Creative Professional Activity Awards for Faculty

This award recognizes outstanding achievement in developing projects that further the agenda of collaboration between the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and partner countries. Projects must have education and/or research objectives and be clearly aligned with the values and practice of social responsibility. They should involve the active participation of faculty and/or students in both partner countries.

Type: Philanthropic

Eligible recipients: Faculty and/or residents

Amount: $1,000

Criteria:

This award recognizes outstanding achievement in developing projects that further the agenda of collaboration between the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and partner countries. Projects must have education and/or research objectives and be clearly aligned with the values and practice of social responsibility. They should involve the active participation of faculty and/or students in both partner countries.

Nomination process:

Each year, the Department will issue a call for nominations in the form of a CV and letter which detail the accomplishments of the nominees with respect to the above criteria. This letter may be submitted by the individual or a nominator who can speak to the impact of the nominee’s accomplishments.

Nominations may be submitted to the psych.awards@utoronto.ca email.

Harinder K. Gaind was a distinguished educator who immigrated from India to Canada with her young family in the 1970s, who taught grace, dignity and integrity through her advocacy, and her example, even when facing challenges and disparities common to many immigrant experiences.  This award was established by her family in 2022 to honour her memory, and to recognize a Faculty of Medicine member who has demonstrated Harinder’s values by having impactfully bent the arc towards biopsychostructural justice in mental health.

The award will be given to faculty members who have demonstrated significant impact in the area of biopsychostructural justice in the mental health system. The recipient will present their work through a grand rounds or other type of lecture.

Type: Philanthropic

Eligible recipients: Faculty from the Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Family Medicine, or the Department of Medicine

Amount: $2,000

Criteria:

The award will be given to faculty members who have demonstrated significant impact in the area of biopsychostructural justice in the mental health system, and criteria will include an assessment of the effort invested and the positive impact achieved by their work.

Nomination process:

Applicants will be asked to submit a supporting testimonial letter attesting to their impact from a colleague or person familiar with their work (the colleague is not required to be a member of the Faculty), an updated CV, and a letter describing their work as it matches the award criteria and a brief outline for their proposed presentation. Please only submit the above documents; additional documents will not be considered.

Applications may be submitted to the psych.awards@utoronto.ca email.

To acknowledge that creative professional activity complements teaching and research, and is valued by the department and the faculty because of its contribution to knowledge transfer, exemplary clinical practice and innovative healthcare delivery.

Type: Departmental

Eligible recipients: Faculty.

Amount: $500

Criteria:

Nominees will have demonstrated sustained excellence in one or more of the following domains:

• Demonstrating creativity and accomplishment in a leadership role within the department, the healthcare system or a related professional organization
• Developing and implementing innovative models of clinical programming or service delivery
• Contributing significantly to system reform, through consultation activities, membership on task forces, development of position papers or participation in policy development
• Expanding the understanding of mental health issues using the humanities, arts, communication media or other creative vehicles

Nomination process:

Each year, the Vice Chair, Clinical Innovation will issue a call for nominations in the form of a C.V. and letter which detail the accomplishments of the nominees with respect to the above criteria.  The letter should come from an individual who can speak to the impact of these accomplishments.

Nominations may be submitted to the psych.awards@utoronto.ca email.

To acknowledge that clinical excellence is valued by the Department of Psychiatry and recognize the contribution of high quality healthcare, including the importance of the patient experience, patient outcomes, and health equity to the academic mission. The award is open to any faculty member who has contributed to departmental activities for a minimum of ten years.

Type: Departmental

Eligible recipients: The award is open to any faculty member who has contributed to departmental activities for a minimum of ten years.

Amount: $500

Criteria:

Nominees will have demonstrated sustained clinical excellence demonstrated by one or more of the following:

• Progressive/sustained clinical leadership positions contributing to a sustainable healthcare system
• Sustained commitment to advancing healthcare quality and impactful engagement in quality improvement efforts
• Sustained mentorship of other faculty and/or inter-professional teams and recognized expertise in clinical care, health planning, or health administration

Nomination process:

Each year, the Division of Adult Psychiatry and Health Systems will issue a call for nominations in the form of a C.V. and letter which detail the accomplishments of the nominees with respect to the above criteria. The letter should come from an individual who can speak to the impact of these accomplishments with concrete examples of quality initiatives, improved access to care or improved patient outcomes.

Nominations may be submitted to the psych.awards@utoronto.ca email.