Roncari Prize

Established in 1995 to honour the memory of Dr. Daniel Roncari, who served as the Director of the Institute of Medical Science from 1980 to 1983, this award is presented annually at IMS Scientific Day to an IMS student(s) who has made significant contributions to the academic experience of graduate students. 

The recipient(s) is chosen by the IMS Associate Director and the Co-Chairs of the SAFE Committee.

Crizza is a PhD candidate supervised by Drs. Jason Fish and Dinesh Thavendiranathan at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. Crizza’s research aims to uncover the role of the vasculature in the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction. Crizza has been heavily involved in the IMS Students' Association, the EDIIA high school outreach subcommittee, and has co-led the Ori Rostein Lecture and the IMS Scientific Day planning for two consecutive years.  

Hamzah is a PhD candidate at St. Michael’s Hospital in vascular surgery under Dr. Mohammad Qadura. His research uses plasma biomarkers and machine learning to predict surgical outcomes. He is a two-time IMS Students' Association (IMSSA) president and also serves on the IMS Admissions Committee, is a Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program mentor, and a member of UofT Talks. He is developing a course with Dr. Pamela Plant to teach lab and statistical skills and is working with Dr. Pascal Tyrrell on an app to enhance the sense of community in IMS. He also leads the IMSSA x Pueblo Science collaboration, which includes the Indigenous STEM Enrichment program. 

Kowsar is a PhD candidate, supervised by Dr. James Kennedy. Her research focuses on the genetics of schizophrenia, particularly the role of immune genes in its subtypes. She has been the student co-lead for IMS Scientific Day for three years and spearheaded IMS Research Rounds, a bimonthly seminar series where students present their research to their peers. She previously served as VP of Operations for the IMS Students' Association and now serves as a senior advisor. Kowsar is also a mentor in the IMS Peer-to-Peer Mentorship program and actively contributes to the IMS EDIIA and Awards & Recognition committees.