Awards - W T Aikins

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

The W. T. Aikins Awards are named after Dr. W.T. Aikins, the first Dean of the University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine after it was reorganized in 1887. These awards are the Faculty's most prestigious awards for sustained commitment to and excellence in undergraduate teaching. The Award winners are selected from nominees in a Faculty-wide process that requires support from both faculty and students. This teaching award is given serious consideration in the academic promotions process.

Any faculty member that has held a faculty appointment with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine for a minimum of 10 years is eligible to be nominated for their teaching performance in the undergraduate medical (MD) program. Please note that teaching performance in Arts and Science, graduate, and post-graduate medical programs will not be considered for the Aikins award. Both faculty members and students are welcome to submit nominations. The deadline to complete a nomination using the online nomination form is January 29, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST. 

The MD Program Teaching Awards Committee will review and evaluate all nominations. Each award winner will receive a framed certificate and a crescent glass award at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Education Achievement Celebration, taking place annually in the Spring. Awardees will also have their names inscribed on the Aikins plaque, situated in the Medical Sciences Building foyer

Award Categories & Criteria:

Any faculty member that has held a faculty appointment with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine for a minimum of 10 years is eligible to be nominated for their teaching performance in the undergraduate medical (MD) program in one of the following categories. Summary data from at least three years of formal student evaluations is required to be considered for these awards.

There are four categories of awards, please note the minimum number of nominators required for each:

Individual teaching performance - foundations (lectures, laboratories, seminars, workshops, tutorials, or, in clinical skills)
- Requires at least 3 nominators, including at least 2 students.
- Consult Individual teaching performance - foundations criteria.
Individual teaching performance - clerkship (lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, portfolio, clinical skills, interviewing skills or in electives)
- Requires at least 3 nominators, including at least 2 students.
- Consult Individual teaching performance - clerkship criteria.
Development and use of educational innovations
- Requires at least 3 nominators, including at least 1 student and 1 faculty member.
- Consult Development and use of educational innovations criteria.
Course/program development and coordination
- Requires at least 3 nominators, including at least 1 student and 1 faculty member.
- Consult Course/program development and coordination criteria.

Please note that a previous winner may be nominated for an Aikins Award in the same category as they previously received only after a lapse of five years. A previous winner may be nominated for an Aikins Award in a different category from their previous award at any time.

To submit your nomination:

Submit nominations using the online nomination form by January 29, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST.

You will be asked to provide:

Details of the nominee (name, contact information, faculty appointment)
Details of three nominators (name, contact information, faculty appointment if applicable)
Two-page nomination letter written by the primary nominator indicating why this individual is being nominated with reference to the specific award criteria.

If you have any questions, please contact Monique Cheng, Administrative Coordinator, Office of the Associate Dean, MD Program.

W. T. Aikins Award Winners

Foundations

2024 Shelly Dev, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine
2023 Barathi Rajasri Sreenivasan, Department of Medicine
2022 Hosanna Au, Department of Paediatrics
2022 Hani Amad, Department of Medicine
2021 Not Awarded
2020 Laurence Biro, Department of Family and Community Medicine
2019 Joyce Nyhof-Young, Department of Family and Community Medicine

Clerkship

2024 Nicholas Blanchette, Department of Paediatrics
2024 Helena Dhamko, Department of Medicine
2023 Yayi Huang, Department of Medicine
2023 Yonah Krakowsky, Department of Surgery
2023 Mark Wheatcroft, Department of Surgery
2022 Fuad Moussa, Department of Surgery
2021 Tamina Eapen, Department of Psychiatry
2020 Edsel Ing, Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences
2020 Amar Uxa, Department of Medicine
2019 Fayez Quereshy, Department of Surgery

Course/Program Development and Coordination

2024 Luke Devine, Department of Medicine
2024 James Owen, Department of Family and Community Medicine
2023 Anne McLeod, Department of Medicine
2022 Nirit Bernhard, Department of Paediatrics
2021 Seetha Radhakrishnan, Department of Paediatrics
2020 David K. Chan, Department of Medicine
2020 Angela Punnett, Department of Paediatrics
2019 Marcus Law, Department of Family and Community Medicine
2018 Not awarded
2017 Jacqueline James, Department of Medicine
2016 Pamela Coates, Department of Paediatrics
2015 Barbara (Dee) Ballyk, Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery
2015 David K. Chan, Department of Medicine
2014 Susan Goldstein, Kymm Feldman and the evolving members of the FMLE Course Committee; Department of Family and Community Medicine
2013 Eleanor Latta, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
2012 Anita Rachlis, Department of Medicine
2011 Jodi Lofchy, Department of Psychiatry
2010 Not awarded
2009 Vincent Chien, Department of Medicine
2008 Not awarded
2007 Not awarded
2006 J. Banack
2005 J. Ali
2004 D. Elman, M. Schreiber, R. Freeman, R. Hooks, D. Tabak
2003 I. Johnson
2002 J. Bradley
2001 Not awarded
2000 Not awarded
1999 Not awarded
1998 F. Silver, M. Silverman
1997 D. Reid, T. Rutledge, D. Wasylenki
1996 Dr. Gasner; D.E. Isenman and D. Painter, D.G. White and the Department of Family & Community Medicine Undergraduate Education Committee
1995 P. Brubaker, D. Gray, M. Pare; Group Award: C. Whiteside, N. Byrne, D. Alli
1994 M. Vearncombe, P. McCleary
1993 R. Schneider
1992 A. Gotlieb
1991 Not awarded
1990 D.J. Amato, A. Biringer
1989 W.J. Weiser
1988 J.R. Ross
1987 P.H. McCleary, J.L. Provan, R.M. Shier
1986 D.L. Shaul, I.M. Taylor
1985 D.W. Chamberlain (inaugural recipient)

Development and Use of Educational Innovations

2024 Not awarded
2023 Not awarded
2022 Not awarded
2021 Laurence Biro, Joyce Nyhof-Young and the LGBTQ Clinical Skills Team; Department of Family and Community Medicine
2020 Glendon Tait, Department of Psychiatry
2019 Jory Simpson, Department of Surgery

Small Group Teaching

(Note: This category was renamed in 2019 to Foundations)

2018 Nadine Abdullah, Department of Medicine
2018 Martin Schreiber, Department of Medicine
2018 Justin Weissglas, Department of Psychiatry
2017 Ariel Shafro, Department of Psychiatry
2017 Graham Roche-Nagle, Department of Surgery
2016 Carol Heck, Department of Physical Therapy
2015 Fok-Han Leung, Department of Family and Community Medicine
2014 Gemini Tanna, Department of Medicine
2013 Not awarded
2012 Robert Silver, Department of Medicine
2011 David Jenkins, Department of Medicine
2010 Peter Ferguson, Department of Surgery
2010 Ron Kodama, Department of Surgery
2010 Shirley Lee, Department of Family and Community Medicine
2010 Yuna Lee, Department of Medicine
2009 Adrian Brown, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2009 Robert Sargeant, Department of Medicine
2008 Stacey Bernstein, Department of Pediatrics
2008 Christopher Wallace, Department of Surgery
2007 Sender Herschorn, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery
2007 Ophyr Mourad, Department of Medicine
2007 Michael Sved, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
2006 W. Gold
2006 R. Hilliard 2005 A. Agur (inaugural recipient)

Large Group Teaching

(Note: This category was renamed in 2019 to Clerkship)

2018 Not awarded
2017 Barbara (Dee) Ballyk, Department of Surgery
2017 Philip Berger, Department of Family and Community Medicine
2016 Not awarded
2015 Not awarded
2014 Not awarded
2013 Jeffrey Wassermann, Department of Anesthesia
2012 Dante Morra, Department of Medicine
2011 Barbara (Dee) Ballyk, Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery
2010 Michael Wiley, Department of Anatomy
2009 James Ingles, Department of Molecular Genetics
2008 Lori Albert, Department of Medicine
2007 Reinhart Reithmeier, Department of Biochemistry
2006 C. Perumalla
2005 S. Shumak (inaugural recipient)

Individual Teaching Performance

(Note: This category was divided into two subcategories in 2005)

2004 Not awarded
2003 S. Shadowitz
2002 W. Chapman
2001 G. Olscamp
2000 M. Kapral, R. Kodama
1999 P. Bronskill, M. Cusimano, B. Liebgott
1998 R. Baker, C. Bayliss, R. Hilliard, M. Schreiber
1997 D. Brooks, D. Panisko, M. Sarin, M. Wiley
1996 C.M. Deber, D.J. Gare, P. McKee
1995 M. Goldberg, J. Butany, R. Richardson
1994 A. Gotlieb, R.K. Murray, S. Mintz, I. Taylor
1993 J. Keystone
1992 R. Hyland, J. Tenenbaum
1991 R. Reznick
1990 E.J. Akesson, H. Ho Ping Kong
1989 A. Agur, C. Chalin
1988 J. Desmond, D.K. MacFadden
1987 U. Ackermann, H.S. Himal
1986 C. Whiteside
1985 K.V. Robb, A. Roberts (inaugural recipients)

Development and Use of Innovative Instructional Methods

(Note: This category was renamed in 2019 to Development and Use of Educational Innovations)

2018 Not awarded
2017 Not awarded
2016 Not awarded
2015 Not awarded
2014 Not awarded
2013 C. Perumalla, S. Matthews, and N. Kee (Group Award), Department of Physiology
2012 Not awarded
2011 Not awarded
2010 Not awarded
2009 Not awarded
2008 Michael Wiley, Department of Surgery
2007 Not awarded
2006 Not awarded
2005 Not awarded
2004 M.J. Hohol, P.A. Stewart
2003 Not awarded
2002 Not awarded
2001 M. Bell
2000 Not awarded
1999 Not awarded
1998 Not awarded
1997 Not awarded
1996 W.J. Weiser
1995 V. Watt
1994 D. Cleave-Hogg, M. Wallace
1993 I. Silver
1992 M. Shier
1991 Not awarded
1990 R. Cohen, C.G. Jamieson, J.L. Provan (Group award)
1989 R.A. Buckman, S. Mintz
1988 Not awarded
1987 M.L. Chipman
1986 Not awarded
1985 N. Ranganathan, B. E. Stubbs (inaugural recipients)

Special Contribution to Teaching

1997 N. Camerman