Unity Health Toronto’s May 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 May!

Department of Medicine Awards at Unity Health Toronto

Congratulations to the following recipients of St. Michael’s Hospital Department of Medicine Awards:

• Division of Cardiology Luigi Casella Award: Dr. Sami Alnasser

• Gerald Wong Award: Drs. Ahmed Bayoumi and Brandon Tang

• Master Clinician Award: Dr. Gabor Kandel

• Michael Freeman Award: Dr. Jonathan Ailon

• Michael Ward Mentorship Award: Dr. Kevin Gough

• Robert H. Hyland Teacher of the Year Award: Drs. Dharini Mahendira and Jonathan Ailon

At the Department of Medicine Awards, these recipients received the Rob Sargeant Postgraduate Education Award:

• Dr. Michael Colacci

• Dr. Jeremy Edwards

• Dr. Lauren Glick

• Dr. Reena Pattani

• Dr. James Rassos

• Dr. Manav Vyas

• Dr. Stephanie Yang

American Society for Matrix Biology Founders Award

Neha Dinesh PhD, postdoctoral fellow at St. Michael’s Hospital, received the ASMB Founders Award from the American Society for Matrix Biology, honouring her outstanding contributions to extracellular matrix biology and developmental disease research.

World Family Doctor Day

Drs. Archna Gupta, Andrew Pinto, and Sheila Wijayasinghe, family physicians at St. Michael’s Hospital, were profiled by the Ontario College of Family Physicians for World Family Doctor Day. Drs. Gupta and Pinto were recognized for their research at the Upstream Lab that addresses social determinants of health and ways to reduce barriers for patients. Dr. Wijayasinghe was recognized for reimagining care by using new approaches and tools to better support patients.

Dr. Archna Gupta

Dr. Andrew Pinto

Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe

2026 Early Career Award presented by Canadian Paediatric Society

Dr. Ryan Giroux, general pediatrician at St. Michael’s Hospital, received the 2026 Early Career Award from the Canadian Paediatric Society. This award is given to an early career pediatrician who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and contributions to child and youth health.

Dr. Ryan Giroux

2026 Victor Marchessault Advocacy Award presented by Canadian Paediatric Society

Dr. Ripudaman Minhas, developmental pediatrician at St. Michael’s Hospital, is the recipient of the 2026 Victor Marchessault Advocacy Award from the Canadian Paediatric Society. This award recognizes his work in child health equity, culturally responsive digital health promotion, and advocacy related to developmental disabilities and community partnership.

Dr. Ripudaman Minhas

2026 Emergency Physician of the Year Award presented by Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

Dr. Steve Lin, chief of emergency medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital, received the 2026 Emergency Physician of the Year Award from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP), which recognizes excellence and outstanding contributions to emergency medicine.

Dr. Steve Lin

Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral from Canadian Institute of Health Research

Sujani Raisah, research coordinator at St. Michael’s Hospital, was awarded the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) from the Canadian Institute of Health Research. This grant is in support of her Ph.D. research, “Bridging the Primary Care Access Gap for Newborns: Evidence to Inform Health Systems Reform in Ontario” at the University of Toronto.

Pro Merito award presented by the Hungarian Society of Cardiology

Dr. Subodh Verma, cardiac surgeon-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, received the Pro Merito award from the Hungarian Society of Cardiology, recognizing his contributions to cardiovascular trials and global collaborations. With this award, he was also inducted as an honorary member of the Society.

Dr. Subodh Verma