Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education

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Luc Tremblay (L) and Joëlle Hajj (photo by Gerome Manson)

Luc Tremblay, a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, and Joëlle Hajj, an alumna who completed her PhD in Tremblay's research group, have been recognized by the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS).

Tremblay, who is director of the Centre for Motor Control at KPE, received the Brawley and Elliott Award for Excellence in Supervision and Mentorship, which recognizes faculty members for their longstanding commitment to supporting trainees in achieving their academic and career goals.

“I am very grateful to the SCAPPS community and thank all of the amazing students I had and still have the chance to work with,” said Tremblay. “I will endeavour to continue honouring the exceptional legacy of my own supervisors, Professors Emeriti Luc Proteau and Digby Elliott."

Hajj, who is now a post-doctoral fellow at Lund University in Sweden, was one of the recipients of the Franklin Henry Young Scientist Award.

Read the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education announcement

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34 U of T scholars receive research infrastructure support from CFI's John R. Evans Leaders Fund

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:00:06 +0000

34 U of T scholars receive research infrastructure support from CFI's John R. Evans Leaders Fund

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 09/24/2024 - 10:00

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Dentistry

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

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Thirty-four scholars from the University of Toronto will receive research infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund.

The fund aims to support universities’ research infrastructure and help them compete in recruiting and retaining exceptional researchers. U of T projects will receive a total of $10.6 million in the latest round of funding, announced Sept. 13, 2024.

“From exploring the links between neural activity and stress to designing next-generation spectrographs to enhance our understanding of celestial phenomena, these research projects are poised to expand knowledge in an array of crucial fields,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“I would like to congratulate all the recipients of this funding support, and express U of T’s gratitude to the Canada Foundation for Innovation for its continued backing of critical research infrastructure.”

The recipients of John R. Evans Leaders Fund support at U of T are:

Myrtede Alfred in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – HFE visual design studio
Artem Babaian in the department of molecular genetics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – The Open Virome: Infrastructure for planetary-scale virus surveillance
Celina Baines in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Impacts of environmental change on organismal movement
Jaideep Bains at the University Health Network and the department of physiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Anticipating and buffering stress: from synapse to behaviour
Deryk Beal at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the department of speech-language pathology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Advancing neuromodulation for pediatric rehabilitation
Robert Bentley at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education – Cardiovascular exercise physiology laboratory: Individual differences in oxygen delivery during physical activity
Laurent Bozec at the Faculty of Dentistry – 21st-century challenge for dentistry: Breaking the cycle of irreversible dental tissue loss
Jennifer Campos in the department of psychology at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Innovative strategies and simulation technologies for sensory-cognitive health of the aging population
Timothy Corson at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – New targets and therapies for neovascular eye diseases
Niv Dayan in the department of computer science at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Universal filters for storage engines
Tilak Dutta in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Advancing fall prevention research
Micah Freedman in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Effects of climate change, migratory plasticity, and habitat modification on monarch butterfly migration
Liisa Galea in the Institute of Medical Science at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Sex and sex-specific factors influencing brain health across the lifespan
Michael Hardisty at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of surgery at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Enabling precision diagnostics/image-guided therapy: Advanced computational infrastructure for musculoskeletal health
Eno Hysi at Unity Health Toronto and the department of medical biophysics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Structural and Functional Assessments of Diabetic Skin Microvasculature using Photoacoustic Imaging
David Kirsch at the University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Dissecting mechanisms of cancer development using genetically engineered mouse models
Caitlin Maikawa in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Biointerfacing materials for drug delivery lab
Kuldeep Meel in the department of computer science at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Scalable discrete integration engines
Juan Mena-Parra in the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Faculty of Arts & Science – An advanced laboratory to enable novel radio telescopes for cosmology and time-domain astrophysics
Emily Moore in the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – A collaboratorium to improve problem framing in engineering design
Seyed Moosavi in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Machine learning for nanoporous materials design
Trevor Moraes in the department of biochemistry at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Upgrade Glacios-2 200 keV cryo-electron microscope
Long Nguyen at the University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Molecular regulation of clonal propagation and dissemination in human breast cancer
Kacey Prentice in the department of physiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Mechanisms of beta cell dysfunction in diabetes
Chenxi Qian in the department of medical biophysics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Next-generation vibrational imaging platform for biomedical research and applications
Laurie Rousseau-Nepton in the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Development of a high-resolution imaging spectrograph
Arneet Saltzman in the department of cell and systems biology at the Faculty of Arts and Science – Heterochromatin regulation in development and inheritance
Wilder Scott at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Mechanisms regulating the stem cell niche in tissue regeneration and aging at single cell and spatial resolution
Mikko Taipale in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Interrogating cellular pathways with pathogenic effectors
Jiannis Taxidis at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of physiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Advanced imaging and manipulation of hippocampal activity patterns linking memories across time
Tatsuya Tsukahara at Mount Sinai Hospital and the department of molecular genetics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Molecular logic and functions of transcriptional adaptation
Anatole von Lilienfeld in the department of materials science and engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Large memory compute nodes for generation of quantum machine learning data
Andy Kin On Wong at the University Health Network and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Sarcopenia and musculoskeletal interactions (SaMI) collaborative hub
Olena Zhulyn at the Hospital for Sick Children in the department of molecular genetics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Targeting translation for tissue regeneration and repair

Read the Canada Foundation for Innovation press release

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Seven U of T graduate students awarded 2023-2024 Inlight Research Fellowships in support of mental health research

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 19:26:40 +0000

Seven U of T graduate students awarded 2023-2024 Inlight Research Fellowships in support of mental health research

Department of Computer Science

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 04/01/2024 - 15:26

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Graduate Students

OISE

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

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Clockwise from top left: Melissa deJonge, Egag Egag, Asma Shamim, Maya Ahia, Danika Quesnel, JesusMiracle Chiadika and Ananya Bhattacharjee (supplied images)

Seven students from across the University of Toronto are recipients of the 2023-2024 Inlight Research Fellowships awarded by Inlight Student Mental Health Research, a U of T institutional strategic initiative committed to improving student mental health and wellness outcomes.

The $10,000 fellowships support graduate scholars who are leading research projects that aim to improve student mental health and well-being on campus and recognize the importance of student-led and co-designed research solutions.

“The Inlight Research Fellowship Program is dedicated to promoting the development of leaders in post-secondary student mental health research,” said Julius Haag, Inlight’s associate director, education and training and an assistant professor, teaching stream in the department of sociology at U of T Mississauga.

“We are actively supporting impactful research that will grow the perspectives and capacity needed to advance student mental health and wellness, as well as centring research that focuses on engaging the experiences and perspectives of our diverse student community.”

Here is the full list of Inlight’s 2023-2024 research fellowship award recipients:

Maya Ahia – master’s student in clinical psychology, U of T Scarborough

Ananya Bhattacharjee – PhD candidate in computer science, Faculty of Arts & Science

JesusMiracle Chiadika – PhD student in higher education, comparative, international & development education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Melissa deJonge – PhD student, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Egag Egag – PhD student, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Danika Quesnel – PhD student in clinical psychology, U of T Scarborough

Asma Shamim – PhD student in developmental psychology and education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Janelle Joseph recognized with Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers award

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 21:21:34 +0000

Janelle Joseph recognized with Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers award

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 02/16/2024 - 16:21

Connaught Fund

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Assistant Professor Janelle Joseph (photo by Dewey Chang)

Janelle Joseph, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), has received the Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers award.

The award, given by U of T’s Connaught Fund in partnership with the Black Research Network, aims to strengthen Black scholars’ research programs and help foster partnerships, create training opportunities and enhance their competitiveness for external funding.

Joseph will receive a two-year grant worth $250,000 in support of her project, which aims to enhance the leadership skills of Black Canadian and Global South community leaders through anti-racist and embodied learning.

The project envisions three conferences – in Toronto, Montreal and Cape Town – that will explore topics related to creative problem-solving, situating the individual within the collective per the Indigenous African philosophy of “ubuntu,” and burn-out and healing for social justice leaders, respectively.

“This project will provide the evidence to tailor better leadership education and supports for marginalized leaders and the communities they serve, including healing from burn-out and trauma, improved organizational capacity and communication, as well as advanced personal and interpersonal development,” said Joseph.

“It will help us understand what is needed for interconnectedness and interdependence of diverse groups that are collectively addressing Black community well-being.”

Read the KPE story

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Thirteen U of T researchers named Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

lanthierj — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 15:47:27 +0000

Thirteen U of T researchers named Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

lanthierj Wed, 09/20/2023 - 11:47

Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Sinai Health

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

UHN

Unity Health

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Thirteen University of Toronto researchers have been named Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) in recognition of their leadership, creativity and commitment to advancing academic health sciences.

One of three national academies that make up the Council of Canadian Academies, the CAHS leverages the expertise of Canada’s leading health sciences researchers to evaluate Canada's most urgent and complex health challenges and recommend strategic, actionable solutions. To be named a CAHS Fellow is considered one of the highest distinctions for academics in the health sciences field in Canada.

“The University of Toronto congratulates these leading researchers on this important recognition of their work,” says Barbara Fallon, U of T’s associate vice-president, research. “This reaffirms what we saw in the recent Nature rankings, which placed U of T second in the world among health sciences research universities, and the recent NTU rankings, which placed U of T second among the world’s top research universities in the category of medicine.

“Across disciplines, fuelled by the collaboration between the 14 research hospitals in the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN), these researchers are making discoveries and advancements that have a real impact on the some of the most complex health challenges facing Canadians.”

The new Fellows are:

Evdokia Anagnostou, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Paediatrics)
Ahmed Bayoumi, Unity Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Medicine)
Patricia Brubaker, Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Physiology)
Leah Cowen, Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Molecular Genetics)
Neeru Gupta, Unity Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Opthalmology & Vision Sciences)
Mojgan Hodaie, University Health Network (UHN) and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Surgery)
John Kingdom, Sinai Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
Cheryl Regehr, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Catherine Sabiston, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education
Samir Sinha, Sinai Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Medicine)
Lillian Siu, UHN and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Medicine)
Yu Sun, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering)
Michael Tymianski, UHN and Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Surgery)

See the complete list of new Fellows

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Janelle Joseph honoured with CALS award for pioneering work in leisure studies

siddiq22 — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:13:15 +0000

Janelle Joseph honoured with CALS award for pioneering work in leisure studies

siddiq22 Thu, 07/13/2023 - 16:13

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Janelle Joseph (photo by Dewey Chang)

Janelle Joseph, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, has been recognized with the Emerging Leisure Scholar Award from the Canadian Association of Leisure Studies (CALS) for her significant contributions to the field of leisure studies.

As someone whose research is largely focused on the contributions of Black and racialized athletes – and the systemic failure to recognize and centre their contributions to sport and physical activity in Canada – it is important to Joseph to ensure new generations of all backgrounds are represented in the lab and in the field of study.

Joseph says she has a particular appreciation of the CALS recognition because it comes from the world of leisure – which historically has not been known for research on racial equity or racialized communities.

“For thousands of years, racialized communities have been participating in sport, recreation and leisure practices in Canada. Understanding our experiences is essential to both knowledge of Canadian cultures and dismantling of racial oppression,” she said.

The four main priorities of Joseph’s research out of her IDEAS Lab are Indigeneity, diaspora, equity and anti-racism as related to sport and the moving body.

Joseph is proud to spearhead explorations into previously undocumented fields of study, particularly those that align with her Antiguan heritage.

She has also authored or co-edited three books related to race, sport, education and Black communities in Canada.

Read the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education story

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Sandhya Mylabathula named People’s Choice winner in French-language three-minute thesis competition

lanthierj — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 17:29:21 +0000

Sandhya Mylabathula named People’s Choice winner in French-language three-minute thesis competition

Academic Achievement

lanthierj Wed, 04/05/2023 - 13:29

Students

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(photo by Slown Balan)

Sandhya Mylabathula has won the People’s Choice Award in the Toronto competition of Ma Thèse en 180 Secondes.

The University of Toronto alumna and PhD student was the only anglophone participating in the French version of Canada’s three-minute competition, which gives master’s and doctoral students an opportunity to showcase their research to the broader public.

Mylabathula was recognized for her presentation on recovery from concussions, the subject of her doctoral thesis at U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.

“It was quite an honour to be the sole PhD rep not just from our faculty but from U of T,” said Mylabathula, who helped organize the inaugural event at Massey College as part of the university’s celebration of la Francophonie. “It was an amazing experience and I’m grateful to all who supported me.”

In this video of the event, you can catch Mylabathula’s presentation beginning at 36:15.

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People’s Choice Award

Ma Thèse en 180 Secondes

Nine U of T faculty members named to Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists

mattimar — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 14:53:40 +0000

Nine U of T faculty members named to Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists

mattimar Wed, 09/07/2022 - 10:53

Scarborough

Royal Society of Canada

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

OISE

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Arts & Science

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Nine faculty members at the University of Toronto – experts in political science, education, Indigenous mental health, health policy, cosmology, critical race theory, biomedical engineering and biomedicine – have been appointed to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

“These scholars and scientists are making a tremendous impact in their respective fields – transforming our understanding of such significant challenges as infectious diseases, anti-racism in sport or Indigenous mental health,” said Leah Cowen, vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives at U of T. “The University of Toronto congratulates them on this important recognition.”

The new college members are:

Aisha Ahmad, of the department of political science at U of T Scarborough
Jeffrey Ansloos, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Yvonne Bombard, of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Benjamin Haibe-Kains, of the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Renée Hložek, of the David. A Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Janelle Joseph, of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education
Sharmistha Mishra, of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Ervin Sejdić, of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Duminda Wijeysundera, of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Each appointee receives a seven-year membership in the college, which recognizes and supports academic leadership and collaboration among those who have received their PhDs within the last 15 years.

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Michèle Bélanger inducted into Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame

lanthierj — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 16:05:23 +0000

Michèle Bélanger inducted into Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame

Community

lanthierj Wed, 07/13/2022 - 12:05

Staff

Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame

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Michèle Bélanger at the induction ceremony at The Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (photo courtesy of KPE)

Former Varsity Blues women's basketball coach Michèle Bélanger, who led the University of Toronto to more than 850 victories, has been inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.

Described as a coaching icon by the Hall, Bélanger told CityNews she was shocked to be recognized alongside “true legends of the game.”

Other inductees recognized on July 10 include Steve Nash, two-time MVP of the NBA.

In 41 seasons as the head coach of the Varsity Blues women's basketball program, Bélanger led U of T to nine OUA championships and a national title in 1986. She finished 21 seasons with four or fewer regular season losses and was named OUA coach of the year eight times. Bélanger also coached for Canada at all levels of competition, serving as an assistant coach to Team Canada when they earned a program-best silver medal at the 2015 FISU Games, and leading Canada to a 13th place finish at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade.

“There are a lot of young women that want to play the game and that are in love with this basketball game, which I think is great. You didn’t see that 30 years ago. You were the odd one out,” Bélanger told CityNews. “I want to see people coming back into the gyms and supporting these young women. They’re working so hard. Their skills are amazing.”

Read the CityTV article

Read the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education article

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2022 Awards of Excellence recognize members of U of T community

lanthierj — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 17:28:56 +0000

2022 Awards of Excellence recognize members of U of T community

Community

lanthierj Thu, 04/07/2022 - 13:28

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Department of English

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Division of People Strategy

Equity & Culture

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Dentistry