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MedEmail
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto
April 27, 2022 | Volume 30, Number 17
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In this issue: A Three Minute Thesis winner's pitch for accessible science; a personal reflection on coming out and moving forward; and a preclinical study shows promise for a new drug to treat some hard-to-treat cancers.
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Everything That Counts
“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.” – Albert Einstein
As an academic community of health professionals and researchers, we like to count and measure things. We test, we probe, we evaluate, and then we do it all over again. So, as we work to implement Temerty Medicine’s Academic Strategic Plan, it’s both natural and appropriate that we measure our performance. There are some standard metrics that have been used to evaluate our impact. For example, international rankings display our standing in the world in relation to peer institutions. But what constitutes a peer institution, what are the criteria used, and how do those criteria align with our values? As Einstein suggests in the quote above, what we can count and what we value aren't always aligned.
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Professor Lisa Robinson
Vice Dean, Strategy and Operations
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
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Three Minute Thesis Winner Urges Scientists to Make Research Accessible
Atefeh Mohammadi recently won first place in the annual Three Minute Thesis competition with her presentation, Lung Disease in Premature Babies: Are Watermelons the Answer? The second year MSc student says amid the pandemic and widespread disinformation, there's a need to break down barriers between scientists and the general public.
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New Drug Shows Promise Slowing Tumour Growth in Some Hard-to-Treat Cancers
A preclinical study led by Professor Daniel Durocher and published in the journal Nature shows that a new enzyme blocking drug designed with CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology could help curb tumour growth in some types of ovarian, endometrial and bladder cancers.
U of T Researcher Mavra Ahmed on Feeding Kids, Nourishing Minds
Postdoctoral fellow Mavra Ahmed helps lead research on school food programs across Canada, which vary widely when it comes to who they reach, how they're managed and what foods are served. The work will help shape the future of school-level nutrition interventions.
Advocating for Action: Patient and Planetary Health
Family doctors have a role to play as advocates for climate action, says Samantha Green, climate change and health lead in the department of family and community medicine. Recently, Green and her colleagues shared recommendations to highlight the part family physicians can, and are, playing as environmental advocates.
Celebrating Excellence in Teaching
Temerty Medicine's MD Program has announced the winners of its annual teaching awards. Professors Alejandro Floh, Edsel Ing and Adina Weinerman along with William Silverstein, a fellow in the department of medicine, have also been named the inaugural winners of a new award, which celebrates excellence in resource stewardship.
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Governance & Leadership
Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs & Professional Values
Professor Pier Bryden has been appointed Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs & Professional Values effective, May 1.
Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
Professor Rita Kandel has been reappointed Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, effective, May 1.
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Call for Submissions
UTEST
2022 program applications are now open for UTEST, an early stage incubator that supports research-based startups at U of T and its partner hospitals.
The program provides investment funding, incubation space, entrepreneurial education through MaRS, corporate and intellectual property legal support, mentoring and business strategy support. Deadline is June 2.
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Call for Abstracts
Global Mental Health Day
The Department of Psychiatry is accepting abstracts for its inaugural Global Mental Health Day on June 2.
Submissions may include research projects, educational collaborations or practitioner reflections on practice within international health care systems. Submissions from international medical graduate trainees are encouraged. Deadline is April 29.
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Media Camp 2022
May 10 and 11
Online
Members of the U of T research community are invited to learn more about media relations from colleagues and experts in the field.
This series of events will provide a high-level introduction to media work for researchers as well as opportunities to learn from colleagues on how to start engaging with this work.
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Media Spotlight
Dr. Dearth: How Can Ontario Get Doctors into Communities That Need Them Most?
Professor Patricia Houston on tvo.org.
Long COVID... What Is It and What Can I Do About It?
Professor Samir Gupta in The Feed with Dr. G.
Endometriosis, and the Problem of Women's Pain Being Overlooked or Misdiagnosed
Professors Alice Pham and Sheila Wijayasinghe on CBC's The Current.
Could Denmark Offer the Solutions to Canada's Elder Care Crisis?
Professor Samir Sinha on CBC's The Current.
Unpacking Testicle Tanning, the So-Called Spermageddon and Shedding Light on Medical Misinformation
Professors An-Wen Chan and Keith Jarvi in the Toronto Star.
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Virtual Events
Best Practices and Resources for Developing Your Research Honours & Awards Strategy
May 5, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Online
The Division of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, in collaboration with the Centre for Research & Innovation Support, will host this session to provide best practices on developing an approach to, and materials for, honours and awards opportunities, as well as information about the University’s resources to support honours and awards nominations.
Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence
April 27, 4:30 p.m.
Online
In this keynote lecture during the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy's inaugural Fellows Symposium on the Reality and Risks of AI, Professor Stuart Russell (University of California at Berkeley), will explore recent and expected developments in AI and their implications.
adMare BioInnovations: Scientific and Investment Readiness for Bio-entrepreneurs
May 2, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Online
This seminar will review critical scientific and investment-readiness considerations for academics aiming to translate therapeutic discoveries into impactful medicinal products.
Transform HF Networking & Opportunities for Digital Health Exploration
May 3, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle
A fireside chat and Q&A on the present and future landscape of digital health led by Professors Sacha Bhatia and Heather Ross will be followed by a series of small, multi-disciplinary clusters that will focus on challenges in digital heart failure care and health equity solutions.
IMS Connects: Bridging Academia and Industry
May 3, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Medical Sciences Building, 1 King’s College Circle
This career panel and networking event will offer learners an opportunity to ask questions and connect with professionals from the Temerty Medicine community who work across academia and industry. Panelists include Sam Esfandiari and Professors Gabriella Chan, Golnaz Karoubi, Helen Miliotis, Dmitry Rozenberg, Bruce Seet and Molly Shoichet.
Dismantling Structures to Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
May 16, 11:00 a.m.
Online
A virtual panel featuring Professor Nikki Woods, Nicole Kaniki (Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research and Innovation), Kumsal Bayazit (Elsevier) and the Honourable Kristy Duncan will discuss how the research community can work towards meaningful and sustainable change.
View more upcoming events on the Temerty Faculty of Medicine website.
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