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. Naheed Dosani

Ontario Tech University presented Dr. Naheed Dosani, a Palliative Care physician at Unity Health, with an honorary degree for his relentless advocacy for health justice, his trailblazing achievements in delivering community-based hospice palliative care, and for his ongoing commitment to humanitarian efforts.

Congratulations to Dr. Dosani, who was one of six honorary degree recipients. Learn more here.

Dr. Neeru Gupta

Dr. Neeru Gupta, an ophthalmologist at St. Michael’s and a scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, is also the President of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO).

During the 75th World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, the ICO was invited to participate in a special event to launch the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Eye Care in Health Systems: Guide for Action. Developed with the support of the ICO, this marks a milestone in the history of eye care. Congratulations to Dr. Gupta on this work!

Dr. David Jenkins

Congratulations to Dr. David Jenkins, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, who was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) on June 17. He is recognized for inventing the glycemic index to classify carbohydrates and their effects on blood glucose levels, associated with the incidence of diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Dr. Jenkins is one of six new Laureates whose contributions have led to extraordinary improvements in human health. These trailblazers underpin Canada’s role as a world-class leader in medicine and health science. Learn more.

Dr. Shane Journeay

On June 17, Dr. Shane Journeay, a physiatrist and the director of Research and Academics at Providence, was awarded the Research/Quality Improvement of the Year Award for the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation within the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Journeay received this award in recognition of his valuable research contributions in the division, and was also recognized for his leadership at Providence where he has been instrumental in growing and supporting research. Congratulations Dr. Journeay!

Dr. Tara Kiran

Dr. Tara Kiran’s article Patient and caregiver priorities in the transition from hospital to home: results from province-wide group concept mapping was named one of CIHR Institute of Health Services & Policy Research’s top ten for 2021-2022. Dr. Kiran is a scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions and a family physician at St. Michael’s. Congratulations as well to the several MAP scientists who were also featured as co-authors on articles on the list: Drs. Andrew Pinto, Gillian Booth, Stephen Hwang, Pat O’Campo, and Aisha Lofters! See the full list here.

Dr. Sharmistha Mishra

Congratulations to Dr. Sharmistha Mishra, a scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions and an infectious diseases physician at St. Michael’s, who has been named a 2022 Fields Institute Fellow.

Created in 2002 to mark the Fields Institute’s 10th Anniversary, the designation of Fields Institute Fellow is awarded annually to a select group of people in recognition of their outstanding contributions. Read more here.

Dr. Heyu Ni

Dr. Heyu Ni, a scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, has been awarded the Richard G. Hegele Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation for 2022 by the University of Toronto.

This award is presented to a faculty member in Lab Medicine Pathology in recognition of original research, invention, or creative professional activity that improves our understanding of mechanisms of disease or advances clinical practice relevant to the discipline. Congratulations Dr. Ni! Learn more about this award here.

Congratulations to Dr. Amol Verma, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and a General Internal Medicine physician at St. Michael’s, for receiving the 2022 CIHR-IPPH Early Career Trailblazer Award.

This award recognizes his contributions as a public health researcher for exceptional contributions to public health research and for his outstanding leadership, mentorship and innovative contributions to practice and policy.

Dr. Verma’s interdisciplinary work aims to improve population health by enhancing Canada’s digital research infrastructure for research and by improving hospital care to meet the evolving needs of the Canadian adult population particularly health outcomes for older adults living with multiple chronic illnesses. Learn more about the Early Career Trailblazer Award.

This month, Dr. Verma was also appointed to the Expert Panel on Health Data Sharing at the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). Congratulations to Dr. Verma on this honour as well. Learn more here.

Congratulations to Camille Anchonu, who was a Masters of Science practicum student at Providence Healthcare, and had an abstract accepted to the U of T Division of Geriatric Medicine Virtual Research day.

The Research Day is open to medical students and other health discipline Masters students to submit their research for sharing.

Unity Health medical residents presented their research at Higgins Day, an annual event where residents present their research and receive awards in various categories. This year, Victoria Reedman won the William P. Jones III Memorial Scholarship Award and the Quality Improvement/Education category, Michael Elfassy won the Patrick Higgins Memorial Scholarship Award of Merit and the Research category, and Fartoon Siad won in the Clinical Vignettes category. Congratulations to all the medical residents who presented!

By: Ana Gajic and Olivia Lavery