Jul 17, 2018

Medicine Celebrates Staff Impact

Impact Awards Winners 2018
By

Julia Soudat

Impact Awards Winners 2018
The Faculty of Medicine held its 2018 Staff IMPACT Awards July 10 to celebrate the efforts and achievements of the Faculty’s administrative, technical and research staff. “It is the hard work and dedication of our staff at the Faculty of Medicine that allows us to be recognized as one of the best schools in the world,” said Dev Chopra, Chief Administrative Officer.

The Citizenship Award was presented to Roxanne Wright,the Experiential Learning Lead for the MD Program. Wright devotes her spare time to serving those in the community through local food banks and fundraising, while also strengthening community outreach initiatives at U of T.

Linda Quattrin, the Executive Director of Communications, received the Leadership Award for her role in encouraging and empowering her team members to have big ideas and motivating them to be adventurous and creative.

The New Employee Award recipient, Karen Lee, is the Alumni Relations Officer in the Office of Advancement. Lee has forged strong relationships with both students and alumni. She recently launched a new MD Mentorship Program for third and fourth year students, spearheaded a small group mentoring program and coordinated a panel discussion on “what else can you do with an MD,” which encourages students to look at alternative career paths.

Taryn McGregor Van Hooren, Projects Coordinator of Postgraduate Programs in the Department of Medicine, was recognized for Fostering a Collaborative Work Environment. Van Hooren has beeninstrumental in forging strong relationships with leadership, faculty members and residents and breaking down silos across divisions in the Department of Medicine.

The award for Service in a Laboratory Research Environment was presented to Christine Misquitta, Senior Research Associate and Program Manager. Misquitta works in the lab of Dr. Dev Sidhu, a Principal Investigator at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research. She played a critical role in managing the Sidhu lab and highlighting its research to the public. She is also is a mentor to students and an excellent ambassador for the University.

Debbie Chau, the Data Officer in Graduate & Life Sciences Education, received the Quality Improvement Award.Chau was at the forefront of a major system redesign of the data repository system used to track graduate student funding, called GEMS. Her accomplishments have also been recognized outside Medicine and the new graduate tracking funding system is now viewed as a best practice at the University.

The Team Quality Improvement Award was presented to Heather Taylor, Andrea Leung and Leah Scherk from Facilities and Space Planning. This year’s team winners are among the often-unheard champions who work behind the scenes to ensure the effective operation of the Faculty of Medicine. They have had to deal with asbestos abatement, floods and numerous other challenges and have done so with high levels of patience, problem solving and responsiveness.

Sheila Binns, Electives Officer in the MD Program, took home the David Keeling Award for Administrative Excellence. Binns has been with the University for 25 years and is a wealth of knowledge in supporting the process for the 3,500 applicants who apply to participate in the MD electives placements program each year. Her skills and expertise in the electives domain and her deep generosity of spirit make her a trusted advisor and mentor for many of her colleagues and students.