Alumni Awards
The IMS is proud to have so many remarkable alumni who enrich our community and inspire students and recent graduates to reach their full potential.
Our annual alumni awards, launched by the Student, Staff, Alumni and Faculty Engagement (SAFE) Committee in 2024, recognize graduates who have had a significant impact on the IMS and who are advancing health throughout Toronto, across Canada, and around the world.
The awards are presented annually at IMS Scientific Day.
2026 Award Recipients:
Emerging Leader Award
Dr. Kevin D. Shield is a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Toronto. He earned his PhD from the Institute of Medical Science in 2015, where he developed the foundation for his global public health research career. Since graduating, he has established an internationally recognized research program focused on alcohol and substance use epidemiology, including global surveillance, disease burden estimation, and policy evaluation.
Dr. Shield leads the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre in Addiction and Mental Health and has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications. His work informs national and international guidelines and has been recognized through major awards and global citation impact.
IMS Community Engagement Award
Dr. Brian Ballios is a clinician-scientist and retina specialist. He is an Assistant Professor at U of T, where he holds the J. Ardith Hill – Fighting Blindness Canada Professorship in Ocular Genetics Research. His lab at UHN is investigating mechanisms and therapies for inherited retinal disease using stem cell-based models. Dr. Ballios obtained his MD and PhD at U of T in the combined MD/PhD program.
Dr. Ballios has supervised MSc and PhD students, co-chaired IMS Scientific Day for five years, gave the Keynote Lecture at SURP Research Day last summer and regularly lectures in an IMS course. He embodies the values of the IMS Community Engagement Award through his leadership, mentorship, service, and unwavering dedication to the success of IMS students and the broader community.
IMS Community Engagement Award
Dr. Michelle Dubinsky graduated from IMS with her PhD in 2023. She has developed a success footprint in the Biopharma world as a former Medical Science Liaison at Boehringer Ingelheim Canada and currently, as a Medical Solutions Partner in Rheumatology, at UCB.
She is widely recognized at IMS for her leadership and mentorship in graduate career development. She was the inaugural guest on the IMS ChatGPD podcast, is an industry mentor with the Life Science Career Development Syndicate (LSCDS), she co-developed and teaches the IMS Medical Science Liaison (MSL) skills course, and provides sustained mentorship to trainees exploring industry careers.
You can find details about the awards, including eligibility and the nomination process below. For any questions, please email Sarah Topa.
Emerging Leader Award
Award Criteria: This award recognizes alumni in the early stages of their career who demonstrate outstanding community service and/or scientific achievements that have a direct and significant impact on improving health.
Award Categories
- Community Service
- Scientific Achievement
Eligibility
- MSc or PhD alumni who graduated from IMS within the last 10 years (between 2015-2025).
- Both external alumni (those who no longer have a formal affiliation with IMS) and alumni who are IMS faculty members are eligible.
- The nomination can be for a specific achievement or for a body of work that has occurred locally, nationally and/or internationally.
- Achievements and/or community service must have occurred post-graduation.
- Leadership roles and activities can be interpreted broadly to include involvement with community partners, non-governmental organizations, designing and/or managing research studies, acting as an advisor for others/committee, advocacy work, patient engagement, etc.
- Self-nominations will be accepted.
- Group nominations will not be accepted.
Nomination
Each nomination package must include the following:
- A letter of nomination highlighting the nominee’s achievements and/or community service activities and explaining why they should receive the award. Please ensure the letter states the award category, provides a thorough justification for the nomination that aligns with the award criteria, and lists the nominee’s contact information. Maximum 500 words.
- Two letters of support from individuals familiar with the nominee's work. They do not need to be affiliated with the IMS. Maximum one-page each.
- Resume or abridged CV (maximum 10 pages).
- Optional: Supplementary material that demonstrates the significance of the nominee’s work, such as media coverage, abstracts, etc. Maximum two items, no more than two-pages each.
- The nomination package should be compiled as a single PDF document and emailed to Sarah Topa, SAFE Committee Co-Chair, at int.medscience@utoronto.ca.
- Nomination deadline: March 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM
- Please note, nominations will be kept on file for two years for future consideration.
Previous Award Winners
- 2024: Aadil Ali
- 2025: Daniel Felsky
IMS Community Engagement Award
Award Criteria: This award recognizes alumni who demonstrate exceptional engagement with IMS and who have had a significant, positive impact on students and/or the wider IMS community. Recipients of this award contribute to IMS’ vision to inspire and prepare future leaders in translational medical science.
Award Categories
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Alumni who are IMS faculty members (1 award). Nominations must demonstrate how they have gone above and beyond the expectations of their graduate faculty appointment.
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External alumni (1 award). Those who no longer have any formal affiliation with IMS.
Eligibility
- MSc or PhD alumni who graduated prior to 2024.
- Minimum two years of engagement with IMS as alumni.
- Examples of eligible activities include (but are not limited to): IMS committee member, Career Mentorship Program mentor, advisor to IMS Students’ Association and/or other IMS student groups, volunteer for IMS Scientific Day, panelist or speaker at IMS events.
- Self-nominations are not accepted.
- Group nominations are not accepted.
Nomination
The nomination package must include the following:
- A letter of nomination highlighting the nominee's contributions to and positive impact on the IMS. Please ensure the letter states the award category, provides a thorough justification for the nomination that aligns with the award criteria, and lists the nominee’s contact information. Maximum 500 words.
- Two letters of support from IMS community members. This includes students, faculty, alumni and staff. Maximum one-page each.
- The nomination package should be compiled as a single PDF document and emailed to Sarah Topa, SAFE Committee Co-Chair, at int.medscience@utoronto.ca.
- Nomination deadline: March 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Previous Award Winners
- 2024: Pascal Tyrrell
- 2025: Karen Gordon