Awards in Education Winners

Dr. Lucy Osborne joined the Department of Medicine in 1999, and established a laboratory focused on understanding the molecular bases of neurodevelopmental disorders. Shortly afterwards she became a member of IMS and took on co-director responsibilities for the course, Molecular Medicine in Human Genetic Disease. She then expanded it to a full year course, became the sole director in 2004, and has taught it to a mix of IMS graduate students and Genetic Counselling students ever since. Lucy has also contributed to graduate education at IMS through her membership on the Curriculum Committee since 2001 and by serving as an IMS Graduate Coordinator for six years, before becoming the Associate Director in 2022. During this time, she has helped to improve the curricular offerings at IMS, given guest lectures on other courses and guided the IMS through the development of a strategic plan that has benefitted all our students and faculty. 

Dr. Pascal Tyrrell, an accomplished data scientist, is the Director of Data Science and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto's Department of Medical Imaging. He founded the MiDATA data science program and holds appointments in the Institute of Medical Science and the Department of Statistical Sciences. His research applies innovative Artificial Intelligence to medical image analysis for improved health outcomes. Pascal is also a serial entrepreneur with experience spanning computer software, medical devices, and agri-tech. He is also the course Director for MSC1007H: Biostatistics in a Nut Shell and MSC1114H: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine. 

Dr. Mahavir Agarwal is a Full Member at IMS, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a Clinician-Scientist in the Schizophrenia Division at the Centre for Addiction at Mental Health (CAMH). He is also the Medical Head for Clinical Research in the Schizophrenia Division and leads the Metabolic Clinic and the Clozapine Clinic at CAMH. Dr. Agarwal’s research interest lies in understanding the mechanisms underlying metabolic and cognitive dysfunction in severe mental illness with specific focus on insulin signaling in the brain, and in discovering new treatments for these abnormalities. He has won several international research awards, has over 100 publications, and his research program has been funded by several federal and provincial agencies including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), PSI Foundation, CAMH, and the University of Toronto. 

Dr. George Foussias is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and member of the graduate faculty in the Institute of Medical Science.  He is based at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health where he is a Senior Scientist in the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Chief of the Schizophrenia Division, and Co-Director of the Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition.  He is also the Provincial Clinical Lead, Psychosis and Schizophrenia at the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence (MHA COE) at Ontario Health. Dr. Foussias' research focuses on advancing our understanding and treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders with the goal of improving outcomes and recovery for affected individuals. His approaches include longitudinal phenomenology and outcome studies, psychopharmacology and brain stimulation treatment trials, coordinated specialty care implementation for early psychosis, and the development and evaluation of novel digital methodologies for assessment and treatment. 

Dr. Farzad Khalvati is a Senior Scientist and Endowed Chair in Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence at The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Imaging and a Full Member in the Institute of Medical Science, with cross appointments to the Departments of Computer Science, and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. He is also a Faculty Affiliate at the Vector Institute. Dr. Khalvati is the director of Intelligent Medical Informatics Computing Systems Lab (IMICSLab.com), and he has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and conference proceedings with additional 60 peer-reviewed abstracts presented in scientific conferences. Dr. Khalvati has received over $3.6M in peer-reviewed research funding from different grant agencies including NSERC and CIHR. As the primary supervisor, Dr. Khalvati has supervised more than 65 trainees at different levels and his students have received $260K in scholarships and awards. 

Prof. Jenna Sykes is a Research Biostatistician at St. Michael’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor (status-only) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She has been a co-instructor for CHL5207Y/CHL5208Y since 2020 and for MSC1030H since 2021. Her current research interests include international survival differences for cystic fibrosis as well as joint modeling of survival and longitudinal outcomes. In addition, she volunteers for the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC) on the Accreditation Committee and the Student Travel Grants Committee. She is a co-author of over 90 peer-reviewed publications 

Hartej Gill is a PhD Candidate at the Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit at Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) under the supervision of Dr. Roger McIntyre and Dr. Rodrigo Mansur. His research focuses on mood and anxiety disorders, investigating the etiology and pathophysiology of mental health disorders from both a clinical study and population health perspective. Hartej led the development of the IMS graduate course MSC1005: Therapeutic Approaches within Mood Disorders. In consultation with the course instructors, he also created the syllabus and assignments. The course was successfully launched in Winter 2024 with an enrollment of 24 students.