Congratulations to Tieghan Killackey, who has been appointed RBC Financial Group Chair in Cardiovascular Nursing Research, a role shared between UHN's Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC) and University of Toronto's Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.
Tieghan, a dedicated cardiovascular care researcher who previously worked as a staff nurse at PMCC, will contribute to both institutions, emphasizing the vital link between clinical and academic nursing pathways.
It was while working at PMCC that Tieghan — who is a graduate of Bloomberg Nursing's Master and PhD programs — developed her passion for cardiovascular nursing and nurse-led research.
"Nursing research provides opportunities for nurses to influence practice and improve patient care, and I hope to convey that message to nursing students," says Tieghan, whose research focuses on improving care transitions for patients with chronic cardiovascular disease, particularly youth moving into adult care.
"Supporting patient autonomy and engagement in care has always been a key focus of my research, and I look forward to expanding my impact in cardiovascular nursing research at Bloomberg Nursing and UHN in the years to come," she says.
Pam Hubley, Vice President Health Disciplines and Chief Nurse Executive at UHN, says Tieghan "is a nursing scholar who inspires others, builds collaborative teams and will work to advance the research capacity for nurses at UHN and beyond.
"We are confident that her innovative approach to cardiovascular nursing research will have a profound impact on our work and contribute significantly to enhancing patient care."
Tieghan aims to enhance patient care by supporting autonomy and engagement, using virtual support options tailored to young cardiovascular patients. Her innovative approach and collaborative efforts are expected to significantly impact cardiovascular nursing research and patient care at both Bloomberg Nursing and UHN.
Congratulations to all the winners and nominees of the 2024 Cancer Education Awards.
The Cancer Education Awards are an annual celebration of excellence in cancer education in the Princess Margaret Cancer Program at UHN. These awards represent the dedication and commitment of staff and trainees who raise the bar in cancer care through education.
2024 Cancer Education Award Winners:
Excellence in Mentorship Award
- Dr. Chaya Shwaartz
- Dr. Kimberley Miller
- Dr. Jennifer Croke
Best Fellow Award
- Dr. Sofia Canales Albarran
- Dr. Stephen Lowell Ciocon
- Dr. Adam Bishop
Robert V. Brady Award for Best Resident
- Dr. George Li
- Dr. Mitchell Elliott
Excellence in Education Support Award
Innovation in Education Award
- The Red Blood Cell Disorders Hub Editorial Team: Oluwayemisi Abatan, James Bradley, Earleen Dover, Vanessa Ferguson, Josephine Fosuwaa, Ola Iyanda, Colleen Johnson, Filomena Mazzella, Bethany Morris, Kathy Raufi, Sinthu Srikanthan, Shirin Taki, and others.
Outstanding Contribution to Cancer Education Award
Video Award
- Neva Pang and Angela Cashell
Read more about the Cancer Education Awards.
Congratulations to Emma Bingham, a registered nurse on Unit 6AB Neurovascular at UHN's Toronto Western Hospital, who recently received a national award from the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses (CACCN).
The "Chasing Excellence Award" is presented to a critical care nurse who exhibits qualities of expert practice including specialized knowledge, high-quality patient care, leadership, quality improvement and acting as a change agent and role model.
Each year, the CACCN proudly honours individual excellence, expertise, outstanding achievements, professional development and superior contributions to the organization and the specialty of critical care through awards, grants and bursaries. Read more about the 2024 awards.
The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has announced this year's elected Fellows and incoming class of the RSC College. Congratulations to the following researchers at UHN who were among those elected.
- Dr. Ren-Ke Li is a Senior Scientist at UHN's Toronto General Research Institute working in the field of stem cell transplantation and tissue engineering. He has been at the forefront of cell transplantation and tissue engineering and his research focuses on the development of novel therapies for repairing and regenerating the injured heart cells and tissue and improving cardiac function after a heart attack.
- Dr. Mathieu Lupien is a Senior Scientist who serves on the Senior Advisory Group and the Research Council on Oncology at UHN's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. His research in chromatin and epigenetics has advanced the study of the non-coding genome to identify determinants of cancer and accelerated the development of chromatin and epigenetic-based precision medicine against cancer.
- Dr. Trevor Pugh is a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret. His research is focused on the application of genome sequence analysis as a routine clinical test, particularly as modern cancer treatments are increasingly predicated based on genetic information.
Over 100 Fellows were elected and recognized for their impactful achievements in the arts, social sciences, humanities, and sciences. The RSC also recognized and welcomed 56 new Members to the RSC College.
The College consists of mid-career researchers who help the RSC address major challenges and seize opportunities in emerging fields in Canada and around the world.
Read more about the awards and the upcoming ceremonies honouring the awardees.
Congratulations to Dr. Catriona Steele, a Senior Scientist at UHN's KITE Research Institute, on receiving the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Honors of Association Award.
The award, which is the highest honour bestowed by the association, recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the discipline of communication sciences and disorders.
Dr. Steele's research focuses on helping people who lose the ability to swallow — something we all take for granted. This includes studying how foods and liquids move through the throat, establishing international definitions for food and liquid consistency in diets for people with swallowing difficulty, and developing exercise-based therapy that helps people return to normal eating and drinking.
Dr. Steele directs KITE's Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Laboratory. She is a professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto and holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Swallowing and Food Oral Processing.
