Dean's Alumni Awards

Our Temerty Medicine alumni network consists of more than 69,000 graduates of our life sciences, rehabilitation sciences, MD and MD/PhD programs, as well as former residents and clinical fellows. Together, they are contributing to better health and health care throughout Toronto, across Canada and around the world. 

Every year we celebrate our Temerty Medicine alumni community's impact with the Dean’s Alumni Awards, as selected by an alumni committee. We highlight the contributions of our alumni as they advance clinical care, health research, medical education and more.

Dafna Gladman (MD ’71, PGME ’76 Rheumatology)

Over the last five decades, Dafna Gladman’s scholarship, leadership, mentorship and advocacy efforts have raised Canada’s profile as a global leader in the field of rheumatology, and her research has significantly advanced global understanding and treatment of both psoriatic arthritis and lupus. She is a senior staff physician and senior scientist with the University Health Network as well as a U of T professor of medicine who served as director of the university’s rheumatology program for thirteen years (1992–2005). In 2004, U of T established the Dafna Gladman Award in recognition of her dedication to mentoring, counselling and academic medicine. She has also received numerous awards, including the 2015 Mentor of the Year Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award from the American College of Rheumatology and Canadian Rheumatology Association.

Akiko Iwasaki (PhD ’98 Immunology)

Akiko Iwasaki is the Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University, the director of the Yale Center for Infection and Immunity and a principal investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is also the former president of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), which granted her the Thermo-Fisher Meritorious Career Award and the BD Biosciences Investigator Award. Her research into immune responses to a variety of viral infections has contributed greatly to our understanding of how vaccines work, and how they can be improved. Most recently, she has become an internationally recognized leader in the investigation of the causes and consequences of Long COVID — gaining a 200K-strong following on Twitter for her public health advice about COVID-19. Iwasaki is also renowned as a strong advocate for improved support of women and underrepresented minorities in science.

Anna Banerji (MD ’89, PGME ’90 Paediatrics)

A paediatrician and infectious and tropical disease specialist, Anna Banerji uses a human rights framework for her advocacy, which focuses on refugee and Indigenous populations. She has been working with refugee children for most of her career, including going to hotels to assess Syrian and Afghan refugee children during the surges. In 2009 she founded what is now the North American Refugee Health Conference (NARHC), the largest academic meeting on refugee health in the world. She has travelled extensively internationally including working in Haiti after the earthquake. Following the tragic loss of her son, Banerji co-founded the Nathan Banerji-Kearney Memorial Award for Indigenous Students at the University of Toronto, awarded to a graduating Indigenous student in Temerty Medicine’s MD program who demonstrates excellence in working with Indigenous communities. She has won several awards, including the 2019 Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce Award for advocacy with Indigenous children, 2022 Ontario Pediatrician of the Year, Top 25 women of influence in 2024, and was invested with the Order of Ontario in 2012.

Nathan Stall (PGME ’15 Internal Medicine, PGME ’17 Geriatrics)

Nathan Stall is a geriatrician and leader in aging and long-term care, both nationally and internationally. He played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the publication of an Ontario Science Table brief titled "COVID-19 and Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes." With more than 120 publications in high-impact journals, his scholarly work — particularly during the pandemic — has had significant policy implications for the improvement and redesign of long-term care in Canada. He has also emerged as a trusted and knowledgeable public voice advocating for science and older people. Stall has been recognized for his leadership with the 2020 Institute for Health Services Policy Research Rising Star award from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the 2021 Royal College Award for Early Career Leadership in Health Policy/Systems.