Message from the Director
It is my pleasure to share with you the annual education report for the Integrated Physician Scientist Training Programs (IPSTP) at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Over the past year, our community of physician-scientist trainees has continued to demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, scientific creativity, and leadership in translational and clinically relevant research.
The IPSTP remains the largest and most comprehensive physician‑scientist training pathway in Canada, preparing future leaders equipped to bridge discovery research and clinical innovation. Our trainees are addressing some of the most pressing challenges in human health—from genomics and precision medicine to health systems innovation and novel therapeutics—reflecting the strength and breadth of research across the University of Toronto and its partner hospitals.
The McLaughlin Centre’s longstanding and foundational support continues to play an essential role in this success. Annual scholarships for MD/PhD trainees and stipend support for GDipHR students directly enhance our ability to attract, train, and retain outstanding physician‑scientist talent. This support ensures that our learners are positioned to pursue ambitious research questions and contribute meaningfully to advancements in genomic medicine, an area that is rapidly transforming diagnostics, prevention, and treatment.
Thanks to the McLaughlin Centre, we have been able to maintain enhanced stipend levels for MD/PhD trainees, support the GDipHR program as an entry pathway into research‑intensive careers, and deliver high‑impact programming—including mentorship, community‑building initiatives, and research training opportunities—that strengthen identity formation and career readiness. These investments foster a vibrant, collaborative community of emerging physician‑scientists who consistently distinguish themselves through competitive awards, high‑impact publications, and leadership roles across our academic ecosystem.
Our graduates continue to shape the future of medicine: most go on to full‑time academic positions, many remain within the Toronto research community, and all contribute to advancements that improve patient outcomes in Canada and beyond. The McLaughlin Centre’s partnership is pivotal in sustaining this pipeline of clinician‑scientists who translate genomic and biomedical discoveries into better care.
We are deeply grateful for your continued commitment to the training of physician‑scientists. Your investment not only supports individual learners—it strengthens the future of health research and innovation for generations to come.
Nicola L. Jones, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Director, Integrated Physician Scientist Training Programs
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Program Highlights by the Numbers
McLaughlin Scholars
Annually, there are ten McLaughlin Scholars in the MD/PhD Program and five Graduate Diploma in Health Research (GDipHR) students from the MD Program. With support from The McLaughlin Centre, our trainees are conducting ground-breaking research and leading us towards a future with more accessible and equitable care for all.
Oluwatobi (Tobi) Agbede
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Trevor Pugh
Audrey Dong
GDipHR Scholar
Supervisor: David Lim
Min Yi (Anna) Feng
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Current 1st year MD student
Shahan Syed Haider
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Daniel Schramek
Ryu Won (Jasmine) Kang
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Philip Awadalla
Ryan Karimi
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: John Rubinstein
Karlo Nesovic
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Susanna Mak
Yun Kim
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Sevan Hopyan
Jimin Lee
GDipHR Scholar
Supervisor: Tom Waddell
Kaitlin Lees
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Mojgan Hodaie
Luiza Lopes Pontual
GDipHR Scholar
Supervisor: Seema Mital
Alexandria Mansfield
GDipHR Scholar
Supervisor: Gregory Costain
Andrew Mazzanti
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Miguel Ramlho-Santos
Garima Sharma
GDipHR Scholar
Supervisor: Rachel Soyoun Kim
Julia Wiercigroch
MD/PhD Scholar
Supervisor: Christopher Witiw
2024-2026 Strategic Plan Progress
Strategic Priority A: Program Innovation and Continuous Improvement
In Progress: Develop a broader range of graduate-level training opportunities, including new combined programs with partners outside the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and traditional programs in life and medical sciences.
In Progress: Ensure continuous CIP accreditation by proactively addressing improvement areas from the 2024 APOR, preparing thoroughly for the 2028 review, and upholding our commitment to excellence.
Strategic Priority B: Transformative Learner Supports
In Progress: Ensure sustainable financial support and continuous development to generate support for targeted growth and capacity building across all Physician Scientist training pathways.
Anticipated Action: Develop and refine an Accelerated Residency Research Stream to address the challenges surrounding length of training and to promote a continuous track for physician scientist training in the faculty of medicine.
Complete: Enable, support, implement and evaluate a mentorship community to have a tangible impact at Temerty Medicine and beyond.
Strategic Priority C: Collaborative Teams & Operational Excellence
Program Highlights
Advancing National Clinician‑Scientist Training
In April 2026, for the second year in a row, the University of Toronto will host the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation (CSCI) and Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada (CITAC) Annual Joint Meeting, welcoming more than 150 clinician‑scientist trainees, faculty mentors, and national leaders from across Canada. As the cornerstone national meeting for MD+ trainees, the conference advanced the goals of the IPSTP by strengthening national connections, supporting research excellence, and fostering a shared professional identity among emerging clinician‑scientists.
The program's focus is on Precision Medicine and the Future of Clinician‑Scientist Training and featured keynote lecture from Dr. Padmaja Subbarao and invited speaker Dr. Michael Strong, trainee research presentations, professional development workshops on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medical Specialties and Early Career Development, and adjudicated awards recognizing research and scientific communication excellence. Sessions addressed mentorship, early‑career transitions, and emerging areas such as artificial intelligence in clinical practice, supporting trainees with skills and perspectives essential for sustainable academic and research‑focused careers.
Beyond its academic program, the meeting plays a critical community‑building role through structured networking, faculty–trainee engagement, and national social events. The success of the 2025 meeting and host site for the 2026 meeting, highlights the impact of the IPSTP in enabling high‑quality, equitable national training experiences and preparing the next generation of clinician‑scientists to lead research, innovation, and academic medicine in Canada.
Strengthening the Physician‑Scientist Pipeline Through Mentorship
Recognizing mentorship as a critical determinant of success in physician‑scientist training, the IPSTP launched the Integrated Physician‑Scientist Mentorship Academy to provide structured, high‑quality mentorship for MD/PhD and Clinician Investigator Program trainees. Using an innovative group mentoring model, the Academy pairs early‑career researchers as co‑mentors with small cohorts of trainees, creating supportive learning environments that foster peer connection, shared problem‑solving, and longitudinal professional development. This approach reduces isolation, strengthens mentoring capacity, and reflects the collaborative nature of academic medicine.
Mentors participating in the Academy receive targeted, just‑in‑time training to support learners effectively at different stages of training. Programming includes workshops focused on giving and receiving feedback, coaching for research and career development, supporting wellness and resilience, and building research independence. By equipping mentors with practical tools and a shared framework, the Academy promotes consistent, trainee‑centred mentorship while cultivating a community of practice among emerging academic leaders.
Following a successful pilot in 2024–25 that recruited 26 MD/PhD and CIP trainees supported by nine mentors, the Mentorship Academy expanded in 2025–26 to include 33 mentees and 12 mentors. This growth reflects strong trainee demand and the perceived value of structured mentorship within physician‑scientist training pathways. Together, these cohorts demonstrate the IPSTP’s commitment to supporting people—strengthening mentorship capacity, enhancing trainee experience, and building a sustainable pipeline of clinician‑scientists positioned for long‑term success in research and academic medicine.
Learner Accomplishments
Learner Publications
Caparali, E. B., de Gregorio, V., & Barua, M. (2025). Genotype-Based Molecular Mechanisms in Alport Syndrome. In Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (Vol. 36, Issue 6, pp. 1176–1183). Wolters Kluwer Health. https://doi.org/10.1681/ASN.0000000647
Colacci, M., Huang, Y. Q., Postill, G., Zhelnov, P., Fennelly, O., Verma, A., Straus, S., & Tricco, A. C. (2025). Sociodemographic bias in clinical machine learning models: a scoping review of algorithmic bias instances and mechanisms. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 178, 111606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111606
Cormie, M. A., Seminowicz, D. A., & Moayedi, M. (2025). The thermal grill elicits central sensitization. Pain. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003776
de Gregorio, V., Barua, M., & Lennon, R. (2025). Collagen formation, function and role in kidney disease. In Nature Reviews Nephrology (Vol. 21, Issue 3, pp. 200–215). Nature Research. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-024-00902-5
de Snoo, M. L., & Frankland, P. W. (2025). Neurobiological mechanisms of forgetting across timescales. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 90, 102972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2025.102972
Dent, A., Khan, M. K., & Subbarao, P. (2025). Leveraging artificial intelligence for the management of preschool wheeze: A narrative review. In Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (Vol. 36, Issue 10). John Wiley and Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.70207
Fatemi, S. A., Abssy, S. S., Bourke, S. L., Murray, K. B., Kyeremaa-Adjei, C., Honigman, L., Mohabir, N., Sexton, C., Cormie, M. A., Tomin, R., Boileau, I., Atlas, L. Y., Finn, D. P., & Moayedi, M. (2025). The contribution of baseline circulating endocannabinoids to individual differences in human pain sensitivity: a quantitative sensory testing study. Pain. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003850
Florescu, A., Zuo, M., Wang, A. A., Champagne-Jorgensen, K., Noor, M. A., Ward, L. A., van Puijenbroek, E., Klein, C., & Gommerman, J. L. (2025). Dynamic alterations of dural and bone marrow B cells in an animal model of progressive multiple sclerosis. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 222(12). https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20241255
Grabke, E. P., Heming, C. A. M., Hadari, A., Finelli, A., Ghai, S., Lajkosz, K., Taati, B., & Haider, M. A. (2025). Using AI to triage patients without clinically significant prostate cancer using biparametric MRI and PSA. Abdominal Radiology, 50(12), 5924–5933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-025-05019-2
Grabke, E. P., Taati, B., & Haider, M. A. (2025). Leveraging Clinical Text and Class Conditioning for 3D Prostate MRI Generation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2025.3648426
Hill, B. M., Holloway, R. K., Forbes, L. H., Davies, C. L., Monteiro, J. K., Brown, C. M., Rose, J., Fudge, N., Plant, P. J., Mahmood, A., Brand-Arzamendi, K., Kent, S. A., Molina-Gonzalez, I., Gyoneva, S., Ransohoff, R. M., Wipke, B., Priller, J., Schneider, R., Moore, C. S., & Miron, V. E. (2025). Monocyte-secreted Wnt reduces the efficiency of central nervous system remyelination. PLOS Biology, 23(4), e3003073. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003073
Holborn, J., Robeson, H., Chartley, E., Gluscevic, T., Borenstein, A., Perrin, C., Alural, B., Perera, H., Akhtar, T. A., Jones, N., & Lalonde, J. (2025). Preclinical Study of Cannflavins A and B Action Against Glioblastoma Cells. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.02.662823
Huang, R., Kee, L., Gont, A., Meens, J., Ferens, F. G., Irwin, M. S., Ailles, L., Yuzwa, S. A., Robinson, C. M., & Ohh, M. (2025). Comparative single‐cell transcriptomic profiling of patient‐derived renal carcinoma cells in cellular and animal models of kidney cancer. FEBS Open Bio, 15(7), 1124–1143. https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.70022
Kang, J. R. W. (2025). Could alcohol warning labels work in Canada? BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 389, r672. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r672
Kavianpour, A. A., Ghasempour, S., Meyer, K. J., Le, T., Cai, R., Marques, P. E., Nodwell, J. R., & Freeman, S. A. (2025). Phosphatidylethanolamine is a phagocytic ligand implicated in the binding and removal of apoptotic and bacterial extracellular vesicles. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.043
Kim, D., Li, Y. Z., Yang, J., Lin, B., Wang, M. Y., Liu, J. J. Y., Bai, J. Q. A., Farber, G., Abdul Razzaq, F., Pollock-Tahiri, E., Khoury, C., Lei, X., Zhu, G., Wagner, K. U., Tikhonova, A. A., Ni, H., & Woo, M. (2025). Platelet Jak2 deficiency accelerates atherosclerosis with increased inflammatory response. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 301(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110603
Kwon, N., Weng, H., Rajora, M. A., & Zheng, G. (2025). Activatable Photosensitizers: From Fundamental Principles to Advanced Designs. In Angewandte Chemie - International Edition (Vol. 64, Issue 15). John Wiley and Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202423348
Malecki, S. L., DArienzo, D., Wennberg, E., Butler, E. A., Vediya, N., Vyas, M. v., McNiven, V., Cunningham, J., Stukel, T. A., Verma, A. A., Cohen, E., & Bassett, A. S. (2026). Adult outcomes of clinically relevant genomic disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Genetics in Medicine, 101632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gim.2025.101632
Monteiro, J. K., & Miron, V. E. (2025). Microglia conduct the symphony of white matter degeneration in aging through T cell recruitment. Nature Neuroscience, 28(6), 1116–1117. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01929-y
Nagaraj, S., Gerych, W., Tonekaboni, S., Goldenberg, A., Ustun, B., & Hartvigsen, T. (2025). Learning under Temporal Label Noise.
Nankivell, V. A., Sandeman, L., Stretton, L., Vidanapathirana, A. K., Rajora, M. A., Chen, J., Tieu, W., Weng, H., Kockx, M., Kritharides, L., Psaltis, P. J., Tan, J. T. M., Chen, Y. C., Peter, K., Zheng, G., & Bursill, C. A. (2025). Theranostic porphyrin nanoparticles identify atherosclerosis via multimodal imaging and elicit atheroprotective effects. Materials Today Bio, 34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.102202
Postill, G., Dent, A., Dombroski, J., Verma, A. A., Myers, J., & Apramian, T. (2025). Perspectives of family medicine residents on artificial intelligence for survival estimation in patients with serious illness. PLOS Digital Health, 4(7 July). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000917
Postill, G., Itanyi, I. U., Kuenzig, M. E., Tang, F., Harish, V., Buajitti, E., Rosella, L., & Benchimol, E. I. (2025). Machine learning prediction of premature death from multimorbidity among people with inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based retrospective cohort study. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 197(11), E286–E297. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.241117
Rajora, M. A., Leung, C., Chen, J., & Zheng, G. (2025). Fabricating and Labeling Microbubbles with Fluorescent and Radioactive Tracers. Journal of Visualized Experiments, (215). https://doi.org/10.3791/67431
Shi, Runjie B., Li-Han, L. Y., Kherani, I. N., Trope, G. E., Buys, Y. M., Wong, W., & Eizenman, M. (2025). Virtual Reality Portable Perimetry and Home Monitoring of Glaucoma: Retention and Compliance over a 2-year Period. Ophthalmology Science, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xops.2024.100639
Shi, Runjie Bill, Poublanc, J., Sayin, E. S., Sobczyk, O., Fisher, J. A., Mikulis, D. J., & Para, A. E. (2025). Persistent Steal Physiology during a Ramp Cerebrovascular Reactivity Assessment Correlates with Severe Cortical Thinning in Steno-Occlusive Disease. American Journal of Neuroradiology, ajnr.A9115. https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.a9115
Smith, E. C. C., Agarwal, S. M., Panganiban, K. J., Maksyutynska, K., Monteiro, J., Lee, J., Prasad, F., Ji, A., Shah, D., Cavalier, S., Prabhune, R. U., Radoncic, E., Yang, Z., Fuller, K., McCarthy, M. J., Prestwood, T. R., Ballon, J. S., Correll, C. U., Hahn, M. K., & Freyberg, Z. (2025). Antipsychotic Drugs and Dysregulated Glucose Homeostasis. JAMA Psychiatry, 82(10), 977. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.2240
Wennberg, E., Abualsaud, A. O., & Eisenberg, M. J. (2025). Patient Management Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. JACC: Advances, 4(1), 101453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.101453
Wennberg, E., Mohmand, Z., D’Arienzo, D., Majeed Grant, S., Uleryk, E., Vyas, M. v., Wanigaratne, S., & Guttmann, A. (2025). Virtual Care among Adults Facing Language Barriers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Network Open, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.13906
Won Kang, J. R., Bruat, V., Skead, K., Agbessi, M., Kim, J., Gbeha, E., Fave, M.-J., & Awadalla, P. (2025). Abstract 4905: Mosaic chromosomal alterations overlapping hotspot and coldspot sites of somatic structural variation are associated with increased odds of hematological malignancy. Cancer Research, 85(8_Supplement_1), 4905–4905. https://doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.am2025-4905
Won Kang, J. R., Kim, Y. J., Skead, K., Soave, D., Evans, J., Bruat, V., Harwood, M. P., Morris, Q., Matovu, E., Mulindwa, J., Noyes, H., McLeod, A., Hazelhurst, S., Lombard, Z., Ramsay, M., Fave, M.-J., & Awadalla, P. (2025). Geography, Ancestry, Age and Sex Shape Somatic Autosomal Mosaic Chromosomal Alterations in Blood. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.19.25338239