May 27, 2020

Honouring Impact: Department of Medicine Faculty Among 2020 Dean’s Alumni Awards Recipients

About Us, Faculty, Nephrology, Neurology
Dean's Alumni Award
By

Emily Kulin

U of T Medicine alumni have always been renowned for their contributions to their communities. Today, with the global COVID-19 pandemic shining a spotlight on health and healthcare providers, we are prouder than ever to announce the recipients of the 2020 Dean’s Alumni Awards.

This year’s honoured awardees include a Parkinson’s disease research pioneer, a paediatric social justice advocate, a champion of the homeless, a leading suicide prevention researcher and a home hemodialysis innovator. While their work may be diverse, each shares an important attribute: a commitment to making a difference.

“The five recipients of the 2020 Dean’s Alumni Awards represent the very best of our extraordinary alumni community,” Dean Trevor Young. “Their leadership, service to others and commitment to innovation will positively impact the lives of countless individuals.”

This year, the Faculty of Medicine is honouring:

Dr. Anthony LangLifetime Achievement Award – Global Impact
Dr. Anthony Lang, MD ‘75

Dr. Lang is the former President of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society and past Editor of the journal Movement Disorders. He pioneered the use of specific rating scales for a number of neurological movement disorders (including the most commonly used scale for cervical dystonia), advocated for the use of experimental therapeutics in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and was instrumental in changing the way that Parkinson’s disease is evaluated. Dr. Lang established the Pan American Section within the international Movement Disorder Society — uniting clinicians and scientists from the United States, Latin America and South America, and representing those regions in the Society’s programming and outreach.

Dr. Christopher ChanMD 25th Anniversary Award
Dr. Christopher Chan, MD ’95, PGME ’02 (Clinician Investigator Program)

Dr. Chan has made globally-recognized contributions to home hemodialysis. He has championed and defined this important therapy, leading and coordinating a large network dedicated to the clinical and basic science aspects of optimal dialysis delivery. He leads an internationally-recognized home dialysis centre of excellence in Toronto and led the development of the UHN-Baxter Home Dialysis Fellowship. Dr. Chan also co-chaired the International Consensus Statement of Innovative Dialysis Therapies and has over 200 highly cited peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Other Faculty of Medicine alumni to receive Dean's Alumni Awards are The Honourable Rosemary Gay Moodie, Senator, PGME ’88 (Paediatrics) for the Lifetime Achievement Award - National/Community Impact, Dr. Naheed Dosani, PGME ’13 (Family & Community Medicine) for the Humanitarian Award and Dr. Mark Sinyor, MD ’07, PGME ’12 (Psychiatry) for the Emerging Leader Award. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 award recipients will be formally honoured at the next Dean’s Alumni Awards Reception in Spring 2021.