LMP Celebration of Excellence 2024: awardees
Our Annual Celebration of Excellence is an opportunity for us to celebrate our achievements over the past year. View the photos from the event in June 2024.
We celebrated our graduates and award winners, as well as those who have retired, provided long service, or have been promoted this year.
Our award winners are highlighted below, please join us in congratulating them.
LMP Departmental Award categories
- Learner Awards
- Mentorship Awards
- Faculty Awards
See also
- Promotions: read more about this year's promotions to associate and full professor.
- Retirees and Long-Term Service: We celebrate the careers of our retiring professors and give thanks to those who have reached service milestones.
Download the program for the evening (PDF)
Learner Awards
Allan Gornall Pathobiology Awards
Professor Allan Gornall (1914 - 2006) is regarded as the founder of clinical chemistry in Canada, having initiated the certification program. He pursued a PhD in the Department of Pathological Chemistry in 1936, then returned as its Chair from 1966 to 1976. During that time it was renamed as the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, one of the founding Departments of LMP. He retired in 1980 and established an endowment fund to recognize outstanding students in the Arts & Science Pathobiology Specialist Program.
Second-Year Award
This award is given to the students in the Pathobiology Program with the highest overall grade in LMP200H1. This year we have two recipients sharing the 2nd year prize.
Parth Shah
Parth Shah has recently finished his second year in LMP with a major in Neuroscience. He is currently working in Dr. Dana Philpott’s lab, investigating the role of Nod2 in Crohn’s Disease-associated Type 2 Diabetes. Going into his third year, Parth is excited to explore the specialized courses and research opportunities offered by the LMP department.
Huidan Zuo
Huidan Zuo has recently finished her second year of study in LMP with a minor in Psychology. Currently, she is working as a summer student in Dr. Susan Done's laboratory, researching the association between intratumour heterogeneity, tumour stromal immune microenvironment, and the metastasis and recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer. As Zuo enters her third year, she eagerly anticipates engaging in more specialized and intriguing LMP courses and contributing further to advanced research.
Third-Year Award
This award is given to a student in the Pathobiology Program with the highest overall averaged percent grade in third year LMP courses.
Riley Alvarez
Riley Alvarez is an incoming fourth-year student in the Pathobiology Specialist program. She is currently conducting research with Dr. Greg German, outlining the regulatory frameworks that govern phage therapy across the world. This work—alongside her other pursuits—will ideally illustrate science's reach beyond its conventional realms. Moving forward, Riley is driven to continue fueling her love for learning with an even greater love for what learning promises: boundless growth.
Riley facilitates internal communications within LMPSU, acting as a liaison between executives, students, and faculty.
Fourth-Year Award
This award is given to the graduating student with the highest cumulative grade in the Pathobiology Program.
Lilian Zhai
Lilian Zhai recently graduated from the Pathobiology Specialist program. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she engaged in diverse research projects with focuses on diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and lung adenocarcinoma. She is deeply grateful for the invaluable opportunities provided by LMP and looks forward to pursuing clinical research in the future.
The Avrum Gottlieb Award for Curriculum Development and Teaching Excellence in Training
Professor Avrum Gotlieb is the founding Chair of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, and served from 1997 to 2008. The department established this award to recognize distinction in curriculum development and teaching of a graduate or postgraduate trainee in LMP.
Emily Forster
Emily Forster is a 3rd year PhD student in Dr. Jeffrey Lee’s laboratory. She researches structures and functions of fusion-critical proteins present at the human sperm-egg membrane interface in order to further elucidate the fertilization mechanism. For the last two years, she has been a teaching assistant for courses within the Clinical Embryology, Master of Health Science in Laboratory Medicine program, including Innovation in ART (LMP2105) and Reproductive Genetics (LMP2103). During this time, Emily has helped by coordinating guest lecturers, organizing course materials, and training students on course content. Additionally, she has endeavored to ensure that these courses remain up to date by developing new materials, such as an in-class workshop on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots within the clinical embryology field.
Stuart Alan Hoffman Memorial Prize
This prize is awarded annually to the top LMP MSc or PhD graduate who has demonstrated excellence in research, evidenced by their accepted thesis, published or in-press papers, and contributions to their research field.
Susanna Fang
Susanna Fang completed her undergraduate degree in the Biochemistry and Biomedical Research Co-op program at McMaster University.
She is currently a first-year MSc student in Dr. Daniel Drucker’s laboratory at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital. Her work focuses on the roles of the astrocyte glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor and glucose-dependent insulinotropic receptor in central and systemic metabolism and inflammation. Through her work, she hopes to inform the use of therapeutic interventions in the treatment of diabetes and neurodegenerative disease.
Dr. Rajalakshmi S. Dittakavi and Dr. Prema M. Rao Graduate Awards in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
Donated by past and present students of Doctors Rajalakshmi and Rao, this award is given to a graduate student in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology who is pursuing study and research on the cause, prevention, pathogenesis, and cure of cancer.
Sharon Khavkine-Binstock
Sharon completed her Bachelor’s of Science at McMaster University in Molecular Biology and Genetics in Hamilton before moving to Toronto to pursue her PhD. She is currently a second-year PhD candidate working under the supervision of Dr. Kelsie Thu at the Keenan Research Centre in St. Michael's Hospital. Sharon's work focuses on understanding a novel mechanism of chemotherapy resistance involving YAP/TAZ in lung cancer.
The Norman Bethune Award
U of T graduate, Frederick H. Kahan, endowed a prize supported by Merck Sharp & Dome and it was his wish that the prize be named in honour of Dr. Norman Bethune.
The aim of this award is to recognize and encourage talented researchers and microbiologists on the threshold of their careers. This award goes to both a top microbiology trainee and a graduate student in LMP.
This year we have two recipients who share this award.
Graduate recipient: Catherine Lin
Catherine completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Neuroscience and Immunology.
She is currently a first-year PhD student supervised by Dr. James Rutka at SickKids. Her project focuses on improving drug delivery for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a type of pediatric brain cancer. She hopes to improve the survival and quality of life for patients with this disease.
Postgraduate recipient: Ellen G. Avery
Ellen is currently a second-year candidate in the Clinical Microbiology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Toronto, working towards becoming a Fellow of the Canadian College of Microbiologists (FCCM).
Research has been an integral part of Ellen’s time at the University of Toronto and upon fellowship completion, she hopes to continue with her research alongside her work as a clinical microbiologist.
Prior to moving to Toronto, Ellen completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science degrees at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, in Honours Biology and Experimental Medicine, respectively. Ellen received her doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin and her research was conducted at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center, jointly operated by the Charité University Hospital and the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine.
Ellen’s research interests include the impact of helpful and harmful microbes on sexual and reproductive health and the use of data analytics to support continual quality improvement in the clinical laboratory.
Stanley Raphael Award for Professionalism
Named after Dr. Stanley Raphael who practiced pathology in Canada for 40 years and passionately believed in the principle that lab physicians work for the patient alone.
This award honours a senior diagnostic and molecular pathology resident whose performance most embodies the ideals of professionalism as defined by the CanMEDs roles of the Royal College.
Henry Xie
Youheng (Henry) Xie is in his fifth year of residency in the Diagnostic and Molecular Pathology Program at the University of Toronto.
Prior to pursuing medicine, he completed his BSc and BEd at Queen’s University where his interest in anatomy and teaching blossomed. He went on to medical school at the University of Saskatchewan, and then the University of Toronto for postgraduate training.
During his time in residency, Henry engaged with his peers and promoted resident excellence. He served as Chief Resident in his final year, where he shared his passion for pathology and advocated for the career. Henry will be pursuing Fellowship training in Forensic Pathology at the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
Alan Pollard Post-Doctoral Clinical Chemistry Travel Award
Dr. Alan Pollard was a Biochemist at Mount Sinai Hospital and Professor in LMP. This award honours his clinical contributions to Clinical Chemistry over 28 years.
This award recognizes excellence in performance by a Clinical Biochemistry Postdoctoral Diploma candidate.
Janet Zhou
Janet Zhou completed her undergraduate training in Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Alberta and obtained certification through the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science. Her training in laboratory medicine continued as she pursed a PhD in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Alberta where she studied the hepatobiliary handling of arsenic.
She is completing the Clinical Chemistry Postdoctoral Training Program at the University of Toronto and looks forward to starting her position as a Clinical Biochemist at Alberta Precision Laboratories back in Edmonton where she will oversee clinical chemistry testing for the rural communities of Alberta.
Mentoring Awards
Mentoring is a vital part of learning and teaching. Through these awards, LMP recognizes the vital role mentors play in the development of learners and faculty.
Outstanding Student Mentor
This award recognizes a graduate student’s dedication as a mentor as part of the LMP Peer-to-Peer Graduate Mentoring Program. Mentees nominate their mentor, and the award is decided by The LMP Mentorship Committee.
Priya Mistry
Priya Mistry is a second-year PhD candidate in Dr. Jason Fish’s lab where her current research is focused on understanding the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity.
Inspired by the support she has received throughout her academic career from her own mentors, Priya seeks opportunities to pay it forward and empower her community. Through her mentorship, she aims to help students navigate the challenges of graduate school and foster resilience and personal growth along the way.
One of Priya’s mentees commented, “We had regular monthly discussions about various graduate school-related topics, such as time management with different experiments and coursework, as well as conferences, career paths, and work-life balance. Priya was very helpful with her advice and provided personal anecdotes on how she overcame common graduate school challenges that I was encountering.”
Outstanding Alumni Mentor
This award recognizes the dedication of one of our alumni as a mentor and the contribution they make to students' personal, professional or academic development as part of the LMP Alumni Graduate Mentoring Program. Mentees nominate their mentor, and the award is decided by The LMP Mentorship Committee.
Richard Hegele
Dr. Richard Hegele, Professor Emeritus, served as Professor and Chair of LMP (2009-15) and Vice Dean, Research & Innovation (2016-20) in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at U of T and was Chief, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine at SickKids (2011-16). He is an alumnus of the LMP resident training program in pathology.
He is an internationally distinguished researcher in the areas of viral and inflammatory lung diseases. Since retiring to Vancouver Island, he has continued to be involved in the affairs of LMP, including serving as Course Co-Director in LMP2005Y in the MHSc in Laboratory Medicine and participating in mentorship. He views mentorship as “an opportunity for participants to become better versions of themselves.”
One of Dr. Hegele’s mentees commented, “Throughout our mentoring relationship, his guidance, support, and wisdom have been invaluable, shaping my journey in ways I could have never imagined. His insights and advice have helped me navigate through various challenges, both personal and professional, instilling in me the confidence to strive for excellence and pursue my goals relentlessly.”
LMP Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
This award is given to a faculty member who has shown commitment to mentorship in the Faculty Mentoring Program.
Catherine Streutker
Dr. Catherine Streutker is the Chief and Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine at Unity Health Toronto. She is renowned as an international expert in the diagnosis of the pathology of gastrointestinal diseases with an emphasis on upper gastrointestinal tract malignancies.
Dr. Streutker served as the Chair of LMP’s Appointments and Promotion Committee from 2015 to 2023 and Vice-Chair of Promotions and Mentorship from 2017 to 2023. Through these roles, Dr. Streutker developed a very successful program of workshops and mentorship to help department members identify pathways to promotion and develop strategies for preparing effective dossiers.
Dr. Streutker was nominated for this award by Dr. Daniel Beriault, who wrote, “Dr. Streutker has helped many faculty members, including myself, in selecting their promotion streams, advice on which committees to join, and providing letters of support. She meets with me regularly and asks about my latest research, and committee work, and encourages me to get more involved at the international level… It is a pleasure to have these conversations with her, and I really feel lucky that she is willing to dedicate so much of her own time to help me.”
Faculty Awards
Award for Undergraduate Teaching
Awarded to a faculty member who has shown sustained excellence for at least three years in individual teaching performance in Undergraduate Medicine, Arts and Science, and other Health Sciences.
Sunit Das
Dr. Sunit Das is a neurosurgeon and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Hospital for SickKids, and Associate Professor and Keenan Chair in the Department of Surgery.
Dr. Das’s clinical practice is focused on the care of patients with brain tumours. His laboratory in the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Centre at the Hospital for Sick Kids focuses on the molecular and genetic mechanisms that regulate tumour evolution and treatment resistance in glioblastoma.
Dr. Das currently serves as the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness at the Institute for Medical Sciences, and as the Chair of the Residency Competency Committee for the Toronto neurosurgical training program. He is a Senior Fellow at Massey College.
Teaching Excellence in Graduate Education
Awarded to a faculty member for their excellence in the teaching and supervision of MSc and PhD graduate and life sciences students (GLSE).
Scott Yuzwa
Dr. Scott Yuzwa completed his PhD at Simon Fraser University in 2013, where he studied the O-GlcNAc post-translational modification on tau protein and its role in neurodegeneration. As a post-doctoral fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children, he turned his attention from the aging and degenerating brain to the developing brain and the application of single-cell genomics.
In 2019, Dr. Yuzwa was recruited to LMP as an Assistant Professor and established his research group. Dr. Yuzwa is deeply committed to the success of students, be it in the classroom or in the lab. He has completed certification in university instruction, designed and delivered three new courses in LMP and has already graduated three MSc students since joining the department. The Yuzwa lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying cell genesis in the developing and mature brain and the impacts of disease and injury therein.
Early Career Teaching Award
Awarded to a faculty member who has shown excellence in clinical teaching and/or education in LMP within the first six years of their university appointment.
Mario Capitano
Dr. Mario Capitano is a pathologist working at Unity Health Toronto in his third year of practice. He is trained in anatomical pathology with a hematopathology fellowship and primarily practices dermatopathology and hematopathology.
Dr. Capitano has a strong interest in education at all levels of training. He is extensively involved in the new MAPS (medical imaging, anatomy, pathology, and surgery) component of the Foundations curriculum as the pathology co-lead. He is also the coordinator of the Lab Medicine Interest Group Case of the Month, which serves to increase the engagement of medical students with Laboratory Medicine. Additionally, he supervises enriching educational experiences (EEE) students and is involved with teaching residents and fellows at the hospital level.
Clinical Teaching Excellence Award in Residency Training
Awarded to a faculty member who has shown excellence in medical residents' education. This can be demonstrated through course teaching, one-on-one teaching or lectures, in addition to other education tools. This award is for resident teaching, excluding clinical fellows and medical students.
David Barth
Dr. David Barth is a Hematologic Pathologist and Clinical Hematologist at University Health Network (UHN). After completing his MD at the University of Toronto, he completed residencies in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Hematological Pathology.
He serves as Medical Director of the UHN Core Hematology Laboratories and Director of the UHN Therapeutic Apheresis and Stem/Immune Effector Cell Collection unit. His area of research interest includes improving and investigating novel methods of providing therapeutic apheresis. Teaching the art and science of hematologic pathology to all levels of medical trainees and laboratory technologists is one of the entertaining parts of his workday.
Teaching Excellence Award in Fellowship Education
Awarded to a faculty member who has shown excellence in clinical fellowship teaching.
Blaise Clarke
Dr. Blaise Clarke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology. His research focuses on Gynecological Pathology & Anatomical Pathology.
Clinical Teaching Excellence Award in Hematological Pathology
Awarded to a faculty member who has shown sustained excellence in individual teaching performance in hematologic pathology.
Hubert Tsui
Dr. Hubert Tsui completed his BSc (Hons), MD, PhD, and residency in Hematological Pathology at the University of Toronto. He began his career at the University Health Network in 2015 and joined Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in 2018 to lead a new Complex Malignant Hematology program.
He is presently the Division Head of Hematological Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics, Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Program; Associate Scientist, Biological Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute; co-principal investigator of the Sunnybrook Hematology Biobank and the Ontario representative on the Hematological Pathology Specialty Committee, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
The Raymond Chang Award in Forensic Medicine
The Raymond Chang Award in Forensic Medicine is a bi-annual award presented to an LMP Faculty member who participates in the training of residents in forensic pathology. The recipient demonstrates superior contributions in education, research and creative professional activity.
Michael Pollanen
Dr. Michael Pollanen is the Chief Forensic Pathologist of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and the Director of the Forensic Pathology Fellowship Program at the University of Toronto. He is also the Vice Chair Global Health for LMP. With a focus on vulnerable populations, his work leverages autopsies as a basis to study disease and injury. Dr. Pollanen's expertise spans anatomical pathology, neuropathology, forensic pathology, and cellular and molecular pathology, which he uses to drive innovative research. He actively engages in international capacity-building efforts for low and middle-income countries, collaborating with organizations like the United Nations and the International Committee for the Red Cross.
Sustained Excellence Education Award
Awarded to a faculty member with 10 or more years of appointment who has shown a sustained excellence in clinical education at any level (undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate).
Lianna Kyriakopoulou
Dr. Lianna Kyriakopoulou is a Clinical Biochemist and a Clinical Molecular Geneticist. She is currently a director of Genome Diagnostics at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Her research interests are focusing on the development of functional genomic platforms and translation of high complexity omics-testing in the clinical laboratory.
Her educational activities span from undergraduate to postgraduate teaching. She is a course coordinator for the LMP301H course, Introduction to the Biochemistry of Human Disease, and contributes to a number of graduate courses and postgraduate activities for biochemistry, biochemical and molecular genetics.
The John B. Walter Prize for Course & Curriculum Design & Development
This award recognizes outstanding contributions by any member of LMP to the design, development or coordination of any course or digital education initiative in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Arts and Sciences, Postgraduate Education and Continuing Education. The course or program must be successfully running for at least two years.
Scot Hamilton
Dr. Scot Hamilton is the Laboratory Director of Mount Sinai Fertility and a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto.
He earned his PhD in Physiology at the University of Western Ontario and continued postdoctoral research using the placenta as a model for cancer. He has been the Scientific and Laboratory Director for programs across Canada. In addition, he is a surveyor for Accreditation Canada and an expert on numerous boards and standards committees.
He is committed to advancing the education and training of Canadian Clinical Embryologists and is most proud of his contribution to the development of the MHSc in Laboratory Medicine program in LMP.
Yulia Lin
Dr. Yulia Lin is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of transfusion medicine. She has made significant contributions to the field through education, quality assurance, and knowledge translation.
Of particular note are her co-leadership of the development of the University of Toronto’s Transfusion Boot Camp, which is now being offered internationally, and Dr. Lin’s substantial efforts to put the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine on the world map as a Centre of Excellence in Transfusion Medicine practice through internationally renowned education and knowledge translation.
Danny Ghazarian Award
In 1996, Professor Danny Ghazarian established what then known as the "Best Teacher Award" to recognise the dedicated, enthusiastic teaching delivered to residents.
This award is voted for by current residents in LMP.
Corwyn Rowsell
Dr. Corwyn Rowsell is a Pathologist at Unity Health Toronto and an Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto.
He has been the Coordinator of Undergraduate Medical School Education for LMP since 2019, and lead for the Inflammation and Cancer weeks in the Introduction to Medicine Course. Dr. Rowsell supervises pathology residents on their GI rotation at Unity Health, delivers lectures on esophageal pathology for the resident half-day, and in his role as OAP President, has made engaging pathology residents in the activities of the association a major focus.
Brendan Dickson
Dr. Brendan Dickson is an expert in bone and soft tissue pathology. His research primarily focuses on the molecular characterization of mesenchymal neoplasms, which has led to the discovery of new entities and diagnostic biomarkers.
He is deeply committed to education and knowledge sharing; he actively imparts his expertise through publications, social media, and his online Soft Tissue and Bone Tumour Atlas.
Richard G. Hegele Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation
This award recognizes a faculty member in the department of LMP, for original research, invention, or creative professional activity that improves our understanding of mechanisms of disease or advances clinical practice relevant to the discipline. Open to both the life sciences and clinical streams.
This year we have two recipients who share this award.
Sara Vasconcelos
Dr. Sara Vasconcelos is a Senior Scientist at the University Health Network in the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and holds the John Kitson McIvor Endowed Chair in Diabetes Research.
Her translational research program aims to develop regenerative medicine strategies to treat cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and to use bioengineering approaches to study these diseases. Her lab has developed new vascularization techniques to support functional tissues for organ regeneration and is pioneering the work to create mature, long-lasting, functional blood vessels. Her work on human cardiac tissues-on-a-chip has opened a new avenue of research in stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte maturation and drug testing. Her laboratory’s groundbreaking research contributions have been recognized by several awards.
Daniel Beriault
Dr. Daniel Beriault is recognized as a national leader in the field of toxicology. He is respected for his outstanding scholarly contributions that have had national clinical impact by developing methodology and tools to analyze the composition of street drugs (drug checking services) that not only supports the harm reduction of those with addiction issues but also informs and improves how healthcare professionals respond to overdoses.
His results have influenced public health policies and funding programs. His contributions to guiding professional practices, by disseminating novel lab test utilization strategies he developed, have gained him recognition both nationally and internationally. These also impacted patient care.
Distinguished Service Award
This award recognises faculty or administrative staff who have demonstrated the highest level of sustained service to the department in education, research, creative professional activity or administrative services. The recipient demonstrates innovation, excellence or scholarship and provides outstanding leadership that advances the vision and mission of the department. The recipient of this award will have provided outstanding leadership for at least 10 years.
Myron Cybulsky
Dr. Myron Cybulsky started his research career at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and was recruited by Dr. Avrum Gotlieb to the LMP faculty in 1996 as a clinician-scientist.
As part of his research program in vascular biology, initiation of atherosclerosis and molecular mechanisms of inflammation, he was devoted to mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty, and continually participated in undergraduate and graduate teaching.
In the last decade, he held leadership roles as a Division Head, then Interim Director of the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and Co-Cice Chair of Research at LMP.
During medical school and pathology residency, Dr. Cybulsky had the privilege of obtaining research training under Dr. Henry Z. Movat, who was the inaugural recipient of the LMP Distinguished Service Award in 1987.
Leadership Award
Chosen by the LMP Departmental Chair, this award is given to a faculty member in appreciation for their leadership role and commitment to advancing clinical excellence in LMP.
David Hwang
Dr. David Hwang completed the MD PhD Program at the University of Toronto and was among the first graduates from the newly minted Department of LMP’s PhD program in the late 1990s.
After completing his Anatomical Pathology residency at the University of Toronto, he began his career as a thoracic pathologist at University Health Network, before moving to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in 2018 to become the inaugural Chief of Sunnybrook’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics. He has served as the Director of LMP’s Clinical Fellowships Program since 2014.