Peter Boisseau

Neurosurgeon seeks to better understand epilepsy using math – and music

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:29:24 +0000

Neurosurgeon seeks to better understand epilepsy using math – and music

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/24/2023 - 12:29

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Taufik Valiante, a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital and an associate professor at U of T, says certain music patterns may reduce the likelihood of a seizure (all images courtesy of the Krembil Brain Institute)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Breaking Research

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Max Planck

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

International Collaboration

Music

Research & Innovation

University Health Network

When Taufik Valiante was a child, his baseball coach’s son passed away from severe epilepsy.

“I think that left a pretty indelible mark on me,” says Valiante, a senior scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, and an associate professor of surgery in the �ؿ�ζSM’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Eventually, that experience in his youth led a sensitive, guitar-playing boy who hated the sight of blood to become a patient advocate, neurosurgeon and researcher studying the relationship between music and epilepsy.

Taufik Valiante

Today, he’s researching the connection between music and epilepsy with amazing results. A few years ago, his research team at the Krembil Brain Institute published a study suggesting listening to a six-minute selection of Mozart’s K448, Sonata for Two Pianos in D major every day could reduce seizure frequency in people living with epilepsy by up to 35 per cent.

The research has since grown to examine thousands of compositions from various artists and cultures.

“We're starting to expand this out really broadly and I have some collaborators now at the Max Planck Institute in Germany,” says Valiante, an alumus of U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science who earned his honours bachelor of science from University College in 1988 as well as a PhD in physiology in 1995 and his medical degree in 1997 from U of T.

“Music is a mathematical construct and we think there are specific patterns in certain types of music that cause the brain to be less likely to go into a seizure,” he says.

“Epilepsy has provided an incredible opportunity to study the brain and a lot of credit goes to the patients who are willing to participate in studies to help us understand these things.”

As Purple Day approaches on March 26 to raise epilepsy awareness, Valiante recalls a career that started with successfully lobbying for a provincial strategy to improve care and recognition for people living with epilepsy, one of the world’s most common but nevertheless stigmatized neurological disorders.

“In my house we were raised to be social activists,” he says. “For people living with epilepsy, raising awareness is really important because the more people around them understand, the better their quality of life. And as a patient, you should hear the same thing whether it’s Purple Day or visiting my office or on the internet because it reinforces the importance of managing epilepsy.

“People often talk about a cure – and we're all hoping and working for that – but in the absence of that, it’s about, ‘How do you manage it well?’ "

A neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital, Valiante co-directs the Max Planck-�ؿ�ζSM Centre for Neural Science and Technology, and CRANIA (Centre for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application). At U of T, he holds cross-appointments to the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

He says his mother taught her children to “be good at the things we enjoy,” which he took to heart. He often picks up his bass guitar to relax, recently sharing tracks in an audio collaboration with a long-time musician patient.

Valiante says he had an epiphany about the relationship between math, physics and the brain during a class at University College with former professor Jack Dainty – a nuclear physicist turned pioneering plant biophysicist.

“That was among my most formative periods in my life. It was my third year and I was taking his plant membrane physiology course and it blew my mind that he could show you something physically exists just by using math and physics,” he says.

“By fourth year, I had submitted a proposal on how to use math and physics to study the brain. I got an award for it and that money supported research during the summer after graduating with my bachelor of science.”

Valiante says he encourages every student to be open to exploring new subjects and interests without always focusing on how it fits their career plans.

“None of us are smart enough to know how what we do today is going to impact us in the future,” he says. “Don’t always expect something back except the experience itself. From a purely human point of view, the one behavior that can immediately increase positive emotion and happiness is giving.

“It benefits you as much as the people you help.”

Grad student focuses on writing's capacity to explore trauma and 'move toward justice or repair'

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 15:16:50 +0000

Grad student focuses on writing's capacity to explore trauma and 'move toward justice or repair'

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/26/2022 - 11:16

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Karine Hack, who graduates from U of T this fall with a master's degree in English, is the inaugural recipient of the Professor Linda Munk Graduate Futures Scholarship (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Our Community

English

Faculty of Arts & Science

Graduate Students

Karine Hack spends a lot of time thinking about the power of writing to process and document trauma – in part because an undergraduate project that involved transcribing and editing Holocaust testimonials.

Now, as she looks forward to convocation this fall after earning her master of arts in English literature from the �ؿ�ζSM’s Faculty of Arts & Science, Hack is also thinking about the ability of writing to transcend time.

Both themes appear in Hack’s writing, including a lyric essay recently published in Grain magazine called “The Most Beautiful Thing.”

“Writing for me is like my mind’s eye externalized,” says Hack. “I love how writing allows us to move in and out of time, how it brings the past into the present, so we can grapple with it and move toward justice or repair.”

Hack is the inaugural winner of the Professor Linda Munk Graduate Futures Scholarship. The scholarship was established two years ago in honour of Professor Emeritus Linda Munk, who earned her master’s degree and PhD at U of T and was a faculty member in the department of English until her retirement in 2003.

The annual scholarship – established by Munk’s children, Anthony Munk, Marc-David Munk, and Nina Munk, to honour their mother – is one of the largest in Canada for full-time English graduate students. Its goal is to help the department recruit the best and brightest.

A Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Hack was contemplating where to do her graduate studies when she learned she’d won the award.

She says she was already leaning toward U of T after hearing great things about the English department from professors at the University of Victoria, where she did her undergraduate studies. The $20,000 scholarship clinched the deal.

“When U of T offered me this amazing scholarship, I felt so welcomed and so incredibly honoured,” says Hack.

“It was thrilling to plan a move to Toronto and for my partner to be able to come with me. She's found an engineering job here, which is very exciting.”

Hack says she was impressed by what she learned about Munk. A passionate teacher who would rather her students write poetry in class than labour over essays at home, Munk was 42 when she returned to U of T to earn her master of arts in English literature.

“I saw photos of her and she seemed like a wonderful person, absolutely bright and beaming,” says Hack.

“My mom did a master's degree in her 50s and I was really proud of her. It's special to see your parents in a new light. I hope I will be lucky enough to have multiple careers and paths.”

As she explores narratives of trauma and time, Hack is also drawn to memoir writing. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner are recent favourites, and she’s about to start A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt.

She’s also keeping some lessons in mind as she prepares for whatever life brings next.

“One of the things the pandemic has highlighted is how wonderful it is to be in a classroom together – or a courtyard summer course if you’re lucky,” Hack says.

“I think for people who are really driven and ambitious, it can be intimidating to relax in an academic environment. There’s vulnerability in letting yourself learn from other people. But nobody is doing this work alone. You learn in a community, and you have to be open to community, and invested in it.

“What I'm taking away from my year is the importance of this openness to learning from and with other people – and how absolutely joyous it is to share these spaces of inquiry together.”

From CBC to TikTok, U of T alumnus Gave Lindo has followed his passion for storytelling

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 16:47:25 +0000

From CBC to TikTok, U of T alumnus Gave Lindo has followed his passion for storytelling

geoff.vendeville Mon, 07/25/2022 - 12:47

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Gave Lindo, who has three degrees from U of T, pursued a career in the media industry, first at CBC and now at TikTok Canada (photo courtesy of Gave Lindo)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Law

New College

Social Media

With three degrees from the �ؿ�ζSM – a B.A., M.B.A. and law degree – Gave Lindo had no shortage of career options. Ultimately, his love of storytelling steered him toward working in media.

He led digital content offerings as an executive director at CBC, including CBC.ca and CBC Kids, while also launching the public broadcaster’s streaming service, CBC Gem. Now, he leads content programming at TikTok Canada.

“I started as a litigator, but it was clear to me there were a lot of different ways to impact society,” says Lindo, who earned a bachelor of arts with honours and a specialist in political science from the Faculty of Arts & Science as a member of New College, as well as a master’s in business administration from the Rotman School of Management and a law degree from U of T.

“You can do that through the legal system or building enterprises, but contributing to the social conversation going on in the world through the media is where my passion for storytelling really came from,” Lindo says.

“Stories can help people feel reflected, especially if they come from different cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic perspectives, sexual orientations or genders,” he says.

“That is an incredibly powerful tool, and the ability to influence that – in the broadcasting capacity – was really meaningful to me.”

At TikTok, Lindo is helping grow a social media platform that has even greater reach, with an estimated one billion users worldwide sharing short-form videos through the app although it was only launched a few years ago.

“At CBC, I was trying to create opportunities for new voices and creators to pitch and tell their stories. But that's a fairly small group of people, relatively speaking,” he says.

“The difference is, with TikTok, companies can be creating content right next to a stay-at-home parent. We’re enabling people, regardless of their professional backgrounds, to come to the table, create content and entertain people.”

While especially popular with a younger demographic, TikTok started to attract an older generation of users in greater numbers during the pandemic, Lindo says.

“There's content for all demographics and ages. Older audiences shouldn't feel like TikTok is only for their kids or grandchildren. It's definitely a place they can both consume content and create something that shares their voice and story,” he says.

Lindo's eight years of study at U of T helped him sharpen his critical thinking abilities and develop an appreciation for different points of view.

“It was a combination of strong faculty and interesting subject matter, but also the quality of my classmates and friendships. People you meet not only become lifelong friends but help you see all the sides of the issues you are studying,” he says.

“I still think a lot about the conversations I had during those years, the dynamic nature of those relationships. It cultivated the way I think and the lenses I have on the world.”

Taking a diverse set of classes in political science, business and law helped him discover where his passions lay, as well as learn to identify and solve problems differently, he adds.

“It's really incumbent on people to make the most of those years in terms of exploring what your interests are, what you're passionate about, exploring what angers you and the things you may want to solve,” he says.

Outside his classes, Lindo took part in student government and clubs – experiences that he also describes as important learning opportunities. After graduation, he has served on more than a dozen boards, including the Children's Aid Society Toronto, Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, Laidlaw Foundation, Ontario Creates, TO Live and NOW Magazine.

“Getting involved in extracurriculars like I did is also a very good parallel to life after school, when you have a regular job, but you're still able to volunteer for other things because you’ve flexed those muscles,” he says.

U of T's Urban Data Centre to help 'wrangle' the data needed to build smarter cities

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 13:21:11 +0000

U of T's Urban Data Centre to help 'wrangle' the data needed to build smarter cities

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 07/07/2022 - 09:21

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(Photo by ravphotographix/iStockphoto via Getty Images)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Our Community

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Smart Cities

With the advent of the Internet of Things and other technologies, Toronto and other urban areas are looking to be “smarter cities” when tackling critical issues – from climate change to affordable housing.

There's just one problem.

“Smart cities are only smart if they have relevant data,” says Mark Fox, a professor of industrial engineering in the �ؿ�ζSM’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and a distinguished professor of urban systems engineering.

Enter the Urban Data Centre at U of T's School of Cities. Created last fall, the centre seeks to enable smarter cities by providing awareness and access to relevant urban data. “We're creating a Canadian catalogue of urban data sets to allow people to discover relevant data, where it's located and any restrictions on use,” says Fox, who holds a cross-appointment to the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

The centre is being supported by a commitment from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) of $1 million over five years to add core staff and expand operations.

One of the main challenges of achieving awareness is that datasets are spread across repositories, created by municipalities, provincial and federal agencies, NGOs and universities, making it difficult to find what is relevant.

“Getting data is hard work and it requires a lot of discipline,” says Raju Goteti, global vice-president of the TCS Co-Innovation Network.

“It requires innovation from multiple stakeholders and specific elements like the Urban Data Centre. The idea is to create new knowledge in the ecosystem, and we believe the School of Cities is a wonderful partner for this.”

Fox, for his part, says the TCS contribution will advance the centre’s work.

“We already have funding for some work streams within the centre, such as urban ontologies and standards, but this provides us with the funds to focus on core elements of our research program, such as the Urban Data Catalogue and Repository,” he says.

Urban Data Centre Director Mark Fox says relevant urban data enables smarter cities (photo courtesy of Pat Doherty)

The school is building the capacity of urban communities to collect, analyze and visualize data to make cities more efficient and equitable.

“The TCS support will give our Urban Data Centre a jump-start in creating a data ecosystem for universities and cities around Canada,” says Karen Chapple, director of the School of Cities.

For all the buzz about using machine learning to build and operate smarter cities, not many people appreciate how much effort goes into pulling relevant data together, according to Fox.

“About 80 per cent of the time it takes to build a smarter-city application is spent on what's called data wrangling, which is finding the data, cleaning it and integrating it, as opposed to actually building machine learning models.”

Creating the Canadian urban data catalogue is an enormous but crucial first step for the centre’s mission, providing a means for urban researchers, developers and planners to find the data they need, says Fox.

He says the centre is working to create standards for the catalogue system that will provide detailed information on each dataset listed.

“Once we have that standard, we're creating the appropriate software so anybody who has a dataset can go to the web page, fill in the metadata for the set they are submitting, and then it goes into our catalogue.”

The next step will be creating a data repository. Fox says they will focus primarily on data from academic research. One potential treasure trove of smart city data is graduate student research on urban environments, which, at present, is often lost upon graduation. “It either sits on their laptop or gets wiped out,” Fox says. “We’ll make it known to academe that not only can they provide us with the metadata associated with their dataset for the catalogue, they can also download their dataset into our repository.”

The Urban Data Centre is also an integral part of the upcoming School of Cities node in India that is being set up in collaboration with Tata Trusts – a philanthropic organization associated with TCS.

Fox says the centre will work with the School of Cities Alliance in India – a network of Canadian and Indian researchers – to create an Indian catalogue and data repository.

“TCS has been focusing on several smart city initiatives for more than a decade,” says K Ananth Krishnan, executive vice-president and chief technology officer at TCS. “We believe the interplay between smart cities and industries will generate ‘innovation at the intersection,’ a core TCS philosophy. I am excited about the Urban Data Centre at the School of Cities, close to our collaboration hub, TCS Pace Port Toronto. I am sure this will offer deep insights for better citizen and customer experiences.”

“It's all about making good decisions,” adds Fox. “And to make good decisions, you need to be aware of what data exists and where.”

Trend-spotting Google exec Colin McKay says U of T prepared him for dynamic career path

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 26 May 2022 13:19:51 +0000

Trend-spotting Google exec Colin McKay says U of T prepared him for dynamic career path

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 05/26/2022 - 09:19

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After studying history and international relations at U of T, Colin McKay went on to work for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and Google Canada (photo courtesy of McKay)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Google

International Relations

Trinity College

Colin McKay built an impressive career in government and industry by analyzing data and spotting trends – and he says his education in the �ؿ�ζSM's Faculty of Arts & Science contributed to his success.

McKay obtained a B.A. with distinction in history and international relations at U of T as a member of Trinity College, followed by a master's in history. He worked for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada before moving to Google Canada, where he currently heads government affairs and public policy.

“There is a clear trend line in my life because the work I was doing for my undergrad and graduate degrees was really about information collection, analysis and communications,” he says. “What I studied in terms of information and intelligence analysis translated into my early jobs, and that flowed into an opportunity with the privacy commissioner.”

He started at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada – which provides advice to individuals about protecting personal information and enforces federal privacy laws – in 2007, just a few years after the advent of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The rising popularity of social media prompted new questions and fuelled debate around privacy.

“I felt I had insights into that policy dialogue, as well as the specific work, based in part on the studies I had done at U of T,” McKay says, adding that it also helped to be an early adopter of social media.

“The work at the privacy commissioner helped me take a deep dive into the other side of information use and analysis, which added to the collection of skills that got me the job at Google.”

McKay was drawn to the field of international relations because his father was a diplomat whose job took the family all over the world.

“I also liked the multidisciplinary nature of being able to jump between economics, political science, history and specialist courses,” says McKay.

“And I took my time at U of T, because I was taking all the courses that appealed to me intellectually, but also because I was viewing the subject matter from a variety of perspectives and disciplines.”

One of McKay’s main roles at Google is understanding the evolving regulatory environment around privacy and data collection and how that affects the company and consumers. He’s also charged with navigating that landscape with policymakers, researchers and politicians drafting new policies and legislation.

His U of T education is an important foundation for that work as well, he says.

“There's a lot of conversation at the moment about how exactly we create a regulatory framework designed for 2022,” says McKay.

“It all goes to the multidisciplinary nature of my international relations degree. Whether it’s political science, economics or history,” he says.

“You have to work hard to understand the environment, the problems to be solved and the specific communities you deal with, to evaluate and execute decisions. That makes my role very interesting.”

He says his focus on following his own personal interests and professional challenges throughout his school years and career also gives him insights into the changing expectations of younger Canadians in the workforce.

“I'm not as confused as some of my peers about people being willing to abandon jobs or to fundamentally rethink what they want to do with their skills and their time. Because that's how I was initially trained and how I've behaved since then,” says McKay.

Previously a board member and vice chair at Media Smarts, a non-profit that promotes digital and media literacy, McKay says it's important for the public to be given adequate tools and training to appreciate the benefits – and risks – associated with technology.

“I think the overlap with the media literacy work I’ve been doing is that there is a level of expectation and burden on the individual to understand the implications for them of the technology they're using, both in the moment and in the future.”

School of Cities releases plan to boost mixed-use development in Toronto

geoff.vendeville — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 18:20:51 +0000

School of Cities releases plan to boost mixed-use development in Toronto

geoff.vendeville Thu, 04/21/2022 - 14:20

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A plan by U of T's School of Cities calls for more mixed-use development in Toronto, blending residential, commercial and other uses, to support the creation of affordable housing (images and photo courtesy of Infrastructure Institute, School of Cities)

Peter Boisseau

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

School of Cities

City Building

Faculty of Arts & Science

Urban Planning

Family shelters below upscale condos, student housing above a rec centre and affordable housing built on top of community spaces offering social services.

Matti Siemiatycki

These are a few local examples of mixed-use development, a kind of urban planning not often found in Toronto that blends residential, commercial and other uses. Amid pandemic-related economic pressures and skyrocketing real estate prices, there is an even greater need for such development, says Matti Siemiatycki, director of the Infrastructure Institute in the �ؿ�ζSM's School of Cities.

“There's something like 50 of these buildings in Toronto, but each one of them has a long and often painful story behind it, where essentially the partners got to the end of what they could do on their own,” says Siemiatycki, who is also a professor in the department of geography and planning in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

With the help of a donor, the School of Cities recently rolled out a three-pronged, city-building plan emphasizing mixed-use development. The plan includes a social purpose real estate accelerator to spur development that benefits the community, Siemiatycki says.

“We want to morph this into the norm rather than the exception and bring partners together intentionally, to turn it into a model of creative mixed-uses designed for a social purpose, because that’s what enables growth to drive community benefit.”

The infrastructure institute is partnering with the city’s real estate agency on public property development projects, such as fire and paramedic stations with affordable housing built above them, Siemiatycki adds.

A public exhibit of artists' concepts and architectural models opened this week in Regent Park, in the city's downtown, as part of the institute’s plan to spark interest in the exciting possibilities for Toronto and other urban centres, he says.

North Toronto Collegiate Institute, a high school co-located with condos.

“The idea behind the whole project is to leverage development to ensure social purpose is being built into our communities by integrating a mix of social uses into government and for-profit buildings.”

The institute’s research shows this type of development is already happening, but largely as a last resort. Examples cited in the research include the co-location of schools, libraries, recreation centres and childcare into community hubs.

Siemiatycki hopes the social purpose mixed-use model might even form a significant part of the city’s HousingTO Action Plan to approve 40,000 new affordable rental homes by 2030.

“I'm always reluctant to make claims that sound like you're grasping at the stars. But I also think you have to set the bar high,” he says.

“This is essentially about re-envisioning how we build a city. A school doesn't have to be a two-storey building with nothing above it; a recreation centre doesn't need to just be three stories with a gym and a parking lot.”

The Red Door family shelter co-located with condos.

The institute’s work on social purpose real estate is part of the School of Cities’ mission to be an incubator for innovative solutions that make cities more inclusive and prosperous, says Karen Chapple, the school’s director and a professor of geography and planning.

“As it leverages its real estate to serve broader social needs, Toronto is pioneering a powerful new model for infill development for other global cities to follow,” she says.

The institute launched a series of free training models in March for anyone interested in learning about social purpose real estate. Later this spring, it will begin admitting organizations into an accelerator program that focuses on how to undertake a social purpose real estate project. The program, which formally launches in September, will help participants develop a final business plan that will attract private, philanthropic or government funding.

“Many nonprofits have legacy properties they've been running for decades,” Siemiatycki says. “In many cases, the mortgage is paid off but the property is deteriorating for lack of money.

“There’s real opportunities through social purpose real estate for many of those organizations to leverage their assets to further the mission of their organizations and create affordable places for people to live.”

Artist’s concept of mixed-use development, housing and fire station.

The School of Cities was able to develop its ambitious city-building plan thanks to a $1.5 million gift from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

The gift also helped support another project that may help the city derive social benefits from its extensive real estate holdings.

Siemiatycki says the city’s CreateTO real estate agency is keen to explore opportunities to mix existing fire and paramedic stations with affordable housing, social services and commercial uses, working with the School of Cities team to develop a proof of concept.

“We're already working on the design of a fire station that would have housing above it,” says Siemiatycki, who notes the city has more than 120 fire and paramedic stations.

“It's pretty incredible when you think of how many fire stations and paramedic hubs there are around the city. They're often one or two-storey buildings, and many of them are on arterial roads, so they're in great locations for development potential,” he says.

Using a sex and gender lens, U of T graduate students focus on brain, mental health research

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 15:57:18 +0000

Using a sex and gender lens, U of T graduate students focus on brain, mental health research

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/17/2022 - 11:57

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Michelle De Pol and Emily Schwartzman are among five U of T graduate students to receive funding to incorporate sex or gender into their brain and mental health research (photo courtesy of De Pol and Schwartzman)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Our Community

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Gender

Graduate Students

Mental Health

Research & Innovation

A group of graduate students at the �ؿ�ζSM are receiving support to incorporate sex and gender considerations into their brain and mental health research.

The initiative, part of a collaboration led by the Faculty of Arts & Science, aims to help fill sex and gender gaps in research data for a range of health issues from Alzheimer’s disease to clinical depression.

It will also better position students to get future support from funding agencies, who are increasingly insisting sex or gender considerations be included in all health research.

“This is part of a capacity-building effort so students can be more successful in their current and future grant applications, but also to develop and support researchers interested in a fundamental aspect of human diversity,” says Gillian Einstein, a professor in the department of psychology who is the Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Chair in Women’s Brain Health and Aging.

“There’s so much research that is only done on males – and even when it’s done on males and females, they don’t design the study to determine whether the males and females are different. They just put the two sexes together and analyze their data.”

Analyzing research data without accounting for sex or gender differences may impede the search for treatments and cures, adds Einstein, whose chair is teaming up with the department of psychology to award funds to five graduate students to expand their brain and mental health research to include sex or gender considerations.

Professor Gillian Einstein (photo courtesy of Einstein)

Einstein says omitting gender considerations can also skew research data because a person’s socio-economic standing – or the stress and stigma they endure due to prejudice or stereotypes – can affect their biology, including cognition and memory.

“Whether we’re talking about individual psychological differences or precision medicine, we’ve got to ask: Why aren't we taking these sex and gender differences into account in the research? We need to think about this more.”

More than 30 graduate students applied for the sex and gender funding initiative, which is also supported by the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience (CPIN). The CPIN is funded by 16 academic departments and seven U of T faculties.

The five graduate students selected for funding include psychology PhD students Emily Schwartzman and Tanner McNamara.

Schwartzman says the funding has allowed her to expand the number of participants in her studies on the impact of gender stereotypes and prejudice, including on climate change and pro-environmental behaviours.

“Biology and gender have strong implications that should be examined in any research,” says Schwartzman, who earned her master of arts degree in psychology from U of T in 2020.

“It's really essential to look at how aspects of sex and gender might be influencing people's health, experiences and choices at all levels.”

McNamara says the funding has allowed him to expand his pre-clinical trials by examining conflict-avoidance behaviour to include more women.

“Prior to receiving the top-up funding, I just had to rely on some preliminary behavioural data,” says McNamara.

The other graduate students chosen for the funding include PhD student Ali Golbabaei of the Institute of Medical Sciences, master of applied science in biomedical engineering student Alexandra Santos and Michelle De Pol, a masters student at the Institute of Medical Science who earned her honours bachelor of science degree in neuroscience from U of T as a member of St. Michael’s College in 2020.

De Pol’s research is exploring sex- and gender-based considerations in borderline personality disorder and depression, which are both predominantly diagnosed in female-identifying individuals.

“The funds definitely help because it is costly to do neuroimaging research, particularly PET scans,” says De Pol.

“I hope the work I and other funding recipients are doing can inspire other researchers to add sex and gender considerations into their own research.”

Einstein says that, by holding the chair in women’s brain health and now leading a collaboration to fund sex and gender research, U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science is positioning itself as a leader in the field, which will also help attract and retain students.

'Strong in both worlds': U of T grad builds bridges between Indigenous and Western worldviews

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 19:06:31 +0000

'Strong in both worlds': U of T grad builds bridges between Indigenous and Western worldviews

geoff.vendeville Mon, 02/07/2022 - 14:06

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Itoah Scott-Enns, who owns Įdaà Strategies in Yellowknife, started the #SpeakTłı̨chǫToMe social media campaign to promote the use of Tłı̨chǫ (photo courtesy of Itoah-Scott-Enns)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Indigenous

Woodsworth College

As a proud Tłı̨chǫ Dene who was born and raised in Denendeh – the Dene word for their traditional land in the Northwest Territories – Itoah Scott-Enns spends a lot of time building bridges between Western and Northern Indigenous knowledge and worldviews.

The �ؿ�ζSM alumna is the owner of Įdaà Strategies in Yellowknife, which facilitates culturally rooted, community-based development that recognizes community members as the experts.

“We have a phrase in my language that translates to ‘being strong like two people,’” says Scott-Enns, who earned a bachelor's degree in Indigenous studies and ethics, society and law with distinction from U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science in 2014. ”It was coined by my great aunt, Elizabeth Mackenzie, based on a concept from one of our former chiefs.

“It's about recognizing we live in a world now where we have to stay strong in our traditional knowledge and culture while also learning to collaborate with Western and modern ways, so that we're strong in both worlds.”

Scott-Enns, who was a member of Woodsworth College, recalls dealing with the culture shock that comes with traveling thousands of kilometres away from home to attend university.

“It was hard to be away from my family and my community while going on that learning journey. But by the end of my time in Toronto, I was super comfortable there,” she says.

“The opportunity to leave the North really contributed to my overall knowledge. It was a good growing experience, living outside of the norm, learning more about other people's cultures and building networks and connections.”

Ironically, Scott-Enns says being far from home rekindled her interest in her own culture as she learned more about residential schools, colonialism and reconciliation – especially from Lee Maracle, the celebrated writer, activist and Indigenous Studies instructor at U of T who died last fall at age 71.

“Lee taught me about what reconciliation really means, and how to navigate those hard conversations so we can and figure out how to bring Western and Indigenous knowledge together to build stronger communities,” she adds.

“A lot of the work I do is about building bridges. Having the chance to get an education and spend some time outside the North helped me understand that.”

In 2015, just a year after arriving at U of T, Scott-Enns founded the #SpeakTłı̨chǫToMe social media campaign to promote the learning and use of Dene languages, especially Tłı̨chǫ.

“I think the passion for wanting to reclaim my language really started when I was at U of T, because I grew up not speaking it, and my grandparents did not speak English, which had a really big impact on my life,” Scott-Enns says.

Through #SpeakTłı̨chǫToMe, Scott-Ens shares stories and videos about her own learning journey, including teaching her daughter Tłı̨chǫ. She encourages others by pointing out her own mistakes and acknowledging the difficulty of the learning process while emphasizing that it's OK to make mistakes.

The feedback she’s received from young people in her community has been extremely rewarding, she says.

After graduating from U of T, Scott-Enns spent four years as executive director of the Arctic Funders Collaborative, where she led the development of the Arctic Indigenous Fund (AIF), designed by Indigenous leaders recruited from across the circumpolar Arctic.

“The result is a philanthropic fund for Indigenous communities, by Indigenous communities, that does grantmaking according to our Indigenous ways of life for our communities,” says Scott-Enns, who serves as a mentor to the fund manager.

In 2020, she published a report for the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples network about the importance of Indigenous-led funds like the AIF.

She started Įdaà Strategies two years ago to focus on supporting northern Indigenous communities.

“I help our communities brainstorm what values rooted in our culture, language and way of life should be guiding our future and how to work toward that, while understanding the complexities of the mixed world that we live in,” she says.

“For instance, helping communities figure out how to build on their ways of doing things, but also communicate in ways that need to happen with government policy, which is often rooted in Western values.”

Scott-Enns also sits on the board of directors for Indspire, a national charity that awards funding to post-secondary students, which she says is a perfect fit with the value she places on education and the opportunities she was given.

Currently on maternity leave after the birth of her second daughter last fall, Scott-Enns is excited about what lies ahead.

“There's so much work to be done. I don't have the capacity to do it by myself. I'm hoping that after my maternity leave, I can start focusing on expanding the business and hiring more people to help with it,” she says.

“There's lots of Dene people who are really craving work that's meaningful, and that lets them build on their knowledge, culture and language and strengthen that within our communities.”

In a bid to improve access to Bay Street, U of T alumnus creates bursary for underrepresented groups

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 13:26:33 +0000

In a bid to improve access to Bay Street, U of T alumnus creates bursary for underrepresented groups

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 10/12/2021 - 09:26

Cutline

Robert Davis, a partner at KPMG and chair of the board, recently helped establish the Robert Davis and Joseph Chen Access and Diversity Bursary at U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science (photo courtesy of KPMG)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Our Community

Anti-Black Racism

Diversity and Inclusion

Alumni

Equity

Faculty of Arts & Science

New College

As he climbed through the ranks of Bay Street accounting firm KPMG, �ؿ�ζSM alumnus Robert Davis didn’t see many role models who looked like him – so he decided to do something about it.

Davis, recently elected chair of KPMG Canada’s board, and his life partner recently established the Robert Davis and Joseph Chen Access and Diversity Bursary at U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science. They also created a bequest to ensure their legacy of financial assistance to promising students continues long after they are gone.

“We have done well financially over the years and felt it was time to give back, especially to Black and inner-city youth who do not have the role models and visibility into Bay Street to see the possibilities out there for them,” says Davis, who earned a bachelor of commerce degree from U of T in 1989 as a member of New College.

“We really wanted to focus on a segment of our society that just wouldn’t generally have the same opportunities as many straight, privileged white men.”

Davis was nine years old when his family emigrated from Jamaica to Toronto. By the time he was in high school, he had already discovered an affinity for accounting, an interest he pursued at U of T.

“I think the courses I took at U of T and the bachelor of commerce program in general set me up for success,” says Davis, who joined KPMG right after graduation and qualified as a chartered accountant in 1992.

He left KPMG in 1999 to pursue other opportunities but returned in 2005 and soon made partner. By then, the company was putting more emphasis on inclusion and diversity. Davis made sure to be part of it.

“I’ve always had a bent for the people side of our business and a strong passion for inclusion and diversity (I&D), so when we started our national I&D council in 2014, I was one of the first members,” says Davis.

In addition to being chair of the board, he is also the firm’s chief inclusion and diversity officer – a title that will soon change to include “equity” as well.

Davis says he’s also been vocal about encouraging colleagues to consider what they can do to address inequity in society – particularly in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in the U.S. by a police officer and the global rise of the anti-Black racism movement.

He says many of his colleagues have started scholarships at their alma maters to encourage diversity and more people are receptive to the idea things have to change, especially when it comes to systemic barriers that create an uneven playing field.

KPMG LLP matches donations by Canadian employees – up to $1,000 a year per individual – although Davis says the program is still underused and needs to be more broadly advertised to staff.

“We've certainly noticed over the past year or so [that] folks with privilege have started to realize some of the barriers for a certain segment of our population to getting into university and building a career,” he says.

Scholarships and financial access to education are just part of the process, says Davis. That’s why he meets with his scholarship winners to impart tips, advice and insights.

“The light bulb probably went off for me a few years ago. If underrepresented groups don't see people that look like them in leadership, they just don't believe in it – even if financial assistance makes it theoretically possible for them,” he says.

“On the other hand, it’s easier to believe if they see someone like themselves in those roles because it takes more than just a university degree to be successful in business.”

Davis says that, in his experience, there are more people ready to help than stand in the way – but unfortunately, barriers still exist.

“You've got to be persistent. You will hit roadblocks, but you can't give up,” he says. “Not everybody is on the bus, and you have to recognize there is racism out there. But you can't let people like that dissuade you.”

U of T researchers race to treat rare disorder that affects newborns' hearing and vision

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 23:12:02 +0000

U of T researchers race to treat rare disorder that affects newborns' hearing and vision

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 09/17/2021 - 19:12

Cutline

(Photo by Tom Merton/Getty Images)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Our Community

Cell and Systems Biology

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Research & Innovation

University College

Researchers at the �ؿ�ζSM are working towards a genetic treatment for symptoms of Usher syndrome, a rare disorder that leaves newborns with profound hearing loss and gradually robs them of their vision.

Vincent Tropepe (photo by Diana Tyzko)

Led by Vincent Tropepe, a professor in the department of cell and systems biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, the research into Usher syndrome type 1F (Usher 1F) suggests gene therapy may be able to correct the vision loss (the hearing loss can be alleviated with electronic cochlear implants).

Tropepe says the work is focused on determining how specific gene mutations affect the shape and integrity of photoreceptors, the light sensing cells in the retina.

“We think that in Usher 1F photoreceptors do not mature properly during development and the shape of their outer segment, the part of the cell that captures photons of light, is defective and often detaches from the rest of the cell,” he says.

“Photoreceptors naturally repair their outer segments because of the ‘wear-and-tear’ in processing light. We think we could correct the gene and piggyback on the eye’s natural ability to recreate the photoreceptor membranes to restore their shape and even regrow their outer segments.”

Tropepe and his team recently received a $50,000 funding boost for their work from the Usher 1F Collaborative, a U.S.-based non-profit. The additinoal support came ahead of Usher syndrome Awareness Day on Sept. 18.

“Funding like the donation from the collaborative and also from Fighting Blindness Canada enables me to hire great trainees so I can start tackling this research from multiple directions in parallel,” Tropepe says.

Scientists have identified three types of Usher syndrome based on the degree of hearing and vision loss, with Usher 1F being the most severe. In the United States and Canada, about four in every 100,000 newborns have Usher syndrome.

There is currently no cure.

For thousands of people born with Usher 1 and who are now gradually losing their sight, time is of the essence says Sari Springer, director of the collaborative, whose two nieces are among those living with the disorder.

One niece recently started a master’s degree at American University in Washington, D.C. and the other is a University College London graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer with a successful career in the non-profit sector. Both are growing anxious about their advancing vision loss, says Springer, a U of T alumna who graduated in 1986 with a bachelor of arts in sociology as a member of University College.

At left: Rachel and Jessica Chaikof are losing their vision to Usher 1F. At right: Sari Springer, director of the Usher 1F Collaborative (photos courtesy of Rachel Chaikof and Littler)

“Vince's research is hugely important because it's focused on gene therapy and he’s making enormous strides. We just need to get this across the finish line to save the sight of these young kids and adults,” Springer says.

“The science says by the time they’re in their 40s or 50s, they won't have any vision left. Vince is working at lightning speed to find the cure, but every day that passes is another potential day of more sight loss.”

Amanda Miles (photo by Emily Dong)

Tropepe is working with research scientist and PhD student Amanda Miles, an alumna who graduated with her honours bachelor of science in cellular and molecular biology in 2014 as a member of University College.

He hopes to add up to two post-doctoral researchers with the new funding from the collaborative. He is also appealing for more help to speed progress.

“Really, what we need is a small team of people. When you have those sorts of resources, you can start to add to the excellent people we already have working on this,” says Tropepe, who feels there are several other promising research threads like drug treatments that may prove useful in tandem with the gene therapy.

Miles says the Usher 1F research project – only a few years old – started with a discussion between her, Tropepe and Andrew Emili, a former molecular genetics professor at U of T who is now at Boston University.

“It’s a really great example of how the U of T research community fosters collaborative discussion,” says Miles.

U of T students living with a disability can rely on a world class network of support services, adds Springer, a lawyer who advises the university on disability issues.

“I've worked extensively with the �ؿ�ζSM Accessibility Services office and they are an incredibly passionate and dedicated group of individuals,” says Springer.

“I come at it from the heart, because of my two nieces. I understand what it means to be able to succeed in university and how difficult that is without the assistance of such a highly accomplished accessibility services team.”

Peter Boisseau

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In a bid to improve access to Bay Street, U of T alumnus creates bursary for underrepresented groups

U of T researchers race to treat rare disorder that affects newborns' hearing and vision

Read more about TCS’ support of the Urban Data Centre in the Toronto Sun (paywall )