From: Barbara Fallon, Associate Vice-President, Research
Date: March 10, 2023
Re: 2023 Recipients of the President’s Impact Awards and Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award
(PDAD&C #25)

I am delighted to announce the recipients of the 2023 President’s Impact Awards and the Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award.

The President’s Impact Awards (PIA) celebrate and honour faculty members and teams of faculty whose research has led to significant impact beyond academia. They recognize contributions that emerge from academic scholarship and have fully realized, demonstrable impacts on any domain of society, whether through a single influential contribution or through an ongoing commitment to research translation. PIA nominees are also considered for the Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award, presented annually under the banner of the U of T Awards of Excellence (AWEX).

Recipients of the PIA are designated as members of the President’s Impact Academy for a period of five years, during which they receive an award of $10,000 per year to be used toward their research. The Academy meets to discuss matters relevant to research impact, offers advice to the Vice President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives, and advocates for sustained excellence in research and innovation impact within and outside of the University.

I want to thank all the nominators for their support and care in preparing the dossiers. I also want to extend appreciation to the members of the Selection Committee for their time and dedication to the process. Thank you all for your commitment to recognizing excellence in research impact at U of T.

The 2023 recipients are as follows:

President’s Impact Awards

Ajay Agrawal
Professor, Rotman School of Management

For his impactful application of economic theory to the problem of market failures associated with transforming scientific inventions into scalable companies that benefit society – now adopted by many universities around the world.

George Dei
Professor, Department of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

For influential work advancing anti-racism, equity, anti-colonial thought and African Indigeneity in education and sustained impact on policies, practices and advocacy for inclusive schooling and Black youth’s educational success.

Ito Peng 
Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts & Science 

For global social policy leadership informing national and international policy bodies on issues of gender, the work of care and care migration.

Professor Peng is also the recipient of the 2023 Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award.

Yu Sun 
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

For outstanding contributions to robotics at micro-nano scales, whose far-reaching impacts include transformative infertility treatments for patients and materials characterization techniques for industry.

Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table Leadership
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Faculty of Arts and Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Baycrest Health Sciences Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Sinai Health System, Unity Health, University Health Network, Women’s College Hospital

For outstanding contributions and dedication to supporting evidence-informed decision making and response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario and nationally.

Scientific Directors
Peter Jüni
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Unity Health

Fahad Razak
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Unity Health

Co-Chairs

Adalsteinn Brown                     
Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Brian Schwartz
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Public Health Ontario

Upton Allen                  
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Hospital for Sick Children

Assistant Scientific Directors

Nathan Stall
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Sinai Health System

Karen Born     
Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Director of Communications
Robert Steiner
Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Working Group and Partner Table Leads

Modelling Consensus Table
Beate Sander
Dalla Lana School of Public Health
University Health Network

Kumar Murty
Faculty of Arts and Science

Congregate Care Setting Working Group
Paula Rochon
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Women’s College Hospital

Drugs & Biologics Clinical Practice Guideline Working Group
Andrew Morris
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Sinai Health System

Mental Health Working Group
Linda Mah
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Baycrest Health Sciences Centre

Profiles of this year’s recipients and further information about the awards are available online and on U of T Celebrates.