in advancing Canadian and international scholarship and advocacy related to homelessness. His work helped inspire the creation of the 100,000 Homes Campaign, which has mobilized officials in hundreds of cities across the U.S. to house thousands of long-term and medically vulnerable homeless individuals who were at increased risk of death.

“Homelessness affects hundreds of thousands of Canadians and takes a tremendous toll on health,” Hwang said. “Our work has shown that the Housing First approach ends chronic homelessness and should be widely implemented. This award will support our ongoing research on new interventions to meet complex health needs and improve well-being and social integration among people experiencing homelessness.”

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Dr. Mamatha Bhat recognized with John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

lanthierj — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:20:33 +0000

Dr. Mamatha Bhat recognized with John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Tue, 02/04/2020 - 11:20

Faculty

St. George

Department of Medicine

Faculty of Medicine

John Charles Polanyi Prize

Women in STEM

landscape

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Dr. Mamatha Bhat has received the John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine for her research to ensure long-term health for patients who undergo liver transplants.

Bhat is an assistant professor in the department of medicine’s division of gastroenterology and a staff hepatologist and clinician-scientist at the University Health Network’s Multi-Organ Transplant Program. Her lab focuses on the key complications that compromise the long-term survival of liver transplant recipients: recurrent liver cancer, fatty liver and metabolic disease. She is establishing the first translational research program worldwide dedicated to improving these post-transplant outcomes.

“It’s a wonderful sign of support for the importance of this translational research that will provide improved long-term outcomes for our patients,” Bhat said. “That’s what means the most.”

The award is named after John Polanyi, a UUֱ�� University Professor of chemistry and joint winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. At a reception to honour the winners, Polanyi described the potential impact of Bhat’s research.

“Papers pour out of her lab (about sixty, so far) regarding the new world of human spare-parts,” Polanyi said. “Dr. Bhat looks ahead to the time when these spare parts are themselves in need of repair by which time she will know how to repair them.”

Read the UUֱ�� News story

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Department of Medicine

13 UUֱ�� faculty members named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

Read more about the Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

Eno Hysi recognized with Polanyi Prize in Physics

Read more about the John Charles Polanyi Prizes

David Jenkins, Daniel Drucker named to Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Daniel Drucker wins 2020 Warren Alpert Prize

Read more about the Warren Alpert Prize

Dr. Frances Shepherd named University Professor

Five UUֱ�� professors receive elite University Professor designation

Professor Stephen Hwang receives President’s Impact Award

Dr. Mamatha Bhat recognized with John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

Read the UUֱ�� News story