Unity Health Toronto’s February 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 February!
Congratulations to the winners of Providence Healthcare’s Our Shared Values Awards and Spotlight on Sustainability. The awards recognize members of the Providence community who exemplify our values and projects that demonstrate leadership in the area of sustainability.
This year:
Amy Leung, occupational therapist on B3 Stroke and Neuro Rehabilitation, won the Human Dignity Award.
Dr. Natalie Mamen, physician on A3 Stroke and Neuro Rehabilitation, won the Compassion Award.
Sanda Teyhill, registered practical nurse at the Houses of Providence, won the Excellence Award.
Owin Perumpulli Arachchige, volunteer at the Houses of Providence, won the Community Award.
Tiffany Nicoloff, clinical operations leader of A5 and B5 Orthopedic Rehabilitation, won the Inclusivity Award.
The Compassionate Equipment Recycling Program, established under the leadership of the Health Disciplines Practice Team in collaboration with the Houses of Providence and Maintenance and Plant Operations, received the Spotlight on Sustainability.
Unity Health Toronto researchers published three of the top 10 articles in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that received the most media coverage in 2024. Scientist Dr. Tara Gomes led the publishing of article #3, titled “Opioid-related mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic across nine Canadian provinces and territories.” Geriatrician Dr. Jill Alston led publishing article #5, titled “Understanding and address the crisis of late-life homelessness in Canada.” Physician-scientist Dr. Amol Verma led publishing article #9, titled “Clinical evaluation of a machine learning-based early warning system for patient deterioration.”
On Feb. 7, Drs. Hagar Labouta and Andrea Tricco participated in a TAHSN-sponsored event celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Labouta researches the intersection of nanomedicine and women’s health, and Tricco has expertise in knowledge translation. The full-day event included a Wikipedia edit-a-thon, a keynote lecture, a living library, Q&A panels and a networking event. Scientist Dr. Claudia dos Santos, whose research focuses on acute lung injury, was one of the scientists profiled in the Wikipedia edit-a-thon. Dr. Jennifer Watt, scientist and physician, participated in a similar event for high school students on Feb. 11.
Dr. Laurent Brochard, scientist and physician, has been re-appointed to the Keenan Chair in Critical Care and Respiratory Medicine. The hospital-university endowed chair is for a five-year term. This is Brochard’s third term as chair, an extraordinary achievement.
Dr. Laurent Brochard
Dr. R. Jun Lin, otolaryngologist and investigator, was co-awarded a Catalyst Grant from the University of Toronto’s Data Sciences Institute. The grant of $100,000 will support Lin’s project titled “Predicting post-surgical outcomes for laryngeal airway obstructions using multimodal machine learning.”
Dr. R. Jun Lin
Dr. Jeff Pearl, nephrologist and investigator at St. Michael’s Hospital, has been awarded the J. Michael Lazarus Distinguished Award from the National Kidney Foundation. The award recognizes the work of a specialist in nephrology who exemplifies the relentless efforts of the National Kidney Foundation to improve the lives of patients through action, education and change. Pearl will present a keynote lecture titled “Find our way home” on April 11 during the Foundation meeting.
Dr. Jeff Pearl
Dr. Sean Rourke and his team have been awarded $3.75 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to expand the Ayaangwaamiziwin Initiative, a project that aims to provide culturally appropriate testing and care for HIV, syphilis and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, to remote communities in the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories.
Dr. Sean Rourke
Dr. Jennifer Watt, scientist and physician, has been awarded the 2024 Morely Award from the Journal of the Medical Directors Association for her paper titled “Guideline recommendations on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: a systematic review.” The award was based on downloads and a review by the journal’s editorial board.
Dr. Jennifer Watt
Dr. Matthew Wu, radiologist at St. Michael’s, was awarded the E.L. Lansdown Teaching Award from the University of Toronto. The award recognizes the top educator among U of T’s 200 radiology faculty members. Wu is only the fourth St. Michael’s radiologist to win the award in its 30-plus year history, joining Dr. Dae Chung, Dr. Walter Montanera and Dr. Walter Mak.
Dr. Matthew Wu
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