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Weeneebayko Area Health Authority works to transform health care with support of UHN

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:21:57 +0000

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority works to transform health care with support of UHN

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 01/11/2024 - 11:21

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The Weeneebayko Area Health Authority operates the Weeneebayko General Hospital in Moose Factory, Ont., the large, multi-winged building in the foreground (photo by Anne Simard)

Augusta Lipscombe

Topic

Our Community

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Transform HF

Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research

University Health Network

Subheadline

Transform HF, a U of T institutional strategic initiative focused on digital innovation for heart failure care, is also supporting efforts to bring health care closer to home for the region's communities

Gloria Stoney waited five days in October to be medevaced to Toronto from her home in Peawanuck, Ont. – a Cree community near the shore of Hudson Bay – after she began experiencing serious cardiac symptoms.

“I didn’t feel so comfortable, but my family was there to take care of me and make sure I wasn’t alone,” she says.

Upon arriving at Toronto General Hospital, she was admitted immediately for further work-up and was able to return home to Peawanuck while she was monitored remotely. A short time later, she was flown out to Kingston, Ont., for more testing and returned home at the end of November.

Gloria’s experience criss-crossing the province could soon become less common for local residents thanks to efforts by the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) that are being supported by physicians at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network (UHN).

With limited access to specialized cardiac care in the region, patients such as Gloria Stoney must travel more than 1,300 kilometres south by a combination of boat, train, plane and car (supplied image)

Building on an existing 2017 partnership, WAHA and UHN have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding that would support the cardiovascular needs of James Bay and Hudson Bay communities with a focus on direct care and remote management. That includes building local capacity and making use of remote technologies and other digital tools to bring diagnostics and treatment closer to where patients live.

“Signing the MOU emphasizes WAHA and UHN’s joint dedication to enhancing cardiac care in the James and Hudson Bay region," says Lynne Innes, WAHA's president and CEO. “Together, we’re working to improve cardiac care delivery, making it more accessible while enhancing quality of life.

“This partnership is a significant example of how health equity can be advanced in Indigenous communities.”

Using both Indigenous and western strategies, WAHA provides health care to six communities throughout the James Bay and Hudson Bay region, including Peawanuck.

Moose River (photo by Anne Simard)

Innes notes there is currently limited access to specialized cardiac care in the region, requiring patients such as Gloria to use a combination of boat, train, plane and car to travel more than 1,300 kilometres to the south.

“Leaving home for medical care is tough,” she says. “It requires the co-ordination of many people and organizations, and for our clients, it can mean a lot of anxiety from having to navigate a different city and hospital, all while missing the comfort of home. It’s a journey of healing mixed with the struggle of being far away from what’s familiar.”

Under the arrangement, co-ordinated clinical care would involve regular in-person visits by UHN staff to WAHA’s six communities and use of the Medly Program – a remote patient monitoring system for heart failure management that already counts more than 30 WAHA community members, including Gloria, as users.

There would also be opportunities for researchers and trainees to engage with WAHA and community members through Transform HF, a U of T institutional strategic initiative focused on digital innovation for heart failure care that brings together the university and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research – itself a partnership between the University of Toronto, UHN and the Hospital for Sick Children.

Left to right: Samuel Petrie, Stella Kozuszko, Erica Groenewoud, Mena Gewarges, Tanis Ross, Heather Ross, Elaine Innes, Sandra Kioke, Anne Simard and Sahr Wali (supplied photo)

Heather Ross, head of the cardiology division at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at UHN and a professor in U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, says improving access to culturally safe cardiovascular care in WAHA’s communities could drastically improve patient care and outcomes in the region.

“Digital innovation is the key,” says Ross, who is also co-lead of Transform HF. “It can provide access to health-care services not historically offered in the region and that require clients to travel out of community.”

A recent community-based study in Moosonee, Ont., found that community members are receptive to digital health tools, though they must be designed in a way that reflects their values and integrates western and Indigenous approaches.

Gloria, for one, says digital tools such as Medly have made a difference in her life.

“Medly has been helpful,” she says. “It saves me running to the clinic every time something happens. You get a response right away, and someone reaches out to you when something is up.”

Gloria says she also appreciates that her results are available through the app, so when she needs to receive care outside of her community, there’s no need to re-explain her symptoms and management.

“I’m not the only one in Peawanuck with a heart issue,” Gloria says. “Medly benefits a lot of people here.”

The partners are also initiating a screening program for earlier detection and primary prevention of heart failure.

Additionally, the partnership will support ongoing community-based qualitative and quantitative research with a focus on field testing digital devices, point-of-care testing and other innovations in community and on the land.

WAHA and UHN will also work together to build capacity in the community. Mentorship programs will facilitate exposure to clinical and research environments for the next generation of WAHA-based health-care providers, and opportunities will be created for Toronto cardiology residents and fellows to participate in this collaboration through observerships.

“Working in community, with community, is so important – this MOU supports that,” Ross says. “When you add in the layer of digital health and remote monitoring, I think we can support WAHA in keeping their community members healthy at home.”

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Transform HF

Researchers show how bending implantable medical devices can lead to bacterial growth

siddiq22 — Tue, 16 May 2023 16:03:07 +0000

Researchers show how bending implantable medical devices can lead to bacterial growth

siddiq22 Tue, 05/16/2023 - 12:03

Cutline

In a new study, Associate Professor Ben Hatton and his team examined how flexible medical implants can get colonized by infectious organisms – and their research points toward potential solutions (photo by Neil Ta)

Tyler Irving

Topic

Breaking Research

Bioengineering

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Our Community

Research & Innovation

A study by researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering shows that mechanical deformation of medically implantable materials – such as bending or twisting – can have a big impact on the formation of potentially harmful biofilms.

The study, described in a paper published in Scientific Reports, shows that even slight bending of elastomeric materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) – also known as silicone – opens up microscopic cracks that are perfect environments for colonizing bacteria.

“These kinds of materials are used in all kinds of biomedical applications, from catheters to tracheal tubes and prosthetic breast implants,” says Ben Hatton, associate professor in the faculty's department of materials science and engineering, and senior author of the new study.

“The formation of microbial biofilms on these materials is common, but we were surprised by the degree to which bending silicone, and other rubber materials, causes these cracks to reversibly open and close – and how big a difference they make in terms of biofilm formation.”

Biofilms are complex communities of organisms that grow on surfaces. While individual microbial cells are susceptible both to antibiotics and the body’s natural defensive systems, the biofilm environment can shield them from these interventions, which can lead to persistent infections.

Infections associated with medical-device biofilms, which sometimes develop after surgery, can be serious health risks – lengthening hospital stays or causing patients who have been discharged to be re-admitted.

Hatton and his team are among many groups around the world developing new materials, coatings and other approaches to prevent the formation of biofilms that can lead to such infections.

Associate Professor Ben Hatton, left, and PhD candidate Desmond van den Berg examine bacteria samples in the lab (photo by Neil Ta)

But in their latest work, they chose to study something more fundamental: How do these colonizing microbial organisms gain a toehold in the first place?

“In part, this comes out of the multidisciplinary approach we take in our group,” Hatton says.

“We’re combining microbiology and materials science, but also mechanical engineering, because we’re talking about mechanical stress, strain and deformation. This bending effect is something that had not been noticed before.”

The team tested various samples of silicone, including some they synthesized themselves as well as commercial-grade medical tubing used for urinary catheters. They then subjected these samples to mechanical forces to create surface damage. Their experiments showed that the microcracks can be formed very easily.

“One thing we did was simply wipe them a bunch of times with an ordinary laboratory tissue,” says Desmond van den Berg, a PhD candidate in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and lead author on the paper, which was co-authored by fellow Hatton Lab researchers Dalal Asker and Tarek Awad.

“Even this wiping was enough to create surface damage. By eye it still looks fine, but under the microscope, we could already see microcracks of the size that bacteria could get into. Bacteria are only a few micrometers big, so it doesn’t take much.”

Other samples were pressed with a rough, ridged pattern to create a series of regularly-spaced microcracks.

All the samples were then placed in a bacterial culture plate and seeded with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a biofilm-forming bacterium commonly used as a model organism in these types of studies. After growth, the samples were treated with a fluorescent dye, causing any attached bacteria to glow green under an optical microscope.

“What we saw was that the bacteria very clearly preferred to attach in these microscopic cracks,” van den Berg says.

“In the bent samples, there were four to five times as many bacteria on the side that was in tension versus the side that was in compression. These cells have full choice about where to grow, but they clearly love the side where all these microcracks are opened up.”

The only samples that remained relatively free of bacteria were the ones that had been synthesized in the team’s own lab, and therefore remained extremely smooth, van den Berg notes.

“Even the commercially produced ones that we didn’t damage in any way already had microcracks in them, straight out of the package,” he says.

“We suspect that these are introduced via the manufacturing process, arising from the way the plastic is formed into tubes or other shapes by extrusion or injection molding.”

Hatton says that the study underlines just how easy it is to introduce surface features that encourage microbial attachment. For surgeons, one implication is that they should be looking out for situations where silicone devices – such as tubing or prosthetic implants – are being bent during use, and paying particular attention to the side under tension, as this is where infections might be starting.

“Obviously it’s difficult to simply not bend a rubber tube that is meant to be bent – otherwise, why would you make it out of rubber in the first place?” Hatton says.

“But perhaps we can learn more about how to control or hide these surface cracks, so that bending is not a problem. That’s what we’re working on now – researching methods to reduce surface damage, or modifying the silicone surface to reduce the formation of such cracks.”

The study was funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Percy Edward Hart Professorship at the University of Toronto, the New Frontiers in Research Fund and the Connaught Foundation.

President Meric Gertler wishes U of T community 'a healthy and happy holiday season’

lanthierj — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 20:15:34 +0000

President Meric Gertler wishes U of T community 'a healthy and happy holiday season’ lanthierj Fri, 12/10/2021 - 15:15

Topic

Our Community

Holidays

Our Community

President Meric Gertler

St. George

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

In an eventful year that included a safe return to in-person activities, members of the University of Toronto community are being reminded to take pride in all they have accomplished in 2021.

In his annual holiday message, President Meric Gertler congratulates faculty, staff, students, alumni, partners and friends – and thanks them for their contributions to the fight against COVID-19, anti-Black racism, climate change and more.

“Congratulations on your many individual accomplishments and thank you for your contributions to our collective success,” the president says.

“I wish you a healthy and happy holiday season with family and friends, and all the best in the new year.”

U of T honours two “giants of civil service”

ksoobria — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 19:08:15 +0000

U of T honours two “giants of civil service” ksoobria Thu, 07/22/2021 - 15:08

When the Landmark Project is completed, the plaza in front of Convocation Hall will include granite stones that pay tribute to the contributions to the University of Toronto of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sheila Brown and Senior Legal Counsel Steve Moate.

U of T celebrated the careers of Brown on June 28 and Moate on June 30 as they neared their retirement from the university. Colleagues, friends and family “gathered” by way of Zoom and presented Brown and Moate with the granite stones as a show of thanks for their decades of service.

“U of T’s staff – who I often think of as our civil service – are essential to the operation and life of our university. Sheila and Steve are two giants of this community who have made an indelible and very positive impact over the course of their brilliant careers,” said U of T President Meric Gertler.

Brown obtained a B.A. from McGill University and then joined U of T in 1973. “They put me in front of a manual typewriter and I got to work,” she said. Over the next 48 years, she built her expertise in financial administration through a series of positions throughout U of T, including executive assistant to a former Chief Financial Officer, CFO in the Faculty of Medicine and Controller and Director of Finance for the university. During this time, she also earned her MBA from U of T and served on the board of the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO), including two terms as President.

Brown was appointed the university’s CFO in 2005 and “distinguished herself as a consummate professional who has consistently adhered to the highest standards,” said Gertler.

Among her many achievements, she was praised for playing a key role in establishing the new University Pension Plan (UPP), which launched earlier this month after years of planning. The UPP – which includes U of T, Queen’s University and the University of Guelph – is the first of its kind in Ontario's university sector.

“Sheila’s work on the UPP will come to be seen as one of her crowning achievements,” said Gertler. “You can imagine that effecting the transfer and management of our pension assets and management of member services to the UPP was an absolutely massive project. It has positioned us and our employees extremely well for the long term.”

Scott Mabury, Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships, called Brown a “trailblazer” in the Canadian university sector, noting her innovation in using the bond market to access external financing in support of the University’s academic objectives. “That strategy enabled U of T to build much-needed physical infrastructure and it inspired other Canadian universities to do the same.”

Pierre Piché, Controller and Director, Financial Services, and one of Brown’s closest colleagues, canvassed the staff of the Financial Services Division for their thoughts. Among the tributes – “Sheila has a passion for supporting the university’s academic mission through administrative excellence.” “She leads with integrity and compassion.” “She helps us develop our own leadership skills, both internally and externally.” “You can count on Sheila to develop a culture of trust, openness and inclusion.” “She always encourages debate on various issues and takes the time to listen to points of view.” “You have been a model for a generation of women in the financial world.”

Moate attended University of Toronto Schools, obtained his B.A. at U of T’s Trinity College and his law degree from the university’s Faculty of Law.

He was called to the Bar in 1984, and practised employment law with the firm Hicks Morley until 2001. He was appointed as its first Director of Research, and later became a partner. He joined U of T in 2002 as Employment Relations Legal Counsel and was appointed Senior Legal Counsel in the Office of the President in 2006.

“Steve has served this institution with dedication and distinction,” said Gertler. “His loyalty to U of T stems from a deeply rooted commitment to the university’s mission, a belief in the importance of what we are doing – and whom we are doing it for. This commitment is evident in everything Steve does, from expansive files like the University Pension Plan or free speech to those matters that touch on individual students and their lives. Steve’s contributions have advanced the university’s mission immeasurably.”

All speakers at the celebration attested to Moate’s ability to analyze legal matters clearly – and to do so with civility.

Said Provost Cheryl Regehr, “I have been exceptionally fortunate to have worked with one of the finest lawyers in the field in Steve Moate. His calm wisdom and strategic mind were invaluable to me.”

Long-time colleague Nora Gillespie, Senior Legal Counsel, Division of the Vice-President and Provost said, “Steve is a consummate lawyer and a truly gentle person. It has been awesome to have him as a colleague. His brilliant legal mind, unimpeachable integrity, impeccable writing and total dedication to the university and his colleagues are unparalleled.”

Kelly Hannah-Moffat praised how Moate could understand the nuances of university policy and its relevance to students, faculty, staff and librarians.

“You can cut through the complexity of any issue and define precisely and succinctly what the key elements are and what we need to address,” said Hannah-Moffat, Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture.

“Beyond this, you have brought a sense of kindness to the workplace that I greatly admire. You’ve matched your commitment to this institution with a genuine concern for those you work with. Thank you for doing everything you can to create a culture of caring at U of T.”

And how are Brown and Moate feeling as they approach a new chapter in their lives? Both are deeply thankful to the U of T community.

“The university is a wonderful place to work and have a career,” said Brown. “For administrative staff such as myself it’s endlessly fascinating because U of T is large and diverse and there is such a wide range of opportunities. U of T creates environments where you’re always finding something interesting to do. This has been a wonderful ride for me. To be part of this and to see the university change and grow and succeed, makes me feel privileged to have been part of it.”

Moate referred to his long association with U of T, from high school through his post-secondary years and much of his career. “Some might say, ‘That guy does not think far outside the box.’ I prefer to say, ‘If I have found a very good thing, I stick with it.’ This is a great university. It has the highest standards because it is comprised of people with the highest standards. It is dedicated to the pursuit of truth and knowledge and I’m excited and optimistic about its future. It’s been a great honour to have worked and studied here and to have been shaped by U of T in so many ways.”

U of T honours two “giants of civil service”

Paul Fraumeni

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Black History Month Luncheon goes virtual in 19th year, with keynote from NHL's Kimberly Davis

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 18:36:02 +0000

Black History Month Luncheon goes virtual in 19th year, with keynote from NHL's Kimberly Davis

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 02/26/2021 - 13:36

Topic

For nearly two decades, the Black History Month Luncheon has provided a rousing crescendo to four weeks of Black History Month events at the University of Toronto. On Friday, the first virtual edition of the annual event was held, featuring all the programming that makes the celebration one of the most keenly anticipated events of the year.

The 19th annual Black History Month Luncheon featured singing and steel drum performances, the screening of a poignant and inspiring video on Black history, and a keynote address and Q&A session featuring honorary guest Senior Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs Kimberly Davis of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Organized by U of T Advancement in partnership with Hart House, the event also included a silent online auction to help raise funds for two scholarships for Black students – prizes on offer included an executive box suite at an NHL game, and 10 NHL 21 video games from EA Sports.

Davis, who leads the NHL’s efforts to attract and retain fans – particularly from multi-cultural audiences – through youth programming, cultural events and social impact initiatives, reflected on how leaders can foster diversity in their organizations, noting that "being an inclusive leader is really not a destination, it's a never-ending journey.

"For me, it’s more about being as a form of doing," Davis said. "There clearly is no specific recipe for how a leader can effectively engage in the process of change but I do know that there are a couple of important elements.

"One is that it takes bold and courageous leadership to effect change, to model engagement and to inspire others so that the work that we are all undertaking is not just a moment in time but it becomes part of a movement. And I think it ultimately comes down to how each of us shows up – how we behave as agents of change, recognizing that in order to be a change agent, we have to commit to our own change.”

Top row (L-R): Glen Boothe, Barbara Dick, Dexter Voisin, David Palmer
Top Middle Row (L-R): Jodie Glean, Kimberly Davis, Sarah Nurse, Randell Adjei, Django Pan Fyah
Bottom Middle Row (L-R): Akil Thomas, Natasha Waterman
Bottom Row (L-R): Kurtis Gabriel, President Meric Gertler

Asked about the NHL’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in its ranks and make the sport of hockey more welcoming to all audiences, Davis said the league’s efforts to have “open and authentic” conversations around the issue have been crucial to the journey.

“I joined the league three years ago and one of the first observations I had was that there was a clear understanding of engagement of under-represented groups, but it was looking at that engagement through the lens of charity and philanthropy, not the lens of growth,” she said.

“There’s a huge, important distinction in that that really helps us shift our thinking about how we engage young boys and girls of colour in the journey of growing the sport of hockey and not just putting – as we often hear – sticks in hands.”

Following Davis’s remarks, attendees were shown a video of hockey pros Kurtis Gabriel of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and Akil Thomas of the American Hockey League’s Ontario Reign (affiliated with the NHL's Los Angeles Kings) taking questions from children across the Greater Toronto Area.

Earlier, attendees heard from several U of T leaders including President Meric Gertler, who noted that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as numerous high-profile incidents of anti-Black racism, were both a reminder of the “sad reality of systemic racism” in society.

“U of T’s Black community, alongside so many others at the university, has responded with courage and resolve,” President Gertler said. “We’re proud of the crucial work that began at U of T and has spread across the country through the National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities, and we look forward to acting on the recommendations of U of T’s Anti-Black Racism Task Force and to promoting Black inclusion and excellence within our tri-campus community.”

Professor Dexter Voisin, dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and co-chair of the Anti-Black Racism Task Force, expressed gratitude to U of T’s Black faculty, staff, students and alumni for their contributions to the university.

“I’m hopeful that our work on the Anti-Black Racism Task Force – alongside our continued excellence – will help to not only advance this university of ours, but create a path for inclusive excellence for all Canadians,” Voisin said.

From the TTC to the book return: Lost wallets’ journeys show caring side of U of T

sungjimi — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 13:07:23 +0000

From the TTC to the book return: Lost wallets’ journeys show caring side of U of T sungjimi Thu, 03/26/2020 - 09:07

Emptying the book return bin at Robarts Library is a routine matter for U of T librarian Lari Langford. A veteran employee of nearly 39 years, Langford wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary on Monday, other than overflowing bins as people rushed to return books as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated.

But in the bin, a brown leather wallet caught her eye. And then she noticed another small bundle of ID cards kept together with an elastic band. A piece of paper tucked into the elastic read: “Found in the Dufferin subway station.”

The bundle of cards and the wallet each contained a TCard.

“I guess the Good Samaritan that had found these noticed that they belonged to people in the U of T community and wondered where to return them,” says Langford. “The book return was one of the only secure places on campus that was open on the weekend and in they went, I guess.”

Langford was able to contact both the owners of the wallet and card bundle – one a medical resident at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the other a student – to reunite them with their belongings within hours of finding them in the book return.

“They were both so grateful to have their wallets and IDs back,” she says. “Imagine losing your health card at a time like this?”

Langford jokes that if she were to write a memoir, this story would make an appearance, but is also quick to say that any other library staff member at U of T would have worked just as swiftly to return these essential items to their owners.

While all campus libraries are now closed, the university remains open to enable essential COVID-19 related research and to support students who cannot leave their residences. Even with social distancing measures in place, residence staff members are supporting students’ wellness through online community gatherings.

Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr says that the return of lost items is one of the many examples of kindness at U of T during COVID-19. She cites another example as students from the Faculty of Medicine banding together to offer domestic support for front line health-care workers.

“I am so pleased to hear that we as a community are showing our best sides during such an uncertain time,” Regehr says. “These acts of kindness, connection and caring are what will help us through.”

Do you have a story to share about acts of kindness at U of T during COVID-19, or have a photo you want to share about how you’re staying connected to the community? We want to hear from you. Send us your photos and stories at bulletin.brief@utoronto.ca.

From the TTC to the book return: Lost wallets’ journeys show caring side of U of T

U of T librarian Lari Langford (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Jenny Rodrigues

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Arbor Awards celebrate U of T spirit of volunteering

Romi Levine — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 16:22:55 +0000

Arbor Awards celebrate U of T spirit of volunteering

Romi Levine Tue, 09/20/2016 - 12:22

Cutline

All photos by Romi Levine

Romi Levine

Author legacy

Romi Levine

Topic

On the first Tuesday of every month for more than half a decade, Graham White got up bright and early to make it to Hart House for 8 a.m. so he could chair the centre’s finance committee alongside a group of students.

The U of T Mississauga Professor Emeritus didn’t get paid to do what he did, and that was fine by him.

“There’s all kinds of things we do for which we’re not paid but it’s really part of being part of the profession and part of the university,” he says. “Everyone – faculty, students and staff get so much out of the place, it’s only reasonable to give something back.”

White’s philosophy can be applied to the thousands of people who volunteer within the U of T community.

They share “a real passion and desire to make a difference in the lives of others,” says Barbara Dick, U of T’s assistant vice president, alumni relations.

And while most volunteers prefer to do their work behind the scenes, there’s one night a year where they get to be in the spotlight – the Arbor Awards.

Since 1989, the annual awards have celebrated students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members for their exceptional volunteer work.

Volunteers can be nominated through colleges, faculties and departments.

This year’s event took place on September 15 at President Meric Gertler’s residence, with 102 volunteers receiving awards.

“U of T stands as one of Canada’s most accessible, diverse and excellent institutions in no small measure because of our alumni volunteers,” President Gertler told the crowd of current and past recipients and their guests.

U of T News spoke with some of this year’s award winners about the value of volunteering.

Brenda Stade, U of T alumna and nurse practitioner at St. Michael's Hospital

Stade spent a decade instructing U of T nursing students, specifically in the community nursing aboriginal stream, taking care of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

“The students I got were wonderful. They were so compassionate. I had some at the end (of the term) start crying, saying ‘I never realized how hard it was for some people in life.’ They were always so touching and I always learned a lot from them,” she says.

“You get to experience other people’s perspective of the world and I think that’s the most valuable thing in life, because you can’t do it all so you see it through other people’s eyes,” says Stade.

Safiya Muharuma, class of 2004

Muharuma is an assistant coach of the Varsity women’s hockey team. She regularly organizes alumni events that help support the current team, keeping them connected with current players.

“You wonder ‘what brought me here, why is it so important to me and how am I going to ensure the next group has that same feeling,’” she says. “University of Toronto, Varsity Athletics and physical education as well, they do a really good job of doing that and they instil that in everyone else and the next generation of kids that live in Toronto.”

Lynda Macdonald, city planner

Macdonald has been a mentor for Innis College urban studies interns for over a decade, showing them what it’s really like to work as a planner. She says the internship is mutually beneficial for planners and students.

“It’s a two-way street. It’s great for the city because students bring a different perspective and a different energy which is really important because we’re really planning for them. They’ll be the ones living in the cities we’re building,” she says. “For them, it’s an opportunity to look at what it would be like to actually be working in the profession and see what the day-to-day work is like.”

Larry Wayne Richards, Professor Emeritus and former dean of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design

Richards is the author of a comprehensive campus guidebook on heritage buildings and architecture on the three U of T campuses. He also mentors interns and promotes the university and his faculty to the wider community.

“We can all influence 50 other people and share all the good news that comes to of the university. Unlike the Ivy League schools, it’s not as rich. So a lot of what the university can accomplish depends on the initiative of the alums and former faculty like myself. We all have to pitch in and keep things moving in the right direction,” says Richards.

Rebecca Friedman, class of 2013

While she was completing her Master's of Science in applied computing, Friedman participated in the alumni student mentorship program so when she graduated, she felt it was only natural to return the favour.

“My mentor was amazing. She actually got an Arbor award for all of her work. It inspired me. She was so helpful and gave such good career advice and such good life advice,” she says.

Friedman has been a mentor for three years and attends events that help students transition into the workforce.

“When I was a new grad and looking at my first job, I didn’t really understand the industry and didn’t know what to expect. A lot of the time, students need someone to tell them ‘this is what it’s like in the workplace,’ and then they’ll feel so much better and be so much calmer,” she says.

Faran Umar-Khitab, class of 2004

Umar-Khitab has been volunteering with the Rotman Commerce undergrad program for the past nine years, as a mentor to third-year and fourth-year students.

“It’s great to see young minds as they embark on their careers and it’s great to give some practical advice on what the world holds and what the brochures for law school and legal career don’t tell you,” he says.