November’s Honour Roll at Unity Health
Every month, staff, researchers, physicians, learners and teams across Unity Health Toronto celebrate important honours, achievements and awards. Congratulations to those who have been recognized this month!
Dr. Howard Berger, investigator at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and head of the division of Maternal Fetal Medicine and Obstetric Ultrasound at St. Michael’s, has been recognized as an Expertscape Expert in Gestational Diabetes. Congratulations Dr. Berger!
Dr. Venkat Bhat, scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and psychiatrist at St. Michael’s, was named a 2021 Research Fellow in Compassion and Artificial Intelligence by AMS Healthcare. These 12 outstanding individuals, from across multiple disciplines, have been selected by an external expert review panel as leaders and innovators to address the challenges facing health care.
This year’s 2021 Fellows will join the 10, 2020 Fellows doing collective research that will innovate every aspect of healthcare as we know it. Congratulations Dr. Bhat on this achievement. Learn more about the achievement.
Six Unity Health scientists have been recognized by the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list. Congratulations to:
- Dr. Sharon Straus, director of the Knowledge Translation Program and physician-in-chief at St. Michael’s
- Dr. Laurent Brochard, scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science and a critical care physician at St. Michael’s
- Dr. Peter Jüni, director of the Applied Health Research Centre at St. Michael’s
- Dr. Sidney Kennedy, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and a psychiatrist at St. Michael’s
- Dr. Lawrence Leiter, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and an endocrinologist at St. Michael’s
- Dr. Art Slutsky, a scientist at the Keenan Research Centre
Congratulations to Dr. Irfan Dhalla, vice-president Care Experience and Equity, and Dr. Peter Jüni, director of the Applied Health Research Centre at St. Michael’s, who made the list of the 50 most influential Torontonians in a special section dedicated to physicians.
Dr. Dhalla and Dr. Jüni were recognized for their contributions to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto. Read more about their achievement.
Dr. Tara Gomes, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute has been selected by the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of ETH Zürich as the recipient of the ETH Lecture in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2021.
This prize is given every year to a distinguished scientist, who has made outstanding scientific contributions in the area of pharmaceutical sciences. Congratulations Dr. Gomes! Learn more about the ETH Lecture here.
St. Michael’s Family Health Team received a Bright Lights Award from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario. It won in the category of Community Response to COVID-19 for Collaborative Response to Care Needs in Downtown East Toronto.
Throughout the pandemic, the team has worked with Sherbourne Health and Inner City Family Health Team to provide care for some of the most vulnerable populations in downtown east Toronto. Thanks to these teams, patients had access to primary care, safe spaces for isolation, and COVID-19 assessments and vaccinations. Watch the video or read the poster.
Congratulations to Dr. John Marshall, a scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science and a critical care physician at St. Michael’s, who has been selected as the 2023 Lifetime Achievement award recipient by the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
The Lifetime Achievement Award honours an individual who has demonstrated meritorious contributions to the field of critical care through the advancement of medical science, medical education, or medical care. Learn more about the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s awards here.
The Older Adults Surgery and Oncology Program at St. Michael’s has earned an 2021 Innovation Award from the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario for finding new ways to improve the patient experience for older adults who require cancer surgery. The program brings together a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, geriatricians, anesthesiologists, nurses, social workers, dieticians and physiotherapists who work together to provide tailored care for older adult patients.
The Quality and Innovation Awards are hosted by the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario in partnership with Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) and sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society. The awards, now in their 15th year, recognize and encourage the development of initiatives that have led to significant improvements to the delivery of cancer care for patients across Ontario. Congratulations to the team for finding new ways to improve the patient experience. Read more about the achievement.
As Research Month comes to a close, the sixth annual Research Awards honoured 11 outstanding members of the Research and Innovation community at Unity Health Toronto.
The Research Awards were given out to trainees, researchers, and staff from the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science. Those from across Unity Health who do not have a formal appointment were included in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute award categories.
Congratulations to this year’s winners:
- Dr. Tom Schweizer, scientist at the Keenan Research Centre and director of the Neuroscience Program
- Dr. Brent Steer, a research associate in the Keenan Research Centre
- Dr. Eno Hysi, a post-doctoral fellow in the Keenan Research Centre
- Michelle Dubinsky, a graduate student in the Keenan Research Centre
- Dr. Anne Stephenson, scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and a respirologist at St. Michael’s
- Attia Qamar, research manager, Options Lab – HIV, Infectious Diseases, COVID-19
- Myriam Gagne, a post-doctoral fellow
- Amanda Ceniti, a graduate student
- Christine Schemitsch, a graduate student in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
- Shenhab Zaig, a graduate student in the Keenan Research Centre
- Aylin Visram, a graduate student at St. Michael’s
Read more about the Research Month Awards here.
Dr. Rachel Shupak, a rheumatologist at St. Michael’s, has received the 2021 Distinguished Rheumatologist Award from the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA). Dr. Shupak received her fellowship in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology from University of Toronto in 1981 and has been on staff at St. Michael’s Hospital since January 1982. Her clinical focus has been on inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions with specific interests in hemophilic arthropathy and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.
The CRA Distinguished Rheumatologist Award is given to a Distinguished Rheumatologist who has made an outstanding contribution to rheumatology in Canada. The candidate must be a CRA member in good standing, and an accomplished Canadian Rheumatologist of high professional calibre, who has significantly furthered rheumatology in Canada in one or more of the following areas:
- Patient Care and Service: to the benefit of patients with rheumatic disorders.
- Professional Activities: extraordinary services to Canadian rheumatology and/or the Canadian Rheumatology Association. Could also include significant interface with international rheumatology organizations and scholarly achievement.
Congratulations Dr. Shupak. Learn more about this honour here.
Unity Health Toronto has earned an Eligible Approach Rate Achievement Award from Trillium Gift of Life. This award recognizes hospitals for exceeding the target of 90 per cent eligible approach rate set by Trillium Gift of Life and for demonstrating leading practices by facilitating a donation discussion with eligible pts and families at end of life.
In 2020-21, Unity Health Toronto had 28 organ donors, which led to 95 transplants and 51 tissue donors. Unity Health Toronto achieved 93 per cent eligible approach rate in 2020-21. Congratulations to the all the teams at Unity Health Toronto for your commitment to implementing leading donation practices and integrating donation into quality end-of-life care. Read more about the achievement.
Dr. Jeff Wilson, surgeon-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, was awarded the AO Foundation’s Luiz Vialle Award. This is an international award which recognizes the impact of young, emerging investigators in the area of spine treatment and research.
Congratulations Dr. Wilson on this achievement. Learn more about the AO Foundation.
Unity Health Toronto has been highlighted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as the only Canadian hospital case study for our Joy in Work initiatives. Joy in Work is one of Unity Health’s key strategic priorities with the aim of creating an environment where all employees can realize meaning and purpose in the work they do every day and where joy in work is reflected in the care provided to our patients. Read more about the case study.
Dr. Karim Vellani, family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, was awarded an 2021 Award of Excellence from the Ontario College of Family Physicians. The Award of Excellence recognizes outstanding contributions in a specific area pertaining to the specialty of family medicine: patient care, community service, hospital or health-care institutions, College activities (CFPC or OCFP), teaching, research or other elements of the academic discipline of family medicine.
Dr. Karim Vellani is recognized for pioneering a cost-effective home visit service that has improved access to care for frail elderly and homebound patients. Dr. Vellani is also recognized for working closely with the Toronto Islands community, which has historically had poor access to care. With this service, Dr. Vellani was able to maintain home visits to Island residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling access to in-person care when needed. Congratulations Dr. Vellani on this achievement. Learn more about the award.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the redevelopment of the Department of Pediatrics at St. Michael’s. Congratulations to the team on this milestone and for your commitment to providing advanced neonatal care.