Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup – October 23, 2025
Please see below for the following updates:
- 2025 Angels Den Winners
- Simon Kennedy Has Joined Unity Health Toronto as Special Advisor, Strategy and Partnerships
- 2025 Women in Academic Medicine: People Who Look to Us for Support
- REMINDER: Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines
The winners from this year’s Angels Den were both from the Department of Medicine!
Dr. Warren Lee (Critical Care) and Eno Hysi (PhD) won the Keenan Award for Medical Discovery (250K) for their project:
Instant Insight: Bedside Imaging for Lung Injury.
Dr. Warren Lee and Dr. Eno Hysi’s project video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ymWJU3kns
Congratulations to Warren and Eno!
Dr. Jeff Perl (Nephrology) and Dr. Monica Farcas (Urology) won the Mitchell Award for Health System Innovation (250K) for their project:
Unclogged: A Plumbing Fix for Dialysis.
In addition, Jeff Perl’s project won the People’s Choice Award (100K).
Dr. Jeff Perl and Dr. Monica Farcas’s project video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r183A1tC21I
Congratulations to Jeff and Monica!
Simon Kennedy has joined Unity Health Toronto as Special Advisor, Strategy and Partnerships. In this role, he will be working to support Unity Health Toronto by helping to drive innovative projects and partnerships in areas such as artificial intelligence, knowledge translation, and health innovation. This includes fostering collaborations with partners across the health system, academia, government, and industry, while also advising leadership and mentoring researchers, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.
Mr. Kennedy brings more than three decades of public service experience at the highest levels of the Canadian government. From 2019 to 2024, he served as the Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). Previously, as the Deputy Minister of Health (2015–2019), Mr. Kennedy led Health Canada’s response to the opioid crisis, negotiated federal-provincial health funding agreements, and advanced reforms in pharmaceutical pricing, nutrition labelling, vaping, and tobacco control. He also oversaw the legalization and regulation of cannabis, including development of the Cannabis Act.
During his civil-service career, he served on multiple public-sector and non-profit boards, including the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the International Economic Forum of the Americas. This role is jointly sponsored by the St. Michael’s Hospital Department of Medicine and Knowledge Translation Program.
***Sent on behalf of Drs. Umberin Najeeb and Jennie Johnstone, Co-Chairs WAM PLUS 2025***
Dear colleagues,
We are excited to invite you to the 2025 Women in Academic Medicine: People who Look to Us for Support (WAM PLUS) Summit, hosted by the Culture and Inclusion portfolio in the Department of Medicine (DoM).
Scheduled for November 11, 2025, this in person summit is an opportunity for all of us to come together and create a space for women and their allies in the DoM and beyond to share experiences, gain valuable skills, network and advocate for the development of strong women faculty members and leaders in Academic Medicine.
Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Time: 08:45 – 17:30
Location: MaRS Auditorium (101 College St, Toronto, ON)
The 2025 WAM PLUS summit will:
- Host morning sessions exclusive for faculty who self-identify as women.
- Welcome faculty members of all genders* to the afternoon sessions.
- Fellows are also invited to the afternoon part of the summit.
Summit features the following sessions:
- Session 1: Inclusive Leadership and EDI in the current times (women faculty only)
- Session 2: Concurrent workshops (women faculty only):
- Session 2a: A Framework for Your Great Life
- Session 2b: Resilience and Renewal: Thriving as mid-late career Women in Academic Medicine
- Session 3: Financial Planning and Academia (All Genders, Fellows welcome)
- Session 4: Addressing Microaggression and Allyship (All Genders, Fellows welcome)
We look forward to being together in-person on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, from 08:45 to 17:30 to create a meaningful and memorable experience.
Best Regards,
Umberin and Jennie
Co-Chairs WAM PLUS 2025
*The Department of Medicine recognizes and affirms the identities of all individuals, including transgender and gender diverse persons. The DoM is committed to fostering an inclusive environment for people of all gender identities and gender expressions.
Dr. Umberin Najeeb
Vice Chair Culture & Inclusion, Department of Medicine,
Dr. Jennie Johnstone
Infectious Diseases Departmental Division Director, University of Toronto
Unity Health launched its Fall Vaccination Clinics on Monday, October 20th. Workplace Health, Safety and Wellness and Infection, Prevention and Control recommends that all staff get their flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. Staff who received a vaccination off-site, are asked to submit their record of immunization and information. No appointments will be required and you can get your flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine at the following locations and times:
Stationary Clinics (Influenza and COVID vaccinations):
- St. Michael’s: October 21 to 24 from 7:00 am – 3:00 p.m. and October 27 to 31 from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the PGT Lobby
Please bring your Unity Health identification card with you. If you receive your vaccination outside of Unity Health, please send documentation of your vaccination(s) to the Workplace Health, Safety and Wellness department at your site or your Workplace Health, Safety and Wellness site email. Sweet (assorted chocolate bars and candy) and savoury (chips) will be available to each individual who chooses to get vaccinated or bring documentation of vaccination to Workplace Health, Safety and Wellness.