Celebrating staff excellence at Temerty Medicine

Seventy-nine staff members were celebrated at the 2024 Staff Impact and Long Service Awards reception at The Faculty Club on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

The annual celebration pays tribute to the extraordinary dedication and talent of the administrative, technical and research staff and commemorates those celebrating significant anniversaries with the university.

Dean Lisa Robinson thanked the awardees and acknowledged the pivotal role of staff in supporting the Temerty Faculty of Medicine mission.

“I often say that our people are our strength and to understand why, you simply need to look around the room here today,” Robinson told the crowd.

“The individuals and teams we will recognize this afternoon embody the very best that our community has to offer.”

Established in 2013, the staff recognition program honours outstanding staff for excellence in administration, leadership, inclusivity, community engagement and innovation.

The program underwent a review after the 2021 awards and relaunched in 2023 with broadened award categories and eligibility criteria, and an all-new format for the celebration.

“In the past two years, the award categories and criteria have been refreshed and expanded,” said Denis Bourguignon, Temerty Medicine’s chief administrative officer.

“These changes were directly influenced by feedback and insights gathered from stakeholders across the Faculty and allowed us to open the awards to more diverse projects and achievements.”

The 2024 celebration also marked the second year that significant career milestones were recognized. Twenty-five long-time employees, contributing a cumulative 675 years of service to the university, were honoured with Long Service Awards.

“We recognize the positive impact these colleagues have had, both here at the Faculty and on the larger university community, through their unwavering dedication and their passion for excellence,” said Mark Friesen, human resources director and event organizer.

“Their hard work, expertise, and commitment to our mission have played a pivotal role in shaping the success and reputation of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the University of Toronto.”

In recognition of their achievements, awardees received prints of artwork by Lisa Boivin, a Temerty Medicine alumna. Boivin, who is a member of the Deninu K’ue First Nation, is renowned for her interdisciplinary artwork which weaves together themes of bioethics, healthcare and the land-based practices of Dene medicine.

2024 LONG SERVICE AWARDS

Celebrating 20 years of employment with the university: 

• Liz Fragnelli, Director of Operations, Office of Advancement
• Michael Grant, Lab Animal Technician, Division of Comparative Medicine
• Cyril Kendall, Senior Research Associate, Department of Nutritional Sciences
• Hong Lu, Lab Technician, Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research
• Ike Okafor, Senior Officer, Service Learning and Diversity Outreach
• Daphne Sears, Secretary, Department of Medical Biophysics
• Paula Smellie, Business Manager, Department of Physiology
• Diana Tiernan, Director, Academic Human Resources
• Hong Zeng, Lab Technician, Structural Genomics Consortium

Celebrating 25 years of employment with the university:

• Shane Brandon, Curriculum and Departmental Assistant, Department of Physical Therapy
• Helena Friesen, Senior Research Associate, Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research
• Mariola Glogowski, Lab Assistant, Central Sterilization Services
• Carrie Harber, Graduate Program Administrator, Department of Biochemistry
• Hattie Liu, Lab Technician, Department of Medicine
• Lelawatie Sarjoo, Postgraduate Program Support Assistant, Department of Family and Community Medicine
• Leslie Taylor, Admissions Officer, MD Program                                       

Celebrating 30 years of service with the university:

• Nancy Fortin, Business Manager, Division of Teaching Laboratories

Celebrating 35 years of employment with the university:

• Rachel Ellis, Education Scholarship Coordinator, Department of Family and Community Medicine
• Karma Farah, Accreditation Coordinator, Continuing Professional Development
• Anna Ferrari, Registrarial Administrator, Postgraduate Medical Education
• Vashty Hawkins, Executive Assistant, Continuing Professional Development
• Sylvia Perry, Executive Assistant, Department of Surgery
• Jeffery Reid, Veterinary Technologist, Division of Comparative Medicine

Celebrating 40 years of service with the university:

• Nancy Condo, Business Manager, Department of Surgery
• Diane Wiltshire, RSS Manager, Student Services, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute

2024 STAFF IMPACT AWARDS

• Exemplary Leadership Award
• Emerging Talent Award
• Excellence in Innovation and Creativity
• Fostering an Inclusive Environment Award
• Service Excellence in a Laboratory Research Environment Award
• Community Contribution Award
• Engagement Champion Award
• Administrative Excellence Award

Exemplary Leadership Award

• Sara Sharifpoor, Director, has had a transformative influence on the evolution of the Vice Dean, Research & Health Science Education portfolio. Her combination of intellect, curiosity, energy and kindness, along with striving for excellence in everything she does, is truly a demonstration of transformative and exemplary leadership.
• Paul Tonin, Senior Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, whose contributions were instrumental in ensuring successful accreditation of the MD program, establishing the Integrated Office of Learner Affairs, spearheading nationally recognized initiatives to dismantle anti-Black racism and developing the inaugural Medical Education Strategic Plan.

Emerging Talent Award

• Emilie DesRosiers, Admissions and Recruitment Administrator, for consistently going above and beyond to help advance the Institute of Medical Science’s key strategic priorities through achievements such as developing an engaging and informative student welcome guide, spearheading the first ever IMS virtual open house and launching a popular weekly virtual open office hour for applicants to learn about the admissions process.
• Jennifer Robertson, Program Coordinator, whose remarkable initiative and problem-solving abilities were essential in tackling key administrative challenges within the Emergency Medicine program including the transition to Competence by Design, the integration of new software into the CaRMS admissions process and the program’s expansion to Trillium Health Partners.
• Jennifer Robinson, Research Grants and Partnerships Officer, who has demonstrated increasing leadership in helping to streamline financial processes in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, mentoring junior staff and work study students, and proactively educating faculty and staff on proper financial procedures.

Excellence in Innovation and Creativity

• Paul Martin, Director, who designed and implemented a new data collection and reporting system that enabled Temerty’s Facilities Management and Space Planning Office to become a leader in evidence-based space allocation decision making at the university.
• Department of Molecular Genetics Student Services Team for their collective efforts that have transformed progress tracking and career development for over 400 graduate students in the department. Their creativity and forward-thinking approach ensures that students receive the highest standard of administrative support throughout their entire graduate education journey.
  
  The team includes Purnoor Bala, Marcia Iglesias, Sun Ooi, Josh Paglione and Kyle Turner.
• Office of Advancement for a creative and original month-long campaign that leveraged U of T Giving Day to engage Temerty Medicine staff, faculty, learners, alumni and donors, to foster a greater sense of community and connection to the Faculty. Their efforts resulted in double the fundraising results over Giving Day 2023 and increased awareness for Temerty’s priority projects and activities.
  
  The team includes Clemence Berg, Gabrielle Dang, Tom Eatock, Michelle Fong, Elizabeth Fragnelli, Emily Gong, Katrina Heisz, Amy Hopkins, Cody Copeman Hubert, Lisa Jobson, Emma Jones, Zachery Knight, Emily Kulin, Shruti Lakhe, Darina Landa, Sophie Malek, Kashaf Mansoor, Heather McCall, Taylor Medeiros, Tsukiko Miyata, Stephanie Ordon, Patricia Page, Alan Spencer, Dimitar Trajkovski,Julie Vickerman, Clare Wheeler, Sophie Wolpert and Mike Ziemerink.

Fostering an Inclusive Environment Award

• Lindsay Fechtig, Manager, Office of Indigenous Health, whose leadership and commitment to creating an inclusive, culturally safe environment have transformed the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, making it a more welcoming and supportive space for all students, staff, and faculty, particularly those from Indigenous communities. Lindsey's efforts to foster an inclusive environment are deeply rooted in her advocacy for Indigenous ways of knowing and doing. She has actively worked to increase Indigenous enrollment, supported the building of mentorship circles, and create learner communities where Indigenous students can feel supported and thrive.
• Julia Tausch, Program Coordinator, for demonstrating outstanding leadership in driving positive change to champion inclusive excellence in the Department of Physiology. Her efforts have helped make the academic search guidelines and graduate admissions process more equitable and inclusive. She also organized the department’s inaugural Physiology and Black Health Symposium and took on additional work to ensure that the values of equity and inclusion are reflected in the department’s communications and outreach efforts.

Service Excellence in a Laboratory Research Environment Award

• Christine Chieh-Lin Lai, Lab Manager, whose community spirit, generosity and leadership have helped many new faculty recruits and students in the Department of Biochemistry. Christine has also been instrumental in maintaining essential core research facilities and equipment across the U of T campus.
• Research Operations Team which is comprised of six members that come from the Facilities Management and Space Planning Office as well as the Office of the Vice Dean, Research and Health Science Education. Over the past two years, their collective efforts have improved laboratory research environments that contribute directly to the advancement of Temerty Medicine research endeavors. The team has developed creative, innovative and data driven approaches to moving complex research labs with the highest quality and with successful outcomes for research.
  
  The team includes Gary Conlon, Holly Huizenga, Vincent Lam, Betty Poon, Bryan San Luis and Megan Velancia.

Community Contribution Award

• Brandi Quirk, Family Medicine Longitudinal Experience Coordinator, who has been a dedicated volunteer with the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) for over eight years, consistently demonstrating her profound commitment to an underserved, stigmatized population and deep desire to contribute positively to the Toronto community. Her involvement has spanned several capacities, from participating in community outreach events to ACT's Buddy Program.
  
  Most recently, Brandi co-facilitated the "Living with HIV" support group program offering a safe, inclusive space for attendees to openly discuss topics such life challenges, healthcare, stigma, and mental health. Recognizing a gap in ongoing support, Brandi also led the development of an ongoing, flexible drop-in support group that provides a compassionate, judgment-free space for individuals seeking support and connection. 

Engagement Champion Award

• Brianna Cangiotti, Program Coodinator, whose excellent administrative skills, strong empathy and dedication to supporting learners and faculty have made her a true asset to the Department of Medicine team. She has been pivotal in helping the department respond to sensitive issues in a respectful way that leads to positive resolutions and in supporting key events and assessments.
• Monica Cribari, Program Lead & Learner Liaison, who, in her eight years on the Continuing Professional Development team, has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication to fostering a positive work environment and nurturing a sense of community within their faculty. Her commitment is exemplified by her recent leadership in organizing the Medical Education Staff Conference earlier this year.

Administrative Excellence Award

• Mariana Arteaga, Business Officer, for unwavering commitment and sustained excellence, leadership and innovation in administration. She has nurtured the Wilson Centre’s scientists and scholars through the twists and turns of their careers and provided endless support to the centre’s students and fellows throughout their educational journeys. Mariana has been a massive influence on the Wilson Centre's journey, helping it to become a local and global force in the domain of health professions education.
• Toni Jarvis, Registrarial Administrator, for her commitment and dedication to our postgraduate learners, departments and colleagues is unparalleled. Since joining the Postgraduate Medical Education registration team in 1990, Toni has provided front line support for our postgraduate learners, always with kindness and accuracy. She has also provided pivotal feedback in identifying potential concerns and opportunities for improvements to streamline current registration processes.
• Jamie Rodas, Program Coordinator, whose commitment and contributions to the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s global health initiatives were instrumental in the department earning the status of a WHO Collaborating Centre on Primary Care and Family Medicine. She has elevated the department’s collaborative work with global partners including the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration in Family Medicine and Ghana’s KNUST University. Jamie’s excellent communication, organization, partnership development and relationship building skills are a critical factor in the department’s success in championing global health activities that bring high-quality primary care to people around the world.