UHN News highlights achievements and awards given to TeamUHN members across all professions.
In this edition of Honour Roll:
Darlene Dasent named 2025 CPA Ontario Fellow
Darlene Dasent, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for UHN, has been named a 2025 Chartered Professional Accountants Ontario Fellow (FCPA) — the highest distinction awarded to members of the profession.
This honour recognizes outstanding leadership, service to the profession and contributions to the community.
Darlene's expertise and guidance have had a significant impact within UHN and across the broader health care sector. She is a trusted advisor to peer organizations and government partners, and her approach reflects thoughtfulness, pragmatism and strong values.
Committed to UHN's vision of A Healthier World, Darlene focuses on ensuring the organization can deliver on its mission today while continuing to evolve and innovate for the future.
The FCPA designation represents recognition by peers for exceptional competency, stewardship and influence within the profession.
Dr. Preeti Dhar inaugural recipient of Dr. Sean Cleary Education Award
Dr. Preeti Dhar, a general surgeon specializing in critical care, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Sean Cleary Education Award by the UHN Department of Surgery.
This newly established award recognizes exceptional leadership, innovation and mentorship in surgical education.
The award honours the legacy of Dr. Sean Cleary, a UHN surgeon who died in August at the age of 52. His career was defined by a commitment to education, clinical excellence and the mentorship of future surgeons. His dedication to teaching and fostering professional growth has had a lasting impact on the surgical community.
Dr. Dhar reflects these same values through her contributions to surgical training, including curriculum development, simulation-based learning, and advocacy for equity and inclusivity. Her efforts have strengthened the learning environment and supported excellence in patient care and professional development.
UHN researchers in Clarivate's 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list
Eleven UHN researchers have been named to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate, a global leader in bibliometrics and research analytics. The distinction highlights researchers whose publications over the past decade rank among the top one per cent most cited in their respective fields and publication years — a key indicator of influence and impact in advancing scientific knowledge.
This year, Clarivate recognized 6,868 individuals across 60 countries, awarding 7,131 Highly Cited Researcher designations.
"These leaders are shaping the future of medicine and science," says Dr. Brad Wouters, Executive Vice President of Science and Research at UHN.
"Their work not only advances knowledge but also influences research globally, driving innovation that brings our vision of A Healthier World closer to reality."
Notably, four UHN researchers earned recognition in the Cross-Field category, underscoring their contributions across multiple disciplines.
UHN's 2025 Highly Cited Researchers and their categories:
- Dr. Gary Bader, Cross-Field, Molecular and clinical data integration for disease targets
- Dr. David Cherney, Clinical Medicine, Physiological factors initiating renal disease in diabetes
- Dr. Slava Epelman, Immunology, Immune cell contributions to cardiac injury and repair.
- Dr. Eddy Fan, Clinical Medicine, Advanced life support for respiratory failure and critical illness outcomes
- Dr. Michael Fehlings, Cross-Field, Spinal cord injury treatments using regenerative medicine
- Dr. Anthony Lang, Neuroscience and Behaviour; Etiology, pathogenesis and treatment of Parkinson's disease and movement disorders
- Dr. Tak Mak, Cross-Field, Mechanisms underlying immune responses and cancer development
- Dr. Ozgur Mete, Biology and Biochemistry, Biomarker discovery for endocrine and neuroendocrine tumours
- Dr. Amit Oza, Clinical Medicine, Targeted therapies and clinical trials for gynecologic cancers
- Dr. Matthieu Schapira, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Computational drug design to fight cancer through epigenetics
- Dr. Lillian Siu, Cross-Field, Development of new anticancer drugs, with a focus on head and neck malignancies.
See the full list on
Clarivate
KITE joins WHO's Global Disability Health Equity Network
UHN's KITE Research Institute has been named a member of the World Health Organization's newly launched Disability Health Equity Network, a global initiative aimed at reducing health inequities for the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities worldwide.
The network unites 147 leading organizations committed to advancing WHO's mission for disability inclusion and health equity.
Last week, KITE was represented at the inaugural meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, by Anthony Palma, Director of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, and Dr. Azadeh Yadollahi, Senior Scientist and leader of FIBRE.
"We're honoured to be part of this initiative," says Palma. "It was inspiring to collaborate with others who share our vision for a more equitable world for people with disabilities and to begin working together to amplify our impact."
Through this partnership, KITE aims to help drive meaningful global change and strengthen research and innovation for disability health equity.
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