Heather Ross CM, MD, DSc, MHSc, FRCP (C), FACC is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Head of the Division of Cardiology at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. She received the Order of Canada in 2020 (CM), and an Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) from Queen’s University 2021. She is the Site lead for the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research and holds the Loretta A. Rogers Chair in Heart Function and the Pfizer Chair in Cardiovascular Research. Dr. Ross is also the Co-Lead of TRANSFORM HF, an Institutional Strategic Initiative formed in partnership between the University of Toronto and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, which aims to advance equitable heart failure care by co-designing digital health solutions that are sustainable, culturally appropriate, and effective in real-world settings.
She received her medical degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada, Cardiology training at Dalhousie University, and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cardiac Transplantation at Stanford University, California. She earned her Master’s Degree in Bioethics from the University of Toronto. She has published over 480 peer reviewed articles, with an H index of 82 and > 28 thousand citations, trained > 48 highly qualified personnel and received > 49 million dollars in peer reviewed research funding. She has won numerous awards including Inventor of the year (UHN 2022), the Inter-American Society of Cardiology Lifetime Achievement Award (2025), the Canadian Society of Transplantation Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), the inaugural CCS Women in Cardiovascular Medicine/Science Mentorship Award (2020) and the Canadian Heart Failure Society Annual Achievement Award (2019). Importantly, her work with Indigenous communities in Ontario was recently awarded an Ontario Health Quality Award (2024).
Dr. Monica Farcas is an Assistant Professor and Surgeon-Investigator in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, at the University of Toronto. She is a surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital subspecializing in the areas of laparoscopic and robotic surgery, endourology, and renal transplantation. Dr. Farcas received her Master’s Degree in Engineering at McGill University and obtained her MD and residency training in Urology at the University of Toronto. She then completed a two year Endourological Society clinical fellowship at St. Michael’s Hospital. Her research interests are in surgical innovation and surgical device development as well as surgical simulation.
Sharifullah Wahdati is a global health and nutrition professional with extensive experience in development and humanitarian contexts, particularly in low-resource and conflict-affected settings. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, focusing on community-based nutrition interventions in conflict-affected countries like Afghanistan. His research also explores the impacts of climate change on healthcare delivery in South Asia.
Sharif is the co-founder and Senior Advisor at the Afghanistan Institute of Nutrition and Home Economics (AINHE), where he leads innovative programs to strengthen health and nutrition systems. His work includes implementing capacity-building initiatives, generating evidence on social and behavior change (SBC), and promoting sustainable practices across Afghanistan's 34 provinces. He has consulting services to global health and development organizations, including UNDP, FAO, DAI, Acasus and others.
A passionate advocate for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sharif's efforts focus on reducing malnutrition, promoting equitable access to healthcare, and enhancing resilience in vulnerable communities. With a strong background in policy development, program implementation, and capacity building, he actively collaborates with international agencies and academia to drive impactful and sustainable change in health and nutrition.
Dr. Kristina Kokorelias works as the Program Manager and Associate Scientist for the Department of Medicine’s Healthy Ageing and Geriatrics Program at Sinai Health and the University Health Network. Kristina also has status appointments as Assistant Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto. Kristina is also an Associate Fellow of the National Institute on Ageing. Her program of research aims to understand the evolving experiences and needs of family caregivers and older adults with complex care needs with the aim of using this information to develop, evaluate, and implement timely family-centered care programs and services. Kristina received her PhD from the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto and completed post-doctoral fellowships in Implementation Science and Alzheimer’s Diseases with St. John’s Rehab within the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Dr. Laura Chiavaroli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Affiliate Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Chiavaroli’s research program addresses the important implementation gap between guidelines-based nutrition therapy for cardiometabolic diseases and effective strategies to mobilize them, while also addressing the equity gap. She leads large interdisciplinary teams in the co-design and testing of innovative implementation strategies leveraging the use of digital tools and randomized trials to drive effective policies and programs related to dietary patterns for cardiometabolic disease across diverse communities. She also tests new policy enhancements to support adherence and demonstrates novel applications of methods to improve assessments of social and gender determinants of health, to identify communities to target and provide evidence to drive inclusivity in guidelines and advance health equity.
Dr. Alison Mildon is a postdoctoral fellow in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, supported by a SMART Healthy Cities Fellowship. Her research investigates the experiences and determinants of inequities in perinatal health and infant nutrition security, and opportunities to address these through community based interventions. Dr. Mildon received her Masters and PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto, and is a Registered Dietitian with extensive experience in public health nutrition. Her work as both a researcher and practitioner aims to improve maternal, infant and child nutrition and food security among diverse populations in Canada and globally.
Vasanti Malik, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention. Dr. Malik’s research uses a combination of epidemiological studies, clinical trials and evidence synthesis to evaluate dietary and modifiable risk factors for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases in different populations locally and globally, and on studying the intersection of diet, health and environmental sustainability. The goal of Dr. Malik’s work is to generate evidence that can inform dietary guidance, public policies and programs to prevent chronic diseases and promote more sustainable food systems.
Emily graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science in health studies (population health) and psychology; she has since pursued her interest in basic sciences and knowledge advancement by working as a research technician studying multiple sclerosis, cognitive decline, focusing on women’s health. She also recognizes the importance of knowledge translation in academia and works to create accessible materials translating epidemiolocal and population health research from an Indigenous population health lab. The intersection between her passions, basic science and knowledge translation, is also met with a passion for sustainability. Sustainability encourages eco-friendly choices and climate awareness and directly affects people’s daily lifestyles, physical and mental health and well-being, and population and communities’ ability to thrive. It is essential that within the health sciences, researchers consider the sustainable effects of their research on populations and what gaps in knowledge the public has on leading a sustainable, healthy, and happy life.