Translational Research Program

Entrepreneurship Week

��˾��ֱ�� Entrepreneurship

��˾��ֱ��

Artificial Intelligence

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Entrepreneurship

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Startups

Sustainability

ThisIsThePlace

��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough

Preventing nerve damage caused by chemotherapy. Using artificial intelligence to help people who are Deaf communicate with machines through sign language. Accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in urban communities.

These are some of the innovations being advanced by members of the University of Toronto’s thriving entrepreneurship community.

Ranked among the top five university business incubators in the world, ��˾��ֱ�� Entrepreneurship is preparing to celebrate these and other startups during the eighth annual Entrepreneurship Week from March 4 to 7. The week-long celebration includes more than 15 events, including pitch competitions, startup showcases, workshops and more.

Here are 10 exciting ��˾��ֱ��-affiliated startups to keep an eye on in 2024:

HDAX Therapeutics

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Chemotherapy kills cancer cells, but it can also cause irreversible nerve damage that results in pain, loss of sensation and even paralysis. HDAX Therapeutics, co-founded by alumnae Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul and Nabanita Nawar, is looking to tackle the problem with a preventative drug that has delivered promising results in pre-clinical studies.

Waabi

(photo by Polina Teif)

Waabi is a self-driving technology startup founded by Raquel Urtasun, a professor of computer science in ��˾��ֱ��’s Faculty of Arts & Science and co-founder of the Vector Institute who headlined the Desjardins Speaker Series at last year’s Entrepreneurship Week. Her company operates at the intersection of autonomous driving, AI and commercial transportation. In September, it announced a 10-year strategic partnership with Uber Freight to accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in the trucking industry.

Kiwi Charge

(supplied image)

Kiwi Charge is looking to boost the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) via a charging-as-a-service model that caters to people living in apartments and condos. Founded by Abdel Ali, Kiwi Charge helps building owners offer EV charging amenities while avoiding hefty infrastructure costs, allowing tenants to enjoy a hassle-free charging experience. The startup was part of the 2023 cohort of the Nobellum Innovator Program, which provides support and capital to Black founders. Kiwi Charge will be at the True Blue Expo on March 7.

BlueDot

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

BlueDot is using AI to detect infectious disease outbreaks, carry out risk assessment and provide actionable insights to clients in public health, the pharmaceuticals and life sciences industries and global companies more generally. The company was founded by Kamran Khan, a scientist at Unity Health Toronto and professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Khan is scheduled to speak at Entrepreneurship Week, where he will take part in a panel discussion about mental health and wellness for startup founders.

Deaf AI

(photo by Alyssa K Faoro)

Deaf AI is using AI to train machines in sign language to improve human-machine communication for people who are Deaf or have hearing impairments. The company made an impression at the Desjardins Startup Prize Pitch Competition at Entrepreneurship Week 2023, winning first-place in the late-stage category as well as the Dongjun Wang Family True Blue Prize (People’s Choice Award). It was co-founded by Azadeh Bojmehrani, who earned a master of health science degree in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s translational research program (which is hosting a networking lunch event for health-care innovators and entrepreneurs on March 8 to cap off this year’s Entrepreneurship Week action).

Transcrypts

(supplied image)

TransCrypts, too, has enjoyed success at ��˾��ֱ�� Entrepreneurship pitch competitions, taking home the second-place prize in the later-stage category for the UTE Startup Prize during Entrepreneurship Week 2022. Co-founded by Ali Zaheer and Zain Zaidi, the company aims to enhance digital privacy and security by automating document verification – ultimately giving users ownership and access to their own data. The pair have participated in the Y-Combinator accelerator in Silicon Valley and raised more than $3-million in funding from investors that include Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks and a “shark” on Shark Tank.

Genecis

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Genecis is a climate-focused biotech startup that converts organic waste into sustainable and biodegradable plastics. Founded by CEO Luna Yu, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from ��˾��ֱ�� in only four years, Genecis aims to provide plastic manufacturers with competitively priced bio-plastics, while helping waste management companies save on their organic material disposal costs. Since competing in ��˾��ֱ�� pitch competitions back in 2017, Genecis has raised more than $22 million.

Reeddi

(photo by Polina Teif)

Founded by ��˾��ֱ�� Engineering alumnus Olugbenga Olubanjo, Reeddi is bringing affordable and clean electricity to under-resourced communities by renting out solar-powered energy capsules that can power household devices and appliances. Currently based in Nigeria, Reeddi aims to eventually expand its presence to other countries in Africa and beyond. The company was a finalist in Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, which recognizes efforts to tackle environmental problems.

Erthos

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Co-founded by alumnae Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi, Erthos is helping tackle the global plastic pollution crisis with its novel plant-based resin, which serves as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. After starting with a focus on packing peanuts, Erthos has expanded its offerings to include cutlery, clothes hangers and packaging for consumer products, among others. In September, the company announced $6.5 million in Series A funding.

Ardra Bio

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Co-founded by alumnus Pratish Gawand and Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, a professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in ��˾��ֱ��’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Ardra Bio is developing technologies to produce sustainable biochemicals and novel food products including heme, a plant-based product that matches the flavour, colour and iron nutrients of meat, and leaf-aldehyde, which is used as a flavouring ingredient for foods and beverages and as an ingredient in the fragrance industry.

Learn more about ��˾��ֱ�� Entrepreneurship Week

��˾��ֱ�� grads create self-advocacy handbook for Black patients navigating perinatal care

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 21:50:24 +0000

��˾��ֱ�� grads create self-advocacy handbook for Black patients navigating perinatal care

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 12/02/2022 - 16:50

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(Photo by DCStudio/Freepik)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Black Research Network

Black

Health

Two graduates of the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine are working to improving perinatal care for Black birthing people in Canada.

Gabrielle Retta and Gemma Kabeya are both graduates of the Master of Health Science in Translational Research Program (TRP), which brings together thought leaders, students and mentors to transform scientific discoveries into innovations that improve human health.

For their capstone project last year, they founded the Black Birthing Experience Project. The initiative features a patient handbook focused on self-advocacy through different stages of care, as well as a caregiver guidebook to improve Black perinatal health-care outcomes.

Gabrielle Retta and Gemma Kabeya founded The Black Birthing Experience Project.

“A lot of the time, the needs of Black birthing people get ignored in a disproportionate amount, compared to other communities,” Retta says.

“We knew that self-advocacy was an important aspect to help increase the odds of getting a say in your care.”

With Canada’s lack of nation-wide, systematically tracked, race-based health data, Retta and Kabeya explored an alternative approach to research. They turned to their community for insight into the Black patient care experience. They also developed a partnership with The Birth Place Lab (BPL), which hosts multidisciplinary, community-based participatory research on maternity health care within the University of British Columbia’s midwifery program.

In a review of foundational studies based in the United States and the United Kingdom, they found that during perinatal care Black birthing people expressed autonomy concerns, among others. They recounted having cultural needs in a birth plan ignored, being refused certain care and having medical interventions or procedures administered without patient consent during pregnancy and delivery.

“We are trying to reduce those traumatic experiences in ways that are tangible,” Kabeya says.

Black birthing people are more likely to have gynecological complications like endometriosis or pre-term birth yet are less likely to be screened or monitored to prevent such issues, Retta and Kabeya explain.

TRP capstone projects provide students an opportunity to propose and produce meaningful translational research projects in collaboration with the university, partner hospitals and community networks.

Retta and Kabeya conducted 25 informal interviews with graduate and PhD students, doctors, midwives and professionals in the women’s health and health equity fields to understand the obstacles Black birthing people face in Canada.

They also partnered with organizations in the Greater Toronto Area for feedback on the handbook and guidebook. They include: Jessie’s Centre, Better Outcomes Registry and Network, and the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health.

“When certain issues are not being published, we have to take alternative routes and methods to addressing problems,” Kabeya says.

“Through our project, we’re highlighting the impacts of epistemological racism and the alternate approaches you can use to validate your work when publications readily ignore the issues you’re trying to address. These issues are very real – even if we can’t cite Canadian research on the topic.”

Alongside the BPL, Retta and Kabeya surveyed 145 people who identify as Black to understand differences in care delivery models and patient outcomes from midwives and obstetrician-gynecologists. Results showed that support through a partner or doula – a trained professional who provides a birthing person with support during and after pregnancy – and postpartum check-ups can improve care and help patients feel more in control.

The pair is working on finalizing data and feedback from patients on the handbook. Toronto Metropolitan University also approached Retta and Kabeya to integrate their findings into the Black Prenatal Care Module within the school’s midwifery program.

Retta and Kabeya hope their project brings attention to the need for more evidence in this area and plan to further develop The Black Birthing Experience Project.

“It’s been encouraging to have partners who want us to continue this project after our program,” Retta says. “It’s been inspiring to see others working in these spaces and taking the time to mentor younger researchers who want to have an impact in this field.”

‘A wonderful community’: ��˾��ֱ�� students on the benefits of university family housing

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 21:53:40 +0000

‘A wonderful community’: ��˾��ֱ�� students on the benefits of university family housing

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 02/10/2022 - 16:53

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Master's candidate Yasmin Aboelzahab (centre, right) is pictured with her husband Samir, as well as their children Salma and Adam, outside of ��˾��ֱ��'s family housing at 30 and 35 Charles Street West (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

University Family Housing

Scott Mabury

Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

Graduate Students

Mathematics

St. George

Raising a young family while pursuing a graduate degree isn’t easy. Doing it in a new country far from home – and in a city with sky-high housing prices – is even more complicated.

For Yasmin Aboelzahab, a mother of two and master of health sciences candidate at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, the challenges have been alleviated by living in ��˾��ֱ��’s Student Family Housing, which provides attainable downtown accommodation for ��˾��ֱ�� students and their families.

She, her husband and their two children live in one of the roughly 700 apartments at ��˾��ֱ��’s high-rise student family housing at 30 and 35 Charles Street West. Tenants are full-time ��˾��ֱ�� students who are living with a spouse or common-law partner, or who have custody of one or two children.

“Living here is very convenient, mainly because of the location,” says Aboelzahab, who is originally from Egypt and is in the Translational Research Program in the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology.

“It’s downtown, so it’s walking distance from all the places you want to go: grocery stores, the pediatrician, the TTC and the university.”

Aboelzahab and her family originally moved into their Charles Street West unit when her husband was doing his PhD at ��˾��ֱ��. At the time, her daughter was only one year old. Now aged seven, her daughter attends a school in the neighbourhood while Aboelzahab’s three-year-old son goes to the daycare centre located in the building, which offers priority to student families who are residents.

They are also regulars at the building’s free drop-in centre, which organizes programs and services aimed at helping students and their children socialize.

Aboelzahab says easy access to such amenities has been a huge help, but the biggest advantage of family housing is living among a supportive and diverse community.

“I’ve had the chance to meet people from a wide range of cultures. It’s a mirror image of what Canadian society looks like,” she says. “This is really helpful when this is your first contact when you’re in Canada and moving from another country to Canada, and [people] should take the benefits of living in such a community.

“It’s a wonderful community for me.”

Unsurprisingly in a city as expensive as Toronto, the demand for accommodation for students and their families is high. As of late 2021, the wait list for family housing at ��˾��ֱ��’s Charles Street West apartments and smaller units in the Huron-Sussex neighbourhood stood at 995 – a figure that would likely be higher if not for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel.

As demand continues to grow, ��˾��ֱ�� has been exploring ways to build more family housing units through projects such as laneway infill housing. Two laneway homes and a single-family dwelling on Huron Street were recently constructed as part of a pilot project in Huron-Sussex, where ��˾��ֱ�� plans to build more low-rise infill housing for university families.

Scott Mabury, ��˾��ֱ��’s vice-president, operations and real estate partnerships, said that housing is among the most important factors for students and faculty who are considering bringing their talents to ��˾��ֱ��, particularly if they're coming from abroad – but it's also one of the most difficult things to arrange.

“It’s hard to overstate the importance of attainable and conveniently located accommodations for student families and faculty coming to the University of Toronto,” Mabury said. “That’s why we’ve made housing one of the pillars of our Four Corners Strategy, which aims to provide the spaces the university needs to advance its mission.

“We quite simply have to deliver more housing options and we are absolutely committed to leveraging our significant real estate assets and building partnerships to do so.”

Sujata Mishra

Like Aboelzahab, Sujata Mishra, a PhD student at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health who also lives at Charles Street West, also sees community as one of the biggest advantages of ��˾��ֱ��’s student family housing.

“These buildings mostly house international students who don’t have social capital – they don’t have parents, they don’t have families and they just recently moved,” says Mishra, who is originally from India. “So it allows us to make friends with people from different cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities. It gives you a sense of belonging in that everybody’s in a similar boat.

“Everybody’s trying to finish up their studies, and they have families. The problems and the struggles are fairly similar, so you can build a support system around that.”

Mishra notes that residence management takes a proactive role in developing programming to forge a sense of community among residents, even if it has been temporarily curtailed by the pandemic. “You can develop a sense of community, friendships and talk to each other. So there is this social interaction that happens, which is great.”

She says the extent and importance of her social interactions increased “many-fold” after she gave birth to her daughter, who is now three.

“This was my first child, and I’m away from home,” Mishra says. “So, I was constantly needing support to understand how the daycare system in Toronto works, how the subsidy system works, where do I send her to school, how does the schooling work – because of all these things are quite different than where we come from.

“It really helped me build community and have friends with whom I could talk, discuss and get information.”

��˾��ֱ�� is also looking to grow its stock of faculty housing, which offers a limited number of unfurnished rental units to newly and recently appointed faculty. At present, new faculty can expect to wait a year or more before they can be offered an apartment.

Yun (William) Yu

Yun (William) Yu, an assistant professor in the department of mathematics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, says the opportunity to live in faculty housing on campus helped ease his transition to ��˾��ֱ�� in 2019 after completing his post-doctoral work at Harvard University.

“The faculty housing accommodation was incredibly helpful in making the logistics of moving to Canada so much easier,” says Yu, who lives in a rowhouse unit in Huron-Sussex. “The Toronto rental market is quite difficult, and not having to think about that meant one less item that I had to check off.”

Yu says housing is a “reasonably large bonus” for faculty who are offered positions at ��˾��ֱ��.

“Just the convenience of not having to think about logistics while moving – and it is in a brilliant location,” says Yu, who notes that the Bahen Centre, where he does his graduate teaching, is only a 10 to 15-minute walk from his home.

“Living on campus did make me feel more welcome. It really allows me to feel like a part of the university.”

As for Aboelzahab, she is actively taking steps to ensure others enjoy the same sense of community that has embraced her family. Since September 2020, she has been serving as a residence adviser and is responsible for orienting new residents, educating community members on policies and running programming.

“I was so impressed by the resources and services provided to me and my family,” she says. “I thought it’s time to give back and take an active organizational role in the community.”

‘They all moved to Canada to do something bigger’: Remembering the victims of Flight PS752

mattimar — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 20:45:11 +0000

‘They all moved to Canada to do something bigger’: Remembering the victims of Flight PS752

mattimar Fri, 01/07/2022 - 15:45

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Clockwise from top left: Mohammad Salehe, Zahra Hasani, Mojtaba Abbasnezhad, Mohammad Asadi Lari, Mohammad Mahdi Elyasi, Mohammad Amin Jebelli, Mohammad Amin Beiruti and Zeynab Asadi Lari.

Mariam Matti

Topic

Flight 752

��˾��ֱ��

Graduate Students

Iran

For Amin Kamaleddin, grieving the loss of his friends who were killed aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 has been a difficult and frustrating process, with many unanswered questions two years on.

Three of his friends – Mohammad Amin Jebelli, Mohammad Amin Beiruti and Mojtaba Abbasnezhad – were among the eight University of Toronto community members on the flight when it was shot down by Iranian armed forces on Jan. 8, 2020, killing all 176 aboard.

He says they were some of the brightest people he knew.

“They were not just good friends, but also good students,” said Kamaleddin, a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at ��˾��ֱ��.

Amin Kamaleddin

The university will join the country on Jan. 8 in remembering the victims of Flight PS752, which also included ��˾��ֱ�� community members: Mohammad Salehe and his wife Zahra Hasani, siblings Zeynab Asadi Lari and Mohammad Asadi Lari, and alumnus Mohammad Mahdi Elyasi.

“The University of Toronto will never forget this tragedy and the eight members of our community whose loss continues to be deeply felt across our campuses and the country,” President Meric Gertler said.

“We join with universities across Canada and around the world in remembering those gifted scholars and students whose lives held so much promise, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to their families, friends and colleagues.”

The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims is running an online campaign called #IWillLightACandleToo, encouraging the public to show their support by posting a picture of candles. On Saturday, the non-profit is hosting a virtual ceremony with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other delegates. A physically distanced and masked candlelight vigil will be held at Mel Lastman Square in North York at 5 p.m.

Kamaleddin says it’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since the tragedy.

“I think family and friends are far from getting justice and they deserve to know the truth, even if it is a very sad and miserable truth,” he says.

An Ontario court earlier this week awarded $107 million, plus interest, to the families of six people who died on the plane, but questions remain whether the money can be collected because Iran has refused to participate in the process. Iran has also refused to negotiate with Canada and four other countries about reparations, missing a key deadline earlier this week.

In the weeks after the tragedy, ��˾��ֱ�� established the Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship fund to honour the victims and support international students from Iran or current students from any background taking Iranian studies.

The fund was the brainchild of David Palmer, ��˾��ֱ��’s vice-president, advancement, and alumni Rahim Rezaie and Mehrdad Hariri, CEO and president of the Canadian Science Policy Centre.

The memorial scholarship has so far provided support to four ��˾��ֱ�� students. One recipient is aerospace engineering student Javad Siahkamari, a member of ��˾��ֱ��’s aerospace team and a founding member of its hyperloop team.

“I came to Canada three years ago with the dream of building a future that I have been dreaming of since I was 14 years old,” Siahkamari said in a letter thanking donors. “This journey has had as many ups as it has had downs and this scholarship has been an unbelievable help for me through one of its most challenging downs.

“I now see myself closer than ever to fulfilling the dream I have worked very hard for and for that I am eternally grateful.”

On Friday, the Ontario government announced it was renewing funding for scholarships established in memory of the 57 Canadians killed. “We can never replace the loss of so many bright and promising scholars, educators – and above all – loved ones, but we hope to honour their memories through the continuation of this scholarship fund,” Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop said in a statement.

On Saturday, Kamaleddin says he will light a candle in honour of the victims and his friends who he misses dearly.

The memories he has will stay with him for life. He’ll remember Amin Beiruti, a PhD student in computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, for his ambition; Abbasnezhad, a PhD student and teaching assistant in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, for his calmness; and Amin Jebelli, a member of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Translational Research Program, for his passion in helping others – and the happiness that brought him.

“They all moved to Canada to do something bigger,” Kamaleddin says. “Every time I think about the families of the victims, I can feel heartache. It will take a long time to heal.

“My hope is that those responsible for the tragedy will be identified and brought to justice.”

'I want to have an impact': ��˾��ֱ�� grad Zihan Gao one step closer to career as a clinician-scientist

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:46:31 +0000

'I want to have an impact': ��˾��ֱ�� grad Zihan Gao one step closer to career as a clinician-scientist

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 11/18/2021 - 11:46

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(Photo courtesy of Zihan Gao)

Scott Anderson

Topic

Convocation 2021

Graduate Stories

University Health Network

Woodsworth College

Zihan Gao had just turned 13 when her mother – who had lost her own mother at that age – asked her a startling question: “What would you do if I passed away today?”

Gao became upset at the thought and was unable to answer. But the query got Gao thinking, for the first time, about the possibility of a career in medicine.

In retrospect, she considers the question a gift.

“I knew I wanted to do everything I could to keep my family with me,” says Gao, 19, who graduates from the University of Toronto this week with a bachelor’s degree in science.

“The more I dove into the subject, the more interested I became.”

With her undergraduate degree in hand, Gao is now one step closer to her goal of becoming a clinician-scientist. She credits the pandemic with enabling her to complete her degree ahead of schedule – in just over three years. With little else to do in the summer months due to public health restrictions, she signed up for as many courses as she could.

“I wanted to maximize the use of my time,” says Gao, who is ��˾��ֱ��’s youngest graduate this fall.

While applying to medical school is on the horizon, Gao has decided, with the time she has saved, to first enrol in the university’s master of health science in translational research program. She says she was inspired to pursue experimental science after participating in ��˾��ֱ��’s Research Opportunities Program, which, in her third year, placed her on a project led by Hance Clarke, an associate professor in anesthesiology and pain medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

As part of the program, Gao wrote an original research proposal, analyzed data and delivered a final report about the effect of anxiety on perceived pain in a particular patient population – all with guidance from Clarke. She says the experience demonstrated to her the immense value of clinical science: “It changes people’s lives.”

Gao will undertake her own year-long research project as part of her master’s degree. Right now, she’s interested in health-care systems and surgery, but she admits this could change as she learns more.

“I’m open to a lot of different areas,” she says.

Gao adds that one of the reasons she chose ��˾��ֱ�� was its vast range of academic opportunities and her assumption – which turned out to be true – that she would be able to explore almost any idea.

“In high school, I felt there was a very visible norm that people followed,” she says. “At ��˾��ֱ��, I got to make my own choices. That was something I really liked about being here.”

While in high school, she had also read about the university’s partnership with the University Health Network and figured ��˾��ֱ�� would be a great place to learn about medicine. “This platform – the network and the connections – was a huge attraction for me.”

She plans to apply to medical school, including the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, next year.

In the meantime, a recent memory keeps Gao motivated: During the pandemic, she trained to become a hospice volunteer – to support people as they face their own mortality, and to bring comfort to their loved ones. She also witnessed the power of research to develop vaccines and save lives. As a clinician-scientist, she hopes to be able to improve outcomes not just for individuals but, through science, for an entire population.

“I want to have an impact at both levels,” she says.

‘They shall not be forgotten’: ��˾��ֱ�� marks first anniversary of Flight 752 tragedy

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 21:35:33 +0000

‘They shall not be forgotten’: ��˾��ֱ�� marks first anniversary of Flight 752 tragedy

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 01/07/2021 - 16:35

Cutline

One of several memorials created at ��˾��ֱ�� shortly after Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down on Jan. 8, 2020 (photo by Daria Perevezentsev)

Topic

Division of University Advancement

Iran

Meric Gertler

Hardworking. Smart. Creative. These are the qualities that come to mind when Professor Eyal de Lara remembers PhD student Mohammad Salehe, one of six University of Toronto students killed aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 one year ago this week.

Salehe was just beginning to make his mark in edge computing – a field that aims to bring computation and data storage closer to the source instead of relying on distant cloud servers – when his life was cut tragically short by Iranian armed forces who shot down the airliner on Jan. 8, 2020, killing all 176 aboard.

Just one year into his doctoral studies, Salehe, one of two computer science students killed in the crash, had already interned at Samsung’s AI lab in Toronto and collaborated with researchers at AT&T.

“I think the work he did was quite innovative, quite creative – obviously, you’re always left wondering what could have been,” said de Lara, a faculty member in the computer systems and network group who came to know Salehe while he was still living in Iran.

“He was probably one of the strongest students I’ve worked with over the last few years.”

��˾��ֱ�� and campus groups will join the country in remembering the victims of Flight 752, which included a total of eight ��˾��ֱ�� community members: Salehe and his wife Zahra Hasani, Mojtaba Abbasnezhad, siblings Zeynab Asadi Lari and Mohammad Asadi-Lari, Mohammad Amin Beiruti, Mohammad Amin Jebelli and alumnus Mohammad Mahdi Elyasi.

In their honour, the federal government, which recently released a report on the crash of Flight 752, has declared Jan. 8 a National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters.

President Meric Gertler said ��˾��ֱ�� would lower flags to half-mast on Jan. 8 to “pay tribute to these bright and accomplished individuals whose loss remains profoundly felt across our three campuses, our city, and, indeed, the entire national academic community.”

Online memorial services, both private and public, are being held across the three campuses, in keeping with COVID-19 public health guidelines.

“Please join me in reflecting upon the memory of our eight promising students and scholars we lost, colleagues who greatly enriched the ��˾��ֱ�� community. They shall not be forgotten,” President Gertler said.

Clockwise from top left: Mohammad Salehe, Zahra Hasani, Mojtaba Abbasnezhad, Mohammad Asadi-Lari, Zeynab Asadi Lari, Mohammad Amin Beiruti, Mohammad Amin Jebelli and Mohammad Mahdi Elyasi.

Dozens of students, professors and researchers from at least 18 universities across the country were aboard the doomed flight, which killed 55 Canadian citizens, 30 permanent residents, and numerous others with ties to Canada. On Friday at 7 p.m., the Iranian Association at the University of Toronto is co-hosting an online memorial event with other student groups from Quebec to British Columbia that features voice recordings about lost loved ones, according to the association’s website. There is also a Zoom event on Jan. 10 hosted by Student Life and other groups. It begins at noon.

Read a PhD student’s op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen about the tragedy

Many of the ��˾��ֱ�� students on the flight had already made an impact in their respective disciplines.

Last fall, Salehe was the posthumous co-author of a paper on “Hierarchical Querying for the Edge” that won an honourable mention at an international symposium on edge computing.

In December, Mohammad Asadi-Lari, an MD/PhD student in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was awarded a Posthumous Singular Award of Merit by the Canadian Medical Association for “exemplary leadership, initiative and commitment to making a difference at the local, provincial/territorial or national level.”

And, eight months after the crash, Zeynab Asadi Lari posthumously co-authored an article in Clinical and Experimental Medicine about a gene that might be targeted in future therapies to treat colorectal cancer.

Fiona Rawle, an associate professor at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga who taught Zeynab in her introductory biology course, said the journal publication was a potent reminder of Zeynab’s “hopes and goals, and everything that she planned to accomplish” – as well as of the difference she already made although her life was cut short.

Even in a class of about 900 students, Rawle said Zeynab stood out because of her commitment and enthusiasm, as well as the care she demonstrated toward other students. She recalled Zeynab comforting a classmate who was visibly upset because of a family emergency.

“This student was crying and kept saying ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry for crying.’ I remember Zeynab said at that moment “Don’t say sorry – you are sad and you are crying and that is OK. It’s OK to cry,’” Rawle said.

“I have thought of those words often over the past year. It’s OK to be sad. It’s OK to feel scared. Zeynab was always pulling people together, helping people establish connection – both inside and outside the classroom.”

In a video message, Alexandra Gillespie, vice-president and principal of ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, described Zeynab as “the rarest of leaders – at once competitive, compassionate and collaborative. Full of intelligence and brimming with curiosity, she strove to create positive change advocating for innovative solutions to mental public and global health issues.”

As for Zeynab’s brother Mohammad, Gillespie said: “He wasn’t just a gifted thinker; he was a caring person and he applied his brilliance to help people in need.”

Amin Jebelli, who was pursuing a master’s degree in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Translational Research Program, was another student who was described by faculty and friends as someone who put the needs of others ahead of his own.

“He did everything for everybody, and didn’t think of himself,” Joesph Ferenbok, the program’s director, told ��˾��ֱ�� News last year.

Similarly, in the aftermath of the tragedy, friends of Abbasnezhad, a PhD student and teaching assistant in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, remarked on his unusual intelligence and kindness.

Deepa Kundur, chair of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering, talked about the impact on the community as she reflected on the anniversary of the crash.

“This singular tragedy was devastating to our ECE and engineering community, and I know the profound loss echoes across this country this week, as it will for decades to come,” Kundur said.

In the weeks after the plane crash, scholarship funds were established to honour the victims and support current and future Iranian scholars at the university, as well as students taking Iranian studies.

The Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund was the brainchild of David Palmer, ��˾��ֱ��’s vice-president, advancement, and alumnus Rahim Rezaie, associate director of the International Virtual Engineering Student Teams Initiative at the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and Mehrdad Hariri, CEO and president of the Canadian Science Policy Centre.

All donations to the Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund are matched by the university at a 3:1 rate until it reaches $250,000.

To date, nearly $156,000 has been donated to the Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Dr. Razgar Rahimi, Farideh Gholami, and Jiwan Rahimi Award, which is named for a young family who perished in the crash.

Mehrdad Jafari Raad, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Music and composer of concert music, was among the first recipients of the ��˾��ֱ�� scholarship for Iranian students. When he learned of the tragedy at the beginning of 2020, he was overcome with shock and sadness at the loss of students who had come to Canada to achieve their ambitions, just like him.

“Along with pursuing my dreams, I hope in some way, we are fulfilling some promise of those whose dreams were dashed,” he said.

Read Rahim Rezai’s Globe and Mail op-ed about Canada’s response to Flight 752

With a reputation for research and diversity, Canada's universities to remain a magnet for Iranian students

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 20:45:08 +0000

With a reputation for research and diversity, Canada's universities to remain a magnet for Iranian students

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 01/16/2020 - 15:45

Cutline

Mohammad Amin Jebelli (left), pictured here with fellow students at the Translation Research Program's 2019 orientation event, was one of eight ��˾��ֱ�� community members killed in the Flight 752 disaster in Tehran (photo courtesy of Joseph Ferenbok)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Flight 752

Faculty of Medicine

Global

Health Innovation Hub

International

Iran

Sociology

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911.

In many ways, Mohammad Salehe was representative of the University of Toronto’s sizeable community of students from Iran – a talented researcher who was drawn to Canada by the academic opportunities and the country’s reputation for welcoming newcomers.

Yet, Salehe’s young life was cut tragically short before he was able to realize his full potential. He was one of six ��˾��ֱ�� students killed in the Jan. 8 crash of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, which killed all 176 passengers and crew.

Shot down by the Iranian military, the loss of Flight 752 dealt a heavy blow to ��˾��ֱ�� and universities across Canada – an estimated 46 students, faculty and researchers from 19 Canadian institutions were on the flight bound for Kyiv – and prompted a renewed appreciation of the strong ties between Canada’s close-knit academic community and Iran.

For Seyed Mortazavi, Salehe’s death hit particularly close to home. The pair went to middle and high school together before going on to attend Tehran’s top-ranked Sharif University of Technology.

Mortazavi then moved to Canada to do his master’s degree at ��˾��ֱ�� – along with a group of friends from Iran – with Salehe following a few years later to do his PhD with Eyal de Lara, a professor in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“[Salehe] initially planned to stay on in Iran for his PhD, but we thought he could flourish much more here in Canada because of his talent and knowledge,” Mortazavi says.

“In only 16 months in Canada, he worked at Samsung for a bit, he collaborated with AT&T Research, he published a couple of papers – he had a lot of contributions in the brief time he was here.

“It’s really a tragic loss.”

While it’s common for students like Salehe to come to Canada for graduate and post-doctoral research, Mortazavi says the dream of a Canadian education is one that actually takes hold quite early in Iran.

“From year one or two of their undergraduate studies, students in Iran start thinking about graduate studies abroad,” he says. “We regularly get emails from students in Iran looking for information and advice. These emails usually start in September and start winding down in February when offers of admission go out.”

Mortazavi says ��˾��ֱ��’s popularity among Iran’s top students is due to a combination of the strength of its academic programs and the diverse and welcoming environment of the university – not to mention that of Toronto and Canada as a whole.

“As an academic institution, ��˾��ֱ�� is the top choice in Canada because of its reputation,” Mortazavi says. “But it’s also the reputation of the city of Toronto – there’s a huge Iranian population in Toronto, which makes it an attractive destination for Iranians.

“People are also drawn to Canada due to the immigration system. They want to continue their academic careers, but they also want to choose countries that are welcoming to immigrants.”

Neda Maghbouleh, an assistant professor of sociology at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga and a second-generation Iranian-American, describes Sharif University as “the equivalent of a ��˾��ֱ��, Waterloo or MIT in Iran,” and one of a number of Iranian universities that have acted as launching pads for students coming to Canada.

“For many decades, there has been a back-and-forth and scholarly exchange between Iranian and North American academics,” says Maghbouleh.

She says the recent political climate in the U.S. means Canada has risen to become the top beneficiary of academic talent from Iran.

“The United States has more capacity, a larger number of universities and offers robust opportunities to move into industry and jobs, but the door to students from Iran has been completely shut due to the Muslim travel ban, and has only gotten more constrained since then – so the U.S. is completely off limits to Iranians at this point,” she says.

“Given the climate of vilification and exclusionary rhetoric in the U.S. and Europe, Canada has the most inclusive and welcoming stance towards the community of academic researchers in Iran.”

There has been a regular scholarly exchange between Iranian and North American academics stretching back decades, says Neda Maghbouleh, an assistant professor of sociology at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga (photo by Romi Levine)

However, Iranian students still face major barriers in coming to Canada, according to Maghbouleh.

“The dissolution of a strong diplomatic relationship between the Canadian and Iranian governments means that opportunities for scholarly exchange have been foreclosed, and there have been barriers put up,” she says.

“So the fact that so many Iranians and people with ties to Iran have ended up in Canada really speaks to their resilience and determination to find a fruitful academic home here, despite geopolitical and structural barriers that make it really difficult for them to fulfil their scholarly ambitions.”

So ubiquitous are Iranian students and academics in Canada that, according to Maghbouleh, “You’re not going to find anyone in Canadian academia who doesn’t have a one-degree-of-separation connection to someone who was affected by this tragedy.”

Joseph Ferenbok, assistant professor in ��˾��ֱ��’s Faculty of Medicine and director of the Translational Research Program, is one of those academics. He was advising Mohammad Amin Jebelli, who was doing his Master of Health Science in translational research. Jebelli was among those lost aboard Flight 752.

“Amin had been to Canada when he was eight years old, I believe. Later, he knew he wanted to look for academic programs in Canada,” Ferenbok says.

He says Jebelli was drawn to the Translational Research Program because he wanted to leverage his medical training – he was a physician who trained at the University of Tehran – to find new ways to have an impact on health care.

“He didn’t just want to do a traditional thesis and basic science degree,” says Ferenbok, who is also co-director of the Health Innovation Hub, or H2i, one of several entrepreneurship hubs on campus. “He was interested in commercialization, maybe starting a company and looking to solve problems through research.”

Ferenbok says Jebelli traveled to Iran not only to meet his family, but also to do exploratory research related to his work translating a biodegradable filler matrix to care for post-operative wounds in patients with pilonidal disease, a chronic skin condition.

“On the one hand, we lost a potential clinician and entrepreneur,” says Ferenbok. “But we also lost the kind of Canadian we should be proud to encourage – someone who is bright, kind and dedicated not only to his own career, but to others and to a greater social good.

“The people who were on the plane accurately represented a community of people who are well-educated, motivated and contributing to society in academe, research, medicine and engineering.”

Mortazavi, for his part, says that while the plane crash tragedy has caused shock and sorrow in Iran, he doesn’t fear that it will the stem the influx of talented Iranian students coming to Canada.

“I think of this as a one-time accident. The urge to leave Iran is so great that I don’t think it’ll be affected too much by this,” he says. “The qualifications of students in Iran really fit with what professors in Canada want – especially in engineering and computer science. People are increasingly choosing to come to Canada.

“I think Canada is just a fantastic place for any person to live.”

Round-the-clock support:

Students can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

��˾��ֱ�� My SSP for students: call 1-844-451-9700 or download the app at the Apple App Store or Google Play. Immediate counselling support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.

Other 24-7 supports available to students include:

Good 2 Talk Student Helpline 1-866-925-5454. Professional counselling, information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being.
Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200
Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street
Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

The following services are available to students on all three campuses:

St. George campus: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services
��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065
��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Faculty and staff have access to 24-7 support through:

The Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142

Mourners, dignitaries pack ��˾��ֱ��'s Convocation Hall to remember Flight 752 victims

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 15:45:12 +0000

Mourners, dignitaries pack ��˾��ֱ��'s Convocation Hall to remember Flight 752 victims

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 01/13/2020 - 10:45

Cutline

The names of all 57 Canadians killed in the crash of Ukraine Airlines Flight PS752 were read aloud during a ceremony organized by Tirgan, an Iranian-Canadian cultural group (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911.

Mourners were united in their grief and calls for justice as they packed a memorial Sunday for the 57 Canadians killed after Iran’s military shot down a passenger jet.

“We have lost such incredible people, and we will always bear these scars, but now is the time for all of Canada’s cities and towns to come together in our loss,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told an audience of about 1,700 people at the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall while an estimated 2,300 attendees watched the proceedings from overflow rooms in nearby buildings.

“We mourn together and we will seek answers together. We seek accountability together. And we will seek and we will get justice together.”

Candles, flowers and handwritten messages surround photos of victims of the downed Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

The event was organized by Tirgan, an Iranian-Canadian cultural organization, and was attended by politicians and other dignitaries, including Ali Ehsassi, a member of Parliament for Willowdale, and Michael Parsa, a member of provincial parliament for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill.

Freeland’s sentiments were echoed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor John Tory as they rallied behind efforts by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hold the Iranian regime accountable.

“I want you to know you are not alone,” Ford told the gathering.

“The people of this province stand behind you. The nation and the world mourn with you.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks with David Palmer, ��˾��ֱ�� ’s vice-president, advancement, and Cheryl Regehr, vice-president and provost (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Tory, meantime, pointed to the multicultural nature of Toronto and the nation as a unique strength in the aftermath of the tragedy, even as leaders seek answers about Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which crashed Jan. 8 with the loss of all 176 passengers and crew.

“Although we have not achieved perfection, we offer a way of life based on respect and understanding and love – and now more than ever, our words and actions must keep us on that path,” said Tory.

“I think this will not only help in the search for justice and answers but it will help the healing process as well.”

Hundreds gathered to mourn the victims of Flight PS752, which was mistakenly shot down by the Iranian military shortly after taking off from Tehran’s airport (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

The enormity of the loss Canadian universities share with the nation was clear as the names of the 57 dead Canadians and their stories were recounted during a poignant ceremony marked by cries of grief. The grim roll call included doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, professors and students from across the country, including eight members of the ��˾��ֱ�� community – six of whom were students.

Premier Doug Ford addresses mourners at ��˾��ֱ��’s Convocation Hall (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Several representatives from ��˾��ֱ��, which held its own ceremony on Friday, were in attendance. They included Chancellor Rose Patten, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President, Advancement David Palmer, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Dean Christopher Yip, Translational Research Program Director Joseph Ferenbok, Assistant Vice-President in the Office of the President Bryn MacPherson and Anwar Kazimi, the deputy secretary of ��˾��ֱ��’s Governing Council.

Toronto Mayor John Tory speaks to Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, a professor of history and Near and Middle Eastern civilizations at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, before the ceremony (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Organizers thanked ��˾��ֱ�� for its history of solidarity with Iranian Canadians, and there were more than a few pointed reminders to those who express anti-immigrant views to re-evaluate the negative stereotypes they promote in the wake of the tragedy.

“As we mourn the loss of our compatriots, I hope that the anti-immigrant populists in North America and Europe take a reflective look at the profiles of our lost friends and community members and think critically about their erroneous assumptions,” Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, a ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga professor of history and Near and Middle Eastern civilizations, told the gathering.

“What is evident is immigrants immensely enrich their communities with their professional talents, skills, dedication and goodwill,” said Tavakoli-Targhi, who urged all levels of government to continue their “enlightened engagement” in seeking accountability and compensation for the victims.

“Let us keep their memories and dreams alive.”

��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga Professor Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi wipes tears from his eyes as former Ontario cabinet minister Reza Moridi looks on (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Sunday’s ceremony was one of the latest in a series of vigils and events at ��˾��ֱ�� and across the country to support that effort.

As the event wrapped up, mourners somberly filed past candle-lit memorials at Convocation Hall and reflected on the victims.

Round-the-clock support:

Students can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

��˾��ֱ�� My SSP for students 1-844-451-9700. Immediate counselling support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.

Other 24-7 supports available to students include:

Good 2 Talk Student Helpline 1-866-925-5454. Professional counselling, information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being.
Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200
Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street
Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

The following services are available to students on all three campuses:

St. George campus: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services
��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065
��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Faculty and staff have access to 24-7 support through:

The Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142

'He did everything for everybody': Remembering ��˾��ֱ�� student Mohammad Amin Jebelli

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 20:46:08 +0000

'He did everything for everybody': Remembering ��˾��ֱ�� student Mohammad Amin Jebelli

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 01/10/2020 - 15:46

Cutline

Mohammad Amin Jebelli was pursuing a Master of Health Science in translational research (photo via Twitter)

Topic

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911.

The University of Toronto community is remembering students who were passengers on Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which crashed on Jan. 8 outside of Tehran, Iran. Over the coming days, ��˾��ֱ�� News will share stories about the students and their legacies. We will update the stories as new information becomes available.

Mohammad Amin Jebelli was one of two students who studied at ��˾��ֱ��’s Faculty of Medicine – both known for their curiosity and commitment to discovery. The other was Mohammad Asadi Lari.

"On behalf of the Faculty of Medicine, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mohammad Asadi Lari and Mohammad Amin Jebelli,” said Professor Salvatore (Sal) Spadafora, acting dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

“They made an indelible mark on the life of this faculty and the world has lost two remarkable individuals."

Jebelli, 29, or Amin, as he was known to his classmates – was well-known in a tight-knit group of students for his humility, kindness and his dedicated work ethic.

He had practised medicine and served as a medic in Iran after graduating from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences with a doctorate in medicine.

In Iran, his work took him to places where he was needed, leading him to volunteer as a family and emergency care physician, and to shadow doctors who had expertise in areas like cardiology and radiology. He also volunteered in primary schools to help provide medical screening for diseases.

In 2018, Jebelli came to Toronto to pursue a Master of Health Science in translational research after doing a Skype interview from Tehran with the Translational Research Program’s (TRP) director, Joseph Ferenbok.

The program is small – there were only 21 students in Jebelli’s year – and Jebelli soon carved out a name for himself and built close friendships.

“This was a young man who was quiet, gentle, soft-spoken. He was bright and clever and asked good questions and was curious about the world,” says Ferenbok, who served as a mentor to Jebelli.

“All of us are completely devastated about his death.”

Jebelli embraced his life in Canada, and took to his studies with enthusiasm – at first commuting for classes from Waterloo, where he lived with an aunt and uncle.

His aspirations were expansive and he thrived in his studies, says Ferenbok. Through it, a passion for helping others shone through, according to colleagues.

If there was a class presentation that went into the evening, Jebelli was the person who would stay late to help clean up and do dishes with one of his close friends.

“He did everything for everybody, and didn’t think of himself,” says Ferenbok.

Jebelli was due to graduate from the ��˾��ֱ�� program later this year, and was studying for a Medical Council of Canada qualification exam this March so he could practice in Canada as a doctor.

He also had an interest in entrepreneurship and in helping people in his home country of Iran. He contemplated pursuing a PhD.

“He wanted to have impact on patients, so he was looking at how a biomaterial that he learned about in Canada could potentially be used to treat people in Iran with a specific type of medical condition,” says Ferenbok.

“During his practice in Iran, he noticed that there were a lot of patients that were being treated but suffered afterwards. This was a population he identified that hadn’t been addressed, this condition recurs and is very painful and uncomfortable, and he saw there might be an opportunity to use something that was built here to help in another domain to help patients.”

In an online biography for the program, Jebelli indicated he was also interested in cardiac imaging, and how that imaging could be used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases. Jebelli was applying for permanent residency in Canada, and was working on his own leadership abilities.

“He was bright and sensitive and sweet and kind. I think he saw Canada as an opportunity – the land of dreams and possibilities,” says Ferenbok.

Richard Foty, assistant professor at the TRP, says Jebelli attended ��˾��ֱ�� because of an intense love of learning.

“You always had the sense he was taking in everything you were saying. He was always listening because he always wanted to learn more,” says Foty. “There was an incredible depth to him.”

Jebelli had decided to carve his own path.

“Ultimately, in the big picture, he wanted to have a positive impact on people’s health, but he wanted to do it in a way that wasn’t the typical trajectory for a physician. That’s why he came here,” says Foty. “He was already a doctor, but he saw this as an opportunity to learn a different way to do it and approach it in a way where he might have the chance of having a larger impact.

“I think he would want to be remembered as a friend and as a brother, and someone who cared about the people around him and made the world a better place. His profession was a means of him doing that.”

Round-the-clock support:

Students can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

��˾��ֱ�� My SSP for students 1-844-451-9700. Immediate counselling support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.

Other 24-7 supports available to students include:

Good 2 Talk Student Helpline 1-866-925-5454. Professional counselling, information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being.
Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200
Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street
Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

The following services are available to students on all three campuses:

St. George campus: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services
��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065
��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Faculty and staff have access to 24-7 support through:

The Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142

'We're here for one another': ��˾��ֱ�� community remembers students following plane crash

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 19:20:04 +0000

'We're here for one another': ��˾��ֱ�� community remembers students following plane crash

geoff.vendeville Fri, 01/10/2020 - 14:20

Cutline

Mourners laid flowers at a vigil held at ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough to remember students who were on Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which crashed in Iran (photo by Dylan Toombs)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Topic

Global Lens

Flight 752

Centre for International Experience