President's Impact Award

Clockwise from top left: Professor Gillian Hadfield, Professor M. Murphy, University Professor David Jenkins, Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik and Associate Professor Yvonne Bombard

Five University of Toronto researchers have received President’s Impact Awards for their important work in AI governance, environmental justice, genomics policy, nutritional sciences and quantum computing.

The awards celebrate and honour faculty members whose research has led to a significant impact beyond academia. Laureates are designated as members of the President’s Impact Academy, and receive a monetary award of $10,000 per year for five years to be used toward their research.

“I would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s President’s Impact Awards for their outstanding work in tackling some of the biggest challenges of our time,” said Barbara Fallon, U of T's associate vice-president, research.

“From informing and improving dietary choices to fostering greater alignment between environmental justice and Indigenous communities, these scholars are generating knowledge and ideas that stand to have a tremendous impact beyond academia.

“Their exceptional contributions speak to the important role that U of T researchers play in improving lives in Canada and around the world.”

This year’s winners are:

Gillian Hadfield, professor in the Faculty of Law and Rotman School of Management, “for contributions impacting access to justice, innovative design for legal and dispute resolution systems in advanced and developing market economies, and governance for artificial intelligence.”

M. Murphy, professor in the Women & Gender Studies Institute and department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science, “for contributions that consistently move environmental justice research along a collaborative trajectory with Indigenous communities, data practices, and policy-making.”

Yvonne Bombard, scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and associate professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, “for her significant contributions in enacting national law against genetic discrimination, improving healthcare options for Canadians, and advancing clinical practice and genomics research.”

Alán Aspuru-Guzik, professor in the department of chemistry and department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, “for his pioneering work in the fields of artificial intelligence and quantum computing for materials discovery.”

David Jenkins, University Professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, “for his studies on the health effects of food that have changed how the world makes healthy dietary choices.”

17 faculty members recognized with President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 15:53:18 +0000

17 faculty members recognized with President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Fri, 03/10/2023 - 10:53

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

Faculty of Arts & Science

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Rotman School of Management

OISE

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

landscape

A record 17 University of Toronto faculty members are being recognized with the President’s Impact Award for the significant impact of their research across Canada and beyond.

Ajay Agrawal of the Rotman School of Management, George Dei of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Ito Peng of the Faculty of Arts & Science and Yu Sun of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering are each receiving individual awards.

A team award, meanwhile, recognizes 13 leaders of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Faculty of Arts & Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, many of whom also hold appointments across U of T's hospital partner network at Baycrest Health Sciences Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Sinai Health System, Unity Health, University Health Network and Women’s College Hospital. They are: Upton Allen, Karen Born, Adalsteinn Brown, Peter Jüni, Linda Mah, Andrew Morris, Kumar Murty, Fahad Razak, Paula Rochon, Beate Sander, Brian Schwartz, Nathan Stall and Robert Steiner.

Each winner is designated a member of the President’s Impact Academy, which advocates for sustained excellence in research and innovation impact within and outside the university.

“These awards represent how U of T’s research community is coming together tackle some of today’s toughest problems and making breakthroughs that result in real-world change,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“From global issues to micro-scale innovations, this year’s laureates have shown themselves to be visionaries in their respective fields and consummate collaborators – working with scholars across disciplines and partnering with community members, public stakeholders, industry leaders and policymakers to address our current challenges and drive progress toward a brighter future.”

Read the U of T News story

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Five researchers recognized with 2022 President’s Impact Awards

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 13:29:36 +0000

Five researchers recognized with 2022 President’s Impact Awards

Research & Innovation

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 04/01/2022 - 09:29

Faculty

President's Impact Award

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Design

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Law

landscape

(L-R) Levente Diosady, Barbara Fischer, Kang Lee, Donald Redelmeier, Douglas Sanderson

Five leading University of Toronto researchers have received President’s Impact Awards for their remarkable work in health, contemporary art, law, traffic safety and Indigenous rights.

The awards celebrate and honour faculty members whose research has led to a significant impact beyond academia.

“Each of this year’s winners has transformed the lives of people in Canada and around the world through their work,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“I am incredibly proud of their outstanding contributions – from improving health outcomes and diagnoses to traffic safety, improving our understanding of art and advancing Indigenous rights.

“These awards demonstrate how U of T’s research excellence, across a wide range of disciplines, is driving major social and economic benefits.”

This year’s winners are:

Levente Diosady, professor emeritus in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. Diosady is being honoured “for his research impact on the development of technology that enables the double fortification of salt with iron and iodine, improving the health of millions of people in developing countries.”
Barbara Fischer, associate professor, teaching stream, in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and executive director and chief curator at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. Fischer is being honoured “for her exceptional contributions to curatorial theory, history, and practice that enables Canadian and international audiences to better understand and learn from contemporary art and artists.”
Kang Lee, professor in the department of applied psychology and human development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Lee is being honoured “for sustained impacts of his scientific discoveries on childhood dishonesty on legal practices, clinical diagnosis and treatment of atypical children, and methodological innovations for healthcare and applied research.”
Donald Redelmeier, professor in the department of medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and senior scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. Redelmeier is being honoured “for his science contributing to fewer traffic crashes worldwide, including new laws in all Canadian provinces and territories against using a cellular telephone while driving.”
Douglas Sanderson, associate professor in the Faculty of Law. Sanderson is being honoured “for the profound impact that he has made on issues relating to the relationship between Indigenous Peoples in the Settler State, which have contributed to advancing Indigenous rights at the University, in the Province of Ontario, and throughout Canada.”

Nominees for the President’s Impact Awards are also considered for the Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award, an honour that is part of the Awards of Excellence program in collaboration with the university. The program dates back to 1921 and recognizes outstanding faculty, staff and students.

This year’s Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award winner is Adalsteinn Brown, dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Brown is being honoured “for his leadership in health system improvement, performance measurement and health emergency planning and response, which has transformed the decision-making process in Ontario.”

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Sidney Kennedy recognized with President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 22:07:09 +0000

Sidney Kennedy recognized with President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 03/31/2021 - 18:07

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Department of Psychiatry

St. Michael's Hospital

UHN

landscape

For his contributions to the treatment of people with major mood disorders in Canada and around the world, Sidney Kennedy has received a President’s Impact Award.

“I am extremely grateful to have received the President’s Impact Award,” says Kennedy, a professor in the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and a physician with St. Michael's Hospital and UHN. “This honour brings greater attention to the burden and adversity faced by people with depression and their families.”

The founding chair of the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatment, Kennedy has focused much of his scholarship on making better treatments available for people with depression and for those with bipolar disorder and has performed world-leading research on the application of deep brain stimulation to treat depression. To ensure research discoveries reach patients, he founded and leads the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression.

“Although depression remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, there has been a significant shift in public awareness and reduction in stigma associated with depression, suicide and related conditions,” Kennedy says. “For me, the importance of studying the psychosocial and biological underpinnings of depression and working to create new treatment options lies in the translation of these findings to real-world clinical practice.

“The University of Toronto is a global leader in psychiatry research and has provided me with a great opportunity to build and maintain interdisciplinary teams with diverse expertise to achieve these goals.”

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Michael Carter recognized with President's Impact Award

lanthierj — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 21:16:10 +0000

Michael Carter recognized with President's Impact Award

Research & Innovation

Community

lanthierj Wed, 03/31/2021 - 17:16

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

landscape

For his pioneering contributions to the field of health-care engineering, Professor Michael Carter has received the President’s Impact Award.

A professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Carter has been applying industrial engineering principles to improve health-care systems and processes in Canada for three decades. He has research partnerships with hospitals throughout the GTA, provincial and federal governments across Canada, aimed at maximizing health-care resources. His research has been applied nationwide to improve such areas as surgical scheduling and modelling future demand for health-care procedures and practitioners.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical role that industrial and systems engineers can play in our health-care system,” Carter says. “The weak links in our supply chain, the issues around vaccine delivery and the general need for better collaboration and information sharing have highlighted current challenges.

“Things are much better than they were 30 years ago when I started a movement to get engineers and systems thinking into our health care system, but we still have a long way to go. I am so very proud of my many health-care colleagues and the hundreds of former students who are doing today’s important work. It is my privilege and honour to have helped to create the foundation you are standing on today.”

The pandemic has underscored "how crucial it is to have an optimized health-care system before a crisis strikes,” said Chris Yip, dean of U of T Engineering. “On behalf of U of T Engineering, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Professor Michael Carter, whose career-long commitment to health-care engineering has helped to improve the lives of people across the country and around the world.”

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Shelley Stagg Peterson recognized with President's Impact Award

lanthierj — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 19:33:48 +0000

Shelley Stagg Peterson recognized with President's Impact Award

Research & Innovation

Community

lanthierj Wed, 03/31/2021 - 15:33

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

OISE

Department of Curriculum

Teaching and Learning

landscape

For her ground-breaking work on children’s literacy learning in remote northern Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, Professor Shelley Stagg Peterson of the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education has received a President’s Impact Award.

Stagg Peterson’s innovative partnerships and collaborative action research with educators, families and communities, have changed the way students are taught – and led to better educational outcomes for young children.

“Language and literacy are foundational to children’s learning in school and beyond, yet traditional teaching methods have been unsuccessful in providing the needed foundation to all children,” Stagg Peterson says. “The Northern Oral language and Writing through Play (NOW Play) project has shown that play/experiential-based teaching and assessment focusing on oral language and writing are effective in enhancing young children’s literacy.”

But access to ongoing and effective professional learning, “which is strongly correlated with improved teaching that leads to enhanced student learning,” is limited in remote communities, Stagg Peterson says.

“This award will fund community- and teacher-led collaborative action research on innovative approaches to support Indigenous children’s ancestral language, cultural and literacy learning, while at the same time enriching the professional learning of remote northern Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachers and early childhood educators.”

Chelsea Rochman recognized with President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 17:34:45 +0000

Chelsea Rochman recognized with President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 03/31/2021 - 13:34

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Arts & Science

Women in STEM

landscape

For her globally recognized work on plastic pollution that informs government policy, inspires youth and builds research capacity, Chelsea Rochman has received the President’s Impact Award.

“I became a scientist because I believe that scientific evidence should inform decision-making,” Rochman says. “My overarching goal has been to use the scientific method to create new knowledge that could inform positive change.”

An assistant professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Rochman conducts research in the Canadian Arctic, Toronto watersheds, the Great Lakes and at Northwestern Ontario’s Experimental Lakes Area – and has served as a scientific adviser to the UN, the G7 and the federal government.

“I work on issues relevant to plastic pollution – and my research demonstrating the sources of microplastics and their adverse impact has informed legislation to ban microbeads in personal care products, legislation to formally monitor microplastics in aquatic ecosystems, and formal thresholds for risk used to set policy,” Rochman says.

Rochman is also the winner of this year's Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award, presented jointly as part of the President's Impact Awards and the Awards of Excellence.

“Professor Rochman’s foresight in recognizing the threat from plastic pollution early on is remarkable,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “The impact she has had in tackling this problem makes her truly deserving of both awards and I look forward to seeing her continued efforts.”

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Akwasi Owusu-Bempah recognized with President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 17:25:53 +0000

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah recognized with President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 03/31/2021 - 13:25

Faculty

Mississauga

President's Impact Award

U of T Mississauga

Department of Sociology

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For his research and work to raise awareness and understanding of issues related to inequality and the criminal justice system, Akwasi Owusu-Bempah has received the President’s Impact Award.

An assistant professor in the department of sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Owusu-Bempah’s findings have informed public policy around such important issues as race, policing and drug laws.

“My work aims to identify and ameliorate various forms of inequality in our criminal justice system and beyond,” says Owusu-Bempah. “I’m both humbled and heartened to have received the President’s Impact Award for my efforts in this area.”

Owusu-Bempah has worked with all levels of government, including Senate and House of Commons standing committees, provincial investigative bodies, and municipal advisory panels. His research and writing have been used to advance judicial education, and the education of both the Crown and defence bars. His co-authored expert report in the trial R. v. Morris led to a significant evolution in the way Black offenders are sentenced in Ontario courts.

“The University of Toronto has been very supportive of my research and the resources available to faculty at our institution are second to none. This award will help me to continue to raise awareness about pressing social issues, and ultimately, to effect positive social change.”

Read the U of T Mississauga story

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Five leading researchers recognized with 2021 President's Impact Awards

lanthierj — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 17:22:23 +0000

Five leading researchers recognized with 2021 President's Impact Awards

Research & Innovation

Community

lanthierj Wed, 03/31/2021 - 13:22

Faculty

Mississauga

St. George

President's Impact Award

Faculty of Arts & Science

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

U of T Mississauga

landscape

(L-R) Shelley Stagg Peterson, Chelsea Rochman, Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Sidney Kennedy, Michael Carter

For their wide-ranging impacts on public policy, the environment, teaching and health care, five leading researchers at the University of Toronto have received President’s Impact Awards.

“The winners of this year’s President’s Impact Awards have changed public understanding and informed government policy in the areas of inequality and criminal justice and the environment and plastic pollution,” said Professor Leah Cowen, associate vice-president, research. “They have collaborated on innovative research with educators, communities and families to transform literacy learning in remote northern and rural communities. They have fought tirelessly to improve health-care systems and processes – and to improve the treatment of people with major mood disorders.

“The University of Toronto congratulates these researchers whose work, across such a diverse range of fields, is improving life for so many people here at home and around the world.”

This year’s winners are:

Professor Michael Carter, department of mechanical and industrial engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Professor Sidney Kennedy, department of psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital and UHN
Assistant Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, department of sociology, U of T Mississauga
Professor Shelley Stagg Peterson, department of curriculum, teaching and learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Assistant Professor Cheslea Rochman, department of ecology and evolutionary biology, Faculty of Arts & Science

Winners of the President’s Impact Awards receive $10,000 per year for five years to be used toward their research, and become members of the President’s Impact Academy.

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Professor Audrey Macklin receives President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:37:35 +0000

Professor Audrey Macklin receives President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

Community

lanthierj Fri, 02/21/2020 - 08:37

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

Faculty of Law

landscape

For the profound impact she has made on migration and citizenship law, business and human rights, Professor Audrey Macklin has received the President’s Impact Award.

A scholar, educator and lawyer, Macklin holds the Chair in Human Rights and serves as the faculty adviser to the Faculty of Law’s International Human Rights Program.

“My academic work as a human rights scholar has been inspired and enriched by engagement with tough policy questions in migration and in corporate accountability,” Macklin said. “I am honoured and grateful for this award, which will enable me to continue working with government, civil society and other actors to develop and promote just, feasible and effective laws, policies and practices – locally, nationally and internationally.”

Macklin has litigated high-profile cases, including that of Omar Khadr, and has represented interveners before the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court /Federal Court of Appeal. An author or contributor to critical policy reports on a wide range of topics, she is regularly invited to testify before Parliamentary Standing Committees and the Senate on pending legislation. She also consults for the United Nations and domestic tribunals, and participates in international human rights fact-finding missions.

Macklin will also receive this year's Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award, one of of the Awards of Excellence, a program stewarded by Alumni Relations on behalf of the U of T Alumni Association. Due to their common aim to honour research impact, the Carolyn Tuohy and President’s Impact Awards share the same nomination process and are adjudicated by the same committee.

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President's Impact Award

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Read the U of T News story

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Read the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering story

Shelley Stagg Peterson recognized with President's Impact Award

Read more about NOW Play and Stagg Peterson

Chelsea Rochman recognized with President’s Impact Award

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Akwasi Owusu-Bempah recognized with President’s Impact Award

Read the U of T Mississauga story

Five leading researchers recognized with 2021 President's Impact Awards

Professor Audrey Macklin receives President’s Impact Award