Mel Silverman Mentorship Award
The Mel Silverman Mentorship Award was established to honour the contributions of former IMS Director Dr. Melvin Silverman. It is presented annually at Scientific Day to an IMS faculty member who has served as an outstanding mentor and role model for graduate students, in addition to making significant contributions to the IMS graduate program.
2026 Award Recipient
Dr. Camilla Zimmerman
Dr. Zimmermann is Professor of Medicine, Head of Palliative Care at UHN, a Senior Scientist and Head of the Department of Supportive Care at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and holds the Harold and Shirley Lederman Chair in Palliative Care and Psychosocial Oncology. Dr. Zimmermann has developed a large, internationally recognized research program focused on early integration of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer.
Trainees noted her outstanding mentorship, highlighting her accessibility, genuine investment in each student’s growth, and a leadership style that is rigorous, principled, and deeply humane.
Previous Award Winners
- 2001: Dr. Sandra Black
- 2002: Dr. Katherine Siminovitch
- 2003: Dr. Gregory Downey
- 2004: Dr. Carol Westall
- 2005: Dr. Andras Kapus
- 2006: Dr. Mingyao Liu
- 2007: Dr. Philip Sherman
- 2008: Dr. Derek van der Kooy
- 2009: Dr. Sergio Grinstein
- 2010: Dr. Ren-Ke Li
- 2011: Dr. John Flanagan
- 2012: Dr. Gary Remington
- 2013: Dr. Anne Agur
- 2014: Dr. Karen Davis
- 2015: Dr. Freda Miller
- 2016: Dr. Gary Rodin
- 2017: Dr. Anne Bassett
- 2018: Dr. Robert Levitan
- 2019: Dr. Fei-Fei Liu
- 2020: Dr. Isabelle Boileau
- 2021: Dr. Tarek Rajji
- 2022: Dr. Brian McCrindle
- 2023: Dr. Steven Miller
- 2024: Dr. James L. Kennedy
- 2025: Dr. Pascal Tyrrell