Unity Health Toronto’s January Honour Roll
Every month, staff, researchers, physicians, learners and teams across Unity Health Toronto celebrate important honours, achievements and awards. Congratulations to all who’ve been recognized in January!
60th Anniversary of the St. Michael’s Pharmacy Residency Program
The St. Michael’s Pharmacy Residency Program celebrated its 60th anniversary this month. Pharmacy residencies are unique opportunities that prepare pharmacists for the world of hospital and ambulatory care. St. Michael’s Hospital is training the next generation of experts in this field who will continue to provide specialized pharmacy care to our patients.
Governor General of Canada Meritorious Service Medal
Dr. Myrna Lichter, ophthalmologist based at St. Michael’s Hospital, has received the Governor General of Canada Meritorious Service Medal. Dr. Lichter created a medical outreach program that has provided vision care to unhoused people in Toronto. She and her team visit shelters to offer eye examinations, glasses, and specialized follow-up care. Since the program started, they have expanded their efforts to include nearly 800 Syrian refugees living in the region. Congratulations to Dr. Lichter for this great honour.
2025-2026 Urban & Community Health Pillar Awards
Unity Health Toronto’s Urban & Community Health Pillar celebrated the winners of their 2025-2026 Pillar Awards. Among them were several MAP staff and scientists:
- MAP scientist Dr. Ann Burchell is the winner of the Elevate & Empower Researcher Award
- MAP’s Community Scholar Zoë Dodd is the winner of the Shared Values Staff Award
- Evie Gogosis, Research Program Manager on Dr. Stephen Hwang’s team is the winner of the Unsung Hero Award
- Ria Garg, trainee on Dr. Tara Gomes’ team, is the winner of the Excellence in Research Impact Trainee Award
- Michaela Kucab, RD, MHSc, MSc, trainee on Dr. Jonathan Maguire’s team, is the winner of the Leadership Trainee Award
- The OurCare Project (spearheaded by Dr. Tara Kiran) is the winner of the Patient & Community Engagement Award
- The SEED CHANGE Project (Supporting Social & Economic Equity, Disrupting Cycles of Homelessness And Nurturing Growth & Empowerment), led by Dr. Naomi Thulien with Rowen K. Stark and Mardi Daley, is the winner of the Creating Collaborative Teams Award
Krembil Foundation Funding
Dr. Veronique Miron, scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, has been awarded a grant from the Krembil Foundation to investigate how white matter pathology contributes to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, combining long-term data on cognitive performance with detailed neuropathological analyses. The goal is to identify new drug targets that could be used early in life, before irreversible neuron loss occurs, to slow down or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Betty and Gerald Straus Early Career Research and Innovation Award
The recipient of the inaugural Betty and Gerald Straus Early Career Research and Innovation Award is Dr. Matthew Lincoln, geneticist and neurologist at the BARLO Multiple Sclerosis Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Lincoln’s pioneering research focuses on the debilitating condition, multiple sclerosis. It is known that some people are genetically at higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis than others. Dr. Lincoln’s team is trying to understand what causes this genetic risk by examining a process called epigenetics – a focus on how genes can be altered by ways that do not affect our DNA code.
The Betty and Gerald Straus Early Career Research and Innovation Award was established by the physicians of St. Michael’s Hospital Department of Medicine and St. Michael’s Foundation to recognize the contributions of Dr. Sharon Straus during her tenure as Physician-in-Chief.
University of Toronto’s Arbor Awards
Dr. Bobby Yanagawa, division head of Cardiac Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital, was among the recipients of the University of Toronto’s 2025 Arbor Awards. The Arbor Awards are the University of Toronto’s highest honour — recognizing exceptional and longstanding volunteer service. Dr. Yanagawa has had a tremendous impact at Temerty Medicine, as a participant in its Words of Wisdom and Diversity Mentorship programs.
Board of Directors for the Canadian Medical Association
Dr. Naheed Dosani, palliative care physician and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Canadian Medical Association. Dr. Naheed Dosani is dedicated to advancing equitable access to health care for people experiencing structural vulnerabilities, like poverty and homelessness. These efforts include founding and leading the Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) Program at Inner City Health Associates in downtown Toronto and serving as the medical director of Kensington Hospice at Kensington Health, the health equity lead at Kensington Health, and a health equity expert advisor at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.
Brookfield Chair in Fracture Prevention
Dr. Joanna Sale, scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, was recently announced as the incumbent for the Brookfield Chair in Fracture Prevention.This prestigious role was established at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Foundation through the generosity of Brookfield Partners Foundation. Dr. Sale’s research focuses on evidence-to-care gaps in musculoskeletal conditions, the patient perspective, medication use, older adults with multiple chronic diseases, and behaviour change.
