Celebrating the Impact of Staff at the Faculty of Medicine
This year’s event honoured twenty-one Staff IMPACT Award winners:
David Keeling Award for Administrative Excellence
Bill Gregg, Student Financial Services Associate Registrar in the MD Program, was recognized for his long-term contributions as a trusted financial advisor to medical students and for his vast institutional and Faculty-specific knowledge. Gregg has been with the University for an impressive 29 years and provides support to all Medical Education Enrolment services – from outreach, recruitment and admissions, through to convocation and celebrating of the graduating class.
Leadership Award
Loreta Muharuma, Operations Director of Postgraduate Medical Education, has worked for the University for 19 years. Her outstanding contributions in leading her team have had a tremendous impact on the inclusive culture, innovative programming and collaborative style of the PostMD Education office.
New Employee Award
Patrick Scopa, Financial Administrator in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research,is responsible for the financial administration of numerous large research labs. His colleagues speak highly of his exceptional initiative, his perseverance, and his creative approach to problem solving.
Service in a Laboratory Research Environment Award
Natasha Christie-Holmes, Research Operations Officer, oversees one of our unique research facilities on the St. George campus: the highly regulated Level 3 laboratory that allows researchers from across the affiliated hospitals to work on higher risk communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and rabies. Christie-Holmes is a true expert on biosafety protocols and procedures and has maintained the lab to the absolute highest standards of safety and quality control.
Fostering a Collaborative and Inclusive Work Environment Award
Rachel Ellis, Education Scholarship Administrator in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, was celebrated for her extraordinary capacity to build strong relationships with faculty, staff and students. Her creativity along with her kind, collaborative and inclusive manner, has allowed the department to bring forward new programs and services for faculty members.
Fostering a Collaborative and Inclusive Work Environment Team Award
Rhiannon Davies and Joanna King have demonstrated an impressive ability to listen, to problem-solve and to work collaboratively in support of the extensive research enterprise across the Department of Medicine. They have put together a strong network in order to quickly and efficiently respond to operational issues. Whether it be a mandated move with strict timelines, or a critical equipment failure, they are quickly on site to lend a hand and provide much-needed support.
Quality Improvement Award
Karen Parisien, Assistant Director in the Division of Comparative Medicine, led a complex software renewal project aimed at efficiently tracking various parameters of preclinical research and maintaining compliance. She also designed and delivered a training program for departmental and investigative staff. The many projects for which she has been responsible have contributed to providing an excellent animal care program for the Faculty of Medicine.
Quality Improvement Team Award
The Discovery Commons and Post MD Education Teams of Court Van Beek, Allan Liu, Lynette Terrill, Philip Chung, Eugene Bivol, Ben Smith-Lea, Alison Pattern, Amy Wong, Carolina Rios, Khushnoor Adatia, Lisa St. Amant, Nimaliny Krishnan and Natasha Shaikhlislamova worked together on the implementation of Elentra, the system designed to support the new competency-based medical education curriculum. Implementing Elentra within the Faculty of Medicine was a comprehensive and transformational change involving multiple programs with hundreds of medical residents. This team led the change masterfully, with a level of collaboration between staff in two different departments that has enhanced the quality of service to learners, faculty, educational leaders and staff.
Also recognized at the 2019 Staff Impact Awards were three retirees who together have an impressive total of 107 years of service at U of T.
Janet Katz, Administrative Assistant in the Division of Teaching Labs, received recognition for her 49 years of service.
John Kerr, International Programs Manager in Postgraduate Medical Education, received recognition for his 27 years of service.
Eric Soriano, Technician in MedStore, received recognition for his 31 years of service.
