TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2026 鈥� A total of 175 91亚色 graduate students, along with 14 postdoctoral researchers, will receive more than $14 million through the (CRTAS), announced today by the federal government.

Today鈥檚 announcement highlights award winners funded through the , administered by the (CIHR), the (NSERC), and the (SSHRC).

鈥淚nvesting in emerging researchers is an investment in Canada鈥檚 future,鈥� says Lisa Philipps, interim president and vice-chancellor of 91亚色. 鈥淚 congratulate all of this year鈥檚 recipients. Their work in health, science, the arts and beyond shows the reach of 91亚色 research and its power to drive positive change in our communities.鈥�

For the (CGRS M), 96 91亚色 students will each receive $27,000 for 12 months, seven funded through CIHR, 18 through NSERC and 71 through SSHRC.

For the (CGRS D), 79 91亚色 students will each receive $40,000 per year for 36 months, nine funded through CIHR, 18 through NSERC and 52 through SSHRC.

鈥�91亚色鈥檚 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are making important contributions to research that deepens our understanding of the world and helps address complex challenges,鈥� said Alice MacLachlan, vice-provost and dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 鈥淭hese awards recognize the excellence, creativity and dedication of emerging researchers while providing valuable support to advance their work. Their achievements reflect the strength and breadth of graduate and postdoctoral research at 91亚色.鈥�

Program of study for both the CGRS M and the CGRS D students include disciplines in health, science, art, social sciences and humanities, engineering, the environment and more. This year, as 91亚色 prepares to open its new School of Medicine in 2028 (pending accreditation), it has nine CGRS D recipients in health, six more than the previous year.

For the (CPRA), worth $70,000 per year for 24 months, 14 91亚色 researchers were awarded.

The awards promote and support high-quality research leading to high impact careers. Altogether, more than $480 million through the CRTAS.

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Hybrid and alternative delivery models for cardiac rehabilitation are less expensive and more accessible but globally the number of programs has stagnated creating inequities and increasing the risk of related health issues.

TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2026 鈥� Despite rising incidents of cardiovascular disease (CVD), along with evidence that cardiac rehabilitation programs improve outcomes for those living with CVD, availability of these programs has not increased worldwide in the past decade, according to a new study by 91亚色 researchers.

Availability even for the more affordable hybrid or alternative cardiac rehabilitation programs has not increased since 2016 and is lower than during the pandemic.

The researchers, including 91亚色 and University of Toronto Adjunct Professor Gabriela Lima de Melo Ghisi, 91亚色 Professor Sherry Grace of the Faculty of Health, and 91亚色 grad student Rachael Carson, are surprised and disheartened by the results.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a chronic disease management program proven to reduce death by more than 25 per cent and hospitalization by almost 20 per cent. These programs often begin with patients in the hospital and continue as an outpatient service before moving into a longer-term community-based secondary prevention service. Hybrid programs are both clinic and home-based and are designed to improve outcomes for patients and can involve exercise, healthy living education and stress counselling.

鈥淢ore people around the world are surviving cardiovascular events and living longer with chronic heart disease, yet access to cardiac rehabilitation remains inadequate,鈥� says Lima de Melo Ghisi. 鈥淗ybrid and alternative models can help overcome barriers such as distance and transportation, but our findings show that gains made during the pandemic have not been sustained. Limited reimbursement, staffing and funding continue to constrain these services and contribute to inequities in access.鈥�

Without adequate funding, the costs to run the programs often fall to patients and those in rural areas are particularly disadvantaged if the program is far from where they live.

鈥淢ultiple studies have already shown that cardiac rehabilitation programs work, playing an outsized role in reducing mortality, hospital readmissions and improving quality of life,鈥� says Carson of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health. 鈥淒espite that, these programs are under-utilized.鈥�

The paper, , was published today in the journal PLOS One.

It is the first global post-pandemic assessment of hybrid and alternative cardiac rehabilitation programs. The number of programs were tallied, including level of reimbursement for them, and countries were compared by income class. Close to 7,000 cardiac rehabilitation programs were identified in 90 countries, but only 286 out of 1,233 programs in 40 of those countries indicated they received reimbursement for the hybrid/alternative models of delivery by government or insurance companies.

In high-income countries like Canada, there were 72,849 cases of ischemic heart disease in 2023 and 380 programs. For the United States, there were 1,144,557 incidents and 2,687 programs. In Japan, there were 292,531 incidents and 678 programs and in Germany there were 362,984 and 155 programs.

Compare this to low-income countries like Afghanistan with 34,207 incidents and zero programs, Ethiopia with 28,903 incidents and zero programs, and outlier Malawi with 3,872 incidents and 23 programs.

Overall, about one-third of responding cardiac rehabilitation programs reported offering a hybrid or alternative model, while fewer than one-quarter reported reimbursement for these models. Among programs offering hybrid or alternative care, almost half (45.8 per cent) reported insufficient capacity to meet demand, most commonly because of staffing and funding constraints.

The results point to the need for not only increased implementation of these programs but for more sustained reimbursement which would go a long way in providing cardiovascular care globally.

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TORONTO, Oct 8, 2026 鈥� Doctors鈥� prescribing habits are heavily influenced by payments, gifts, and free meals from pharmaceutical companies, leading to more expensive, less appropriate and more drugs being prescribed, a new Cochrane review finds. This can seriously harm both individual patients and health systems.

Pharmaceutical companies use a variety of strategies to market and promote their drugs. This can include one-on-one visits by sales reps to doctors' offices and hospitals, gifts and payments including for example paid meals, travel costs to conferences, entertainment, consulting fees, honoraria for participation in advisory boards, and advertising.

For all new medicines, pharmaceutical companies target prescribers with offers of free meals and other gifts and payments. These payments and gifts lead to prescribing of the company's promoted drug, which may not always be needed or be the most appropriate or affordable medicine for each patient.

Less appropriate prescribing and higher medicine costs

The review included 93 studies involving a number of different study types. Almost all of these studies observed real-world prescribing patterns rather than running controlled experiments. The majority of the studies (88 per cent) came from the United States, in part because the requires pharmaceutical companies to publicly report details of all payments to doctors, which are compiled in a publicly searchable and analyzable database.

However, co-author 91亚色 Professor Emeritus Dr. Joel Lexchin, who has studied drug prescribing in Canada for the past 40 years, points out that the ways drugs are prescribed in Canada generally follows what the U.S. does.

鈥淭his review puts to rest the myth that doctors prescribing benefit from exposure to drug company promotors. Overwhelmingly, we found in the three dimensions of prescribing that we examined 鈥� appropriateness, cost and quantity 鈥� that prescribing deteriorates,鈥� says Lexchin of the Faculty of Health.

Analyzing millions of prescribers, the authors grouped industry interactions into three distinct categories to examine how each one affects a doctor's prescribing habits. These were advertising and education, gifts and payments, and free samples. The authors also looked at conflict-of-interest policies as a mitigation strategy.

Advertising and education, such as sales rep visits, seemed linked to prescribing that was less clinically suitable and pricier, with fairly strong evidence that it also drove up prescription volume.

The largest and most consistent body of evidence covered gifts and payments. Gifts and payments were also linked to less appropriate prescribing, more prescriptions, and probably increased costs.

The evidence was too sparse or weak to draw clear conclusions on free drug samples and whether promotion affects hospitals鈥� approved formularies, although what little exists suggests it might.

鈥淥verall, when doctors have more contact with drug company promotion, prescribing tends to become less appropriate, more frequent, and more expensive鈥�, says study author Dr Lisa Bero from the University of Colorado Anschutz, USA. 鈥淭his is problematic for a number of reasons and it matters because it directly affects patient care. These less appropriate, more expensive drugs can have fewer benefits or more side-effects than alternatives, or simply be unnecessary in the clinical context.鈥�

The overprescription of opioids is the most infamous example of pharmaceutical companies鈥� promotion exaggerating benefits and minimizing harms. This review found that even inexpensive meals increased opioid prescribing and that the more payments a doctor received from opioid manufacturers, the more likely they were to prescribe dangerously high opioid doses. The widespread inappropriate overprescribing of opioids has led to an epidemic of addiction and deaths from overdoses.

鈥淧atients should be offered the most appropriate treatment for their condition, based on clinical evidence not industry marketing,鈥� adds Dr Bero. 鈥淭he opioid crisis in North America was perhaps the most egregious example of inappropriate over-prescribing, but this was not an isolated incident. It was high-profile due to the significant harms involved, but the systems that enabled it are unfortunately considered business-as-usual within the industry. Interactions between pharmaceutical companies and prescribing physicians are widespread, and the harms they cause are rarely so visible.鈥�

More meals paid for, more drugs prescribed

Notably, the research shows a clear dose-response relationship between paid-for meals and inappropriate prescriptions. The more meals a doctor received from a company, the more of the company's drug they prescribed. This was true for a range of different types of drugs, from drugs for high blood pressure and cholesterol to antidepressants and opioid painkillers.

The authors also point out that this practice is seen as normal and unproblematic in the medical field.  

鈥淚t's very common for doctors to receive free meals from companies,鈥� says lead author, Dr Barbara Mintzes from the University of Sydney, Australia. 鈥淒octors often think that this is trivial and doesn鈥檛 influence them, that they 鈥榗an鈥檛 be bought for the price of a sandwich鈥�, but the data shows this is an effective marketing strategy. The more free meals a doctor receives, the more likely they are to prescribe less appropriate or more expensive drugs.鈥�

Restricting industry interactions may improve prescribing

Some hospitals and medical centres have rules or institutional restrictions in place, also known as conflict-of-interest policies, to limit how much contact industry reps can have with doctors or what gifts or samples they are allowed to provide. The review found that these can mitigate the negative impact of pharma strategies on doctors鈥� prescribing habits.

鈥淚t鈥檚 encouraging to see that robust conflict-of-interest policies in place tended to be effective,鈥� Dr Mintzes says. 鈥淭he data shows that they probably improve prescribing appropriateness and possibly reduce the number of prescriptions.鈥�

While this review found that drug promotion negatively influences prescribing within a broad range of drugs and clinical settings, the authors wish to emphasize that this is not about a few "bad apples鈥�, but about improving the system and a key positive finding is that strict conflict-of-interest policies are a way forward.

was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.  

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For further information, contact:  

Sandra McLean, 91亚色, sandramc@yorku.ca

Mia Parkinson, Cochrane Press Office, mparkinson@cochrane.org鈥痮谤鈥�press@cochrane.org,鈥� +44 20 4591 8310鈥� 

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Whether you鈥檙e suffering from a concussion, early signs of dementia or are concerned about healthy aging, 91亚色 neuroscientist says combining thinking and movement builds brain resilience

Dementia can be brewing in the background for years before the telltale signs of memory lapses and difficulties with wayfinding creep into people鈥檚 daily lives or are caught through memory tests, but endless crossword puzzles or sudoku are unlikely enough to make a meaningful difference.

Decades of research as the scientific lead of 91亚色鈥檚 Sensorimotor Neuroscience Laboratory have taught Professor Lauren Sergio that brain games are not enough to stave off dementia or recover from a , at any age. The missing piece is combining , she says. 鈥淐ognitive brain training on its own hasn鈥檛 been shown to work in terms of maintaining functional independence as it doesn鈥檛 incorporate movement.鈥�

Brain changes with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia often show up first as , such as through movement, coordination and slower reactions when having to think and move at the same time, rather than with memory issues, she adds. For those with , whether elite athletes, children or older adults, they recover faster when given tasks that force their brains to make new connections through movement.

Her biomedical research is now being used as the basis for a new brain performance platform, by , bringing cutting-edge neuroscience from the lab into the real word. 鈥淭his is a toolbox that can not only be used by people concerned with their brain health, but it can help clinicians, such as gerontologists, as well as other health-care providers, to understand and potentially track brain changes for people concerned about dementia as they age or those suffering from an . The concepts of brain health from my research could be incorporated into their work,鈥� Sergio, 91亚色 Research Chair in Brain Health and Gender in Action.

The NERON platform provides a cognitive baseline and track changes and improvements over time as users do a series of interactive brain and movement training challenges designed to develop new and stronger neural pathways. The goal is to help improve functional ability to do everyday tasks, catch early brain changes and provide tasks to build brain resilience based on Sergio鈥檚 research.

鈥淭hrough dozens of studies, we found using a approach allows us to look at movement as a window into how well the brain regions are talking to each other,鈥� says Sergio, who worked with Innovation 91亚色 to get her research out to a broader audience. 鈥淭his is research that for me is really important for it to be accessible to the public in a way that can benefit them starting with a simple way to test how well their brain is functioning.鈥�

Continuing to challenge the brain with the kinds of tasks available on the platform can help build cognitive reserve, which not only helps the brain recover faster from a concussion but also provides a buffer against cognitive decline.

"Everyone is concerned about their brain health but measuring how it performs under real load has mostly stayed inside research labs," says Reed Hanoun, CEO, NERON. "We built a way to do it in under 10 minutes, anywhere, so brain performance can finally be tracked as routinely as any other vital sign using any mobile device."

The tasks are designed to continually challenge the brain. Although they may seem simple 鈥� like moving a computer mouse to the right to complete an onscreen task when the cursor moves unexpectedly to the left 鈥� it requires the brain to abandon automatic mode and really think about completing the task.

鈥淚t turns out if you are having a problem with that kind of task, it could be an early warning sign, either of a past history of a brain injury or future dementia,鈥� says Sergio, who has received multiple grants for her research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Through her research with young athletes who have played a sport competitively for more than seven years, she has found they recover function and performance skills faster after a concussion than house league children and youth who have only played a sport for a couple of years. Those athletes who play a particular sport for years develop a particular visual motor skill that helps protects their brain. Sergio is now also looking at older elite athletes to see if they retain that brain resilience as they age.

Sports are not the only way to develop these brain protecting connections. Operating a drone or a backhoe or reversing a vehicle with an RV camper attached into a parking spot are everyday examples how the brain is engaged while doing movement. 鈥淏elieve it or not, that guy operating a backhoe, he's using way more of his brain when he's working than if he takes a shovel and digs something out manually, which is far less complicated,鈥� says Sergio.

鈥淎ll your brain regions have to talk to each other if you're just using a little joystick to do something, like fly a drone. Those sorts of skills, it turns out it requires a lot of brain communication.鈥�

The key is to force your brain out of its comfort zone so it will build new neural connections. 鈥淭ake up a new instrument, learn a new language, start doing something with your left hand that you would normally do with your right, like brushing your teeth, try pickleball with your left hand or parallel parking your car on the opposite side of the road, as you would if driving in the United Kingdom,鈥� says Sergio of 91亚色鈥檚 School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health. 鈥淧racticing any of these kinds of skills where you鈥檙e challenging your brain to think while it鈥檚 doing a new activity could actually help counteract decline.鈥�

Gaming is another one. Sergio points to the brains of gamers as having well-connected neuron pathways not necessarily evident in non-gamers. 鈥淵ou want the surgeon who was a gamer as a teenager doing your laparoscopic surgery,鈥� she says. Although half joking, she points out their brain networks are usually really strong for doing the types of decoupling tasks, where they are often using a monitor to guide their instruments, demanded of today鈥檚 surgeons. 鈥淭hat's also who you want to back up your RV camper.鈥�

Her research with athletes, gamers and musicians, which has included imaging their brains while they do complicated tasks, has found they have built up some cognitive protection through brain connections in a way that doing a simpler task, like reading an email, doesn鈥檛. The brain鈥檚 networks just don鈥檛 light up in the same way.

The bottom line is we need to move our bodies while thinking. 鈥淣europlasticity doesn't go away. You can always learn new things,鈥� says Sergio.

About 91亚色

91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for meaningful life and career paths. 91亚色's Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campus in Costa Rica offers students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs, while at the Markham Campus, innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration are built into every program. 91亚色鈥檚 new School of Medicine, the first Canadian medical school to focus on community-based primary health-care education, will welcome its first cohort in September 2028 (subject to accreditation). 91亚色 was recently named one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers for the 14th consecutive year. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

About NERON AI

is a neurotech company making brain performance measurable and trainable for everyone, anytime, anywhere. In under ten minutes, NERON turns how well the brain and body coordinate into an objective Brain Performance Score; a window into the brain's Cognitive Reserve people can track over time, grounded in 20+ years of neuroscience.

Contacts:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色, sandramc@yorku.ca

Reed Hanoun, CEO, NERON AI, Reed@NeronAI.com

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TORONTO 鈥� Aug. 13, 2026 鈥� Children and youth face rising mental health challenges in an increasingly digital world, especially those from marginalized populations. A new landmark systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of universal digital mental health interventions led by 91亚色 researchers, finds that digital tools can positively impact young people鈥檚 emotional, behavioural, social, and cognitive well-being.

, currently available online, which examines 57 peer-reviewed research articles and includes data from over 40,000 participants worldwide, found that hybrid models, those that combine digital delivery with some in-person engagement, emerged as the most consistently effective approach, with moderate-certainty evidence supporting sustained benefits across multiple psychological domains at follow-up.

The research was led by 91亚色 Faculty of Health Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell, a nationally recognized expert in clinical psychology and 91亚色 postdoctoral fellow Kaitlin Di Pierdomenico.

鈥淭his study is the first of its kind to synthesize universal digital and hybrid interventions for child and youth mental health,鈥� says Pillai Riddell. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that digital tools must be embraced but only if we implement them thoughtfully, equitably, and with real-world contexts in mind. We need to invest in research that includes the children most often left behind.鈥�

The analysis revealed significant improvements across emotional, behavioural, social, and cognitive psychological domains with effects most consistent and sustainable when digital tools were embedded in supportive, structured settings like schools. Critically, the study highlights a striking underrepresentation of research of marginalized populations and younger children (ages 0-4), raising concerns about equity and inclusion in the current evidence base.

"This work looked at whether digital mental health tools help, under what conditions, and whose data we actually have," says Di Pierdomenico. "Hybrid approaches, pairing digital tools with in-person structure, held up better over time than fully virtual ones. We also found real gaps, including underreporting of participant demographics and limited inclusion of younger children and marginalized populations, that matter so universal tools are developed to actually reach all children and youth."

The 91亚色 researchers worked with Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada (SMSKPC) for the study, a national charity that promotes children鈥檚 mental well-being through psychological science.

鈥淥ur history has always been about promoting mental health. This research reinforces the urgency to get promotion right 鈥� and get it to the children who need it most,鈥� says Anne Lovegrove, President and Executive Director of SMSKPC and a co-author on the study. 鈥淲e undertook this study not only to inform our own work but to guide the entire sector toward what actually works in a rapidly changing digital landscape.鈥�

The project was also generously supported by philanthropy from the Jackman Foundation, a longtime champion of youth mental health and of SMSKPC and 91亚色.

The full study, Universal Digital Mental Health Interventions for Children and Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, is available open access via npj Digital Medicine.  

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About 91亚色:

91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for meaningful life and career paths. 91亚色's Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campus in Costa Rica offers students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs, while at the Markham Campus, innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration are built into every program. 91亚色鈥檚 new School of Medicine, the first Canadian medical school to focus on community-based primary health-care education, will welcome its first cohort in September 2028. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contacts: Emina Gamulin, 91亚色 Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

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91亚色 is poised to welcome 11 doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers through the first wave of the federal (CIRTA) initiative, reflecting the University鈥檚 strong research excellence and ability to attract top international research talent.

In total the CIRTA are worth $1.4 million in funding 鈥� $40,000 per year for three years for seven doctoral students and $70,000 for two years for four postdoctoral researchers at 91亚色 鈥� to address critical national and global challenges in some of Canada鈥檚 priority areas. Altogether, the CIRTA will go towards funding 600 doctoral students and 400 postdoctoral researchers at universities across Canada.

"We are thrilled to welcome these 11 exceptional doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers to 91亚色. They will bring an array of international experiences and perspectives to their work alongside some of our most accomplished faculty, researchers whose expertise spans multiple disciplines, methodologies, and questions. It is the strength of these mentors and the vibrancy of our research community that draws top talent from around the world to 91亚色,鈥� says Lisa Philipps, 91亚色 interim president and vice-chancellor.

The recently CIRTA results are part of the a $1.7 billion strategy to strengthen the country鈥檚 position as a go-to-place for the world鈥檚 top scientists and innovators. They are jointly administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

91亚色 received a large number of highly qualified candidates for the positions, which will receive funding from all three funding agencies. In addition, two of the four postdoctoral researchers are coming from the social sciences and humanities.

鈥淲e are equally grateful to the Government of Canada and to CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, whose Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards make these opportunities possible. This kind of bold public investment in emerging academic talent is exactly what strengthens our research culture and allows ambitious ideas to take root. Together, the vision of our funders and the dedication of our scholars and supervisors will help tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from removing forever chemicals from our water to strengthening our preparedness against emerging diseases. I could not be prouder of what this community will achieve,鈥� says Philipps.

The CIRTA research awards target specific high priority research needs identified by the federal government across disciplines.

At 91亚色 the doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers and their supervisors will embark on a vast array of research, including a climate-sensitive disease early-warning system, advanced functional materials for low-energy carbon capture, AI forecasting tools to improve outbreak prediction and public-health decision-making, methods to remove forever chemical contamination from wastewater sludge, and a better understanding of new drivers of aging and development of new personalized therapies to improve health span.

鈥淩esearch thrives when talented people are given the opportunity, support and freedom to pursue ambitious ideas. These scholars are asking important questions and bringing fresh perspectives to issues that matter deeply to society. Their arrival enriches our academic community, and we look forward to the contributions they will make during their time at 91亚色 and throughout their careers,鈥� says Alice MacLachlan, vice-provost and dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at 91亚色.

The following 91亚色 faculty members welcome doctoral students funded by the program:

Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Health and Humanitarianism Godfred Boateng, School of Global Health, Faculty of Health (supported by SSHRC)

Boateng鈥檚 research interests lie in resource insecurity, health and sustainable livelihoods; environmental pollution, climate change and health effects; the socio-ecological determinants of cardiometabolic conditions in aging adults; health equity and health systems research; and implementation and scale-up science in low- and middle-income countries. The research of his doctoral student will focus on the development a climate-sensitive disease early-warning system for informal settlements in Accra, using satellite data, health records, and machine learning to predict emerging disease hotspots. By co-designing tools with local health workers and communities, the project aims to enable earlier public-health interventions and create a scalable model for climate-health resilience in rapidly urbanizing cities.

Associate Professor , Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering (supported by NSERC)

Freire-Gormaly鈥檚 research focuses on the development of stand-alone solar powered reverse osmosis water treatment systems and energy recovery systems for remote communities that lack access to grid electricity. She also is interested in machine learning applications for smart design of innovative energy and water systems. The research of her doctoral student will foster the development advanced functional materials for low-energy carbon capture and drinking water treatment, with a focus on modular, affordable systems that can operate in remote and resource-constrained settings. By combining materials innovation, computational modelling, and life-cycle assessment, the project aims to deliver scalable clean technologies that support climate mitigation, water security, and community resilience.

Associate Professor , Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering (supported by NSERC)

Ghafar-Zadeh鈥檚 research focuses on microelectronic and biosensing technologies for clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring to address critical challenges in health care, environmental monitoring and scientific research through his Biologically Inspired Sensor and Actuator Laboratory. The research with the doctoral student will develop a new version of DePerio, an AI-powered saliva screening tool that uses deep learning to detect oral neutrophils as biomarkers of periodontal disease and potential neurological disorders, enabling earlier, non-invasive diagnosis. Building on proof-of-concept results achieving 88 per cent precision and 94.7 per cent mAP, the project aims to validate a clinically deployable system that links oral inflammation to disease progression and improves preventive care for both oral and brain health.

Associate Professor , Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (supported by SSHRC)

Hamraie鈥檚 doctoral student will be part of 91亚色鈥檚 Science and Technology Studies graduate program. His research will address the tensions between approaches to accessibility based in mass standardization and those that are rooted in disability activism. In particular, he is interested in how disability activists and technologists have shared information, theories and concepts, and how accessible computing, in particular, has influenced architectural practice. As a graduate student, he will also continue to work in Hamraie鈥檚 , a collective of disabled artists, designers and researchers who approach accessibility through disability cultural frameworks. 

Professor , Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering (supported by NSERC)

Hu鈥檚 research focuses on developing scalable and interpretable AI approaches for forest characterization, carbon estimation, biodiversity assessment and environmental monitoring using multi-source remote sensing data. Her doctoral student鈥檚 research will develop multimodal AI techniques that combine LiDAR, multispectral imagery and forest inventory data to identify individual tree species in Ontario鈥檚 mixed and transitional forests. By enabling scalable species-level forest monitoring, the project will improve biodiversity assessment, forest carbon quantification, and evidence-based forest management to support nature-based climate solutions in Canada.

Professor and 91亚色 Research Chair in Mechanisms of Cardiometabolic Disease Gary Sweeney, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science (supported by CHIR)

Sweeney鈥檚 doctoral student鈥檚 research will build on evidence that high adiponectin levels are linked to exceptional longevity and protection against age-related diseases, while low levels are associated with poorer health outcomes. It proposes combining adiponectin biology with extracellular vesicle science to identify new drivers of aging and develop personalized therapies to improve health span in individuals with low adiponectin.

Associate Professor , Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering (supported by NSERC)

Tabassum鈥檚 research focuses on developing trustworthy AI for wireless sensing, localization, spectrum intelligence, and next-generation communications. Her work combines optimization, machine learning, large language models, and multimodal AI to advance intelligent resource management, integrated sensing and communications, wireless forecasting, and energy-efficient 5G/6G networks, with applications in digital health, smart infrastructure, and connected and autonomous systems. The research of her doctoral student will develop multimodal AI techniques for wireless localization and spectrum intelligence by combining radio-frequency measurements with complementary sensing modalities to enable accurate positioning and automated understanding of complex wireless environments. By integrating trustworthy AI, deep learning, and large language models, the project aims to improve spectrum awareness, network intelligence, and wireless resilience, supporting the deployment of next generation 5G/6G systems for smart infrastructure, public safety, and autonomous applications.

The following faculty members will welcome postdoctoral researchers funded by the program:

Professor and James and Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering and Director of the One WATER Institute , Department of Civil Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering (supported by NSERC)

Brar is a globally recognized researcher with expertise in value-added waste processing through the development of bioproducts from wastewaters and sludge using fermentation technologies and the removal of emerging contaminants, such as microplastics and pharmaceuticals. She also works on innovative treatment technologies for environmental remediation. The postdoctoral researcher鈥檚 work will address the wastewater sludge contamination of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of 4,700 man-made 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� found in non-stick cookware, cosmetics and waterproof textiles, and everywhere from groundwater to human blood. Current wastewater treatment plants were not designed to primarily remove PFAS, however, if they are not properly treated prior to discharge, it can lead to contamination of soil and groundwater. Conventional PFAS removal methods like sludge pyrolysis, incineration, electrochemical oxidation are energy and cost intensive and cannot be easily integrated into existing plants. Through their research, Brar and her postdoctoral researcher will develop a circular-economy pretreatment approach using ultrasonication and biochar to reduce 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� while enhancing biogas production. Through lab and pilot-scale testing on anaerobic digester sludge, the research aims to optimize conditions for PFAS removal in a way that is compatible with existing treatment infrastructure.

Associate Professor , Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (supported by SSHRC)

Jean-Pierre鈥檚 research in the sociology of education, sociology of race and ethnicity, youth studies, and research methodology. She focuses on school and postsecondary trajectories, policies and interventions, and qualitative research. The research of her postdoctoral researcher will redefine democracy as every day, community-based practice by examining how Black women in Brazil, Argentina, and Canada build collective infrastructures of care, mutual aid, and political organizing amid systemic exclusion and democratic crisis. Through comparative ethnography, it shows how these grassroots practices sustain and reimagine democratic life beyond formal state institutions, challenging dominant models shaped by anti-Blackness and inequality.

Professor and Scientific Director of the Artificial Intelligence for Public Health Advancement Seyed Moghadas, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science (supported by NSERC)

Moghadas鈥檚 research involves advanced theoretical and computational methods for modelling and analysis of infectious disease dynamics, evaluating public health interventions and policies, and health economics of healthcare programs. The postdoctoral researcher will develop transparent, uncertainty-aware AI forecasting tools that combine machine learning with mechanistic disease-transmission models to improve outbreak prediction and public-health decision-making. By integrating diverse data sources and explicitly quantifying uncertainty, the project aims to strengthen preparedness, resource allocation, and health system resilience against emerging infectious disease threats.

Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Social Reasoning , Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (supported by SSHRC)

Rini is an internationally recognized expert in the philosophical disciplines of ethics and epistemology. In ethics, she specifically examines structural injustice and the complexities of moral disagreement, while in epistemology, she has studied the effects of online misinformation on public debate and the erosion of digital recording as a regulator of testimony. Rini will supervise a postdoctoral researcher examining how testimonial narratives in the Colombian and Canadian truth commissions contribute to reparative justice by helping survivors reclaim agency, foster collective understanding and rebuild social trust after systemic violence. Through a comparative philosophical analysis, the project develops a framework for understanding narrative as a tool for epistemic repair and reconciliation while exploring its limitations in addressing ongoing structural inequalities. The research will look at the following three questions: The guiding questions are: What is the relationship between testimonial narrative and reparative justice; How does narrative support individual healing, collective recognition and the rebuilding of social trust; and What tensions arise between individualized testimonies and structural accounts of systemic injustice?

The post 91亚色 to receive $1.4M in Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards appeared first on News@91亚色.

 Cross-sectional study by 91亚色 U of more than 13,500 older adults found not all digital communication tools had the same associations with perceived mental health

Seniors are considered the fastest-growing group on the Internet, but does being connected online help or hinder mental health for older adults? According to a published in the open access journal PLOS Global Public Health led by 91亚色 Glendon College Associate Professor , while some Internet use such as email has been associated with mental health benefits, social media sites were linked to lower perceived mental health. 

 鈥淯nderstanding how digital communication tools are associated with mental health outcomes can inform policy and practice aimed at supporting mental well-being in this age group,鈥� the authors say. 鈥淭he findings may inform the development of targeted interventions and strategies to support mental well-being among older adults.

The use of the Internet has been linked to reduced social isolation and loneliness. However, the literature also presents mixed findings on the impact of digital communication tools on mental health among older adults, with some studies suggesting that digital behaviors may be associated with poorer mental health outcomes.

In the new study by Ali-Hassan and School of Kinesiology and Health Science researchers Safoura Zangiabadi and Durmalouk Kesibi from 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health, they analyzed data from the 2022 Canadian Internet Use Survey, a cross-sectional survey conducted by Statistics Canada. The analysis was restricted to adults aged 55 and older, and included 13,536 participants, weighted to be representative of the entire Canadian population aged 55 and older. Data was available on which online communication-related activities participants had conducted in the previous three months, their self-reported mental health, and sociodemographic factors. 

Over half of participants reported engaging in digital communication activities. After adjusting for covariates, email use was significantly positively associated with perceived mental health, while use of social networking sites was associated with poorer perceived mental health. No significant associations were found for instant messaging, online voice or video calls, dating websites, or uploading content. 

The authors suggest one possible explanation for the negative association between perceived mental health and social media may be exposure to distressing content as well as social comparison.

Read the original release .

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91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for meaningful life and career paths. 91亚色's Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campus in Costa Rica offers students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs, while at the Markham Campus, innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration are built into every program. 91亚色鈥檚 new School of Medicine, the first Canadian medical school to focus on community-based primary health-care education, will welcome its first cohort in September 2028. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media contacts: Emina Gamulin, 91亚色 Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

The post Social media use linked to poorer mental health in older Canadians, study finds appeared first on News@91亚色.

June 1, 2026, TORONTO 鈥� Birthed from a 1969 uprising as a response to police violence at a New 91亚色 City dive bar called the Stonewall Inn, Pride has grown into a global movement, with Toronto-area celebrations among the largest in the world. Drawing on years of community-engaged research and large-scale data sets, 91亚色 researchers are available to talk to media about historical struggles and current issues facing those in 2SLGBTQIA+ communities today.

Antony Chum

  (he/him, they/them) is the Canada Research Chair in Population Health Data Science and an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health. His research focuses on LGBTQ+ health disparities and the structural determinants of health among marginalized populations, such as low-income, racialized, and gender-diverse groups. By applying quasi-experimental approaches to large-scale population datasets drawn from Census, linked health administrative, and international sources, Chum generates population-level evidence on how structural barriers and public policies shape health and related social and economic outcomes.

颁丑耻尘鈥檚 , "Beyond the Gender Binary: Wage Inequality and Occupational Segregation among Transgender and Nonbinary Workers," utilizes data from the 2021 Canadian Census, the first national census in the world to collect and identify data on transgender and nonbinary individuals. The study found significant employment and wage gaps, with transgender and nonbinary individuals being eight to 14 per cent less likely to be employed than cisgender men and earn 20 to 30 per cent lower hourly wages on average. Even after adjusting for demographic, occupational, and industrial factors, a substantial earnings gap remains, hitting nonbinary individuals assigned female at birth the hardest.

Chum is available to discuss other studies including:

• Upcoming research that demonstrates that progressive political environments act as crucial protective factors, actively mitigating the minority stress that drives elevated rates of suicidality and substance use in sexual minority populations
• Gender minorities facing drastically higher risks for physical, cognitive, and mental activity limitations
• Transgender and non-binary individuals facing significantly higher rates of housing instability than cisgender individuals
• Severe disparities in severe substance-related events, pinpointing bisexual women as facing the highest risk (more than double that of heterosexual women)

Jin Haritaworn

is an expert of gay imperialism, homonationalism and pinkwashing. They have studied the gentrification and securitization of the Church-Wellesley Village and look critically at the incorporation of Pride into the neoliberal city. They also explore queer of colour maps and counter-archives. Haritaworn is Associate Professor of Gender, Race and Environment in the Faculty of Environment and Urban Change. They locate their work in the tradition of activist scholarship, which attempts to be in the service of communities. Their research deals with landscapes that are shaped by racial and colonial capitalism, where celebration and incorporation exist alongside pathologization and criminalization. Their first two books, and , explore how certain mixed-race and LGBT subjects became desirable in a context of war on terror, neoliberal multiculturalism and the global city in London and Berlin.

Haritaworn is available to discuss:

• Gentrification and criminalization in the Village
• Queer of colour archives and activism
• Homonationalism and gay imperialism

Tom Hooper

(he/him) is a historian of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in Canada and a professor with the department of equity studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). His research includes exploring the 1981 bathhouse raids in Toronto where more than three hundred gay men were arrested and criminally charged for their sexuality, with a focus on the community resistance to these raids both on the streets and in the courts. Hooper critically examined the construction of dominant queer historical narratives, including the myth that legal changes in 1969 represented the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. Hooper also investigated the use and misuse of heritage grants provided to 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations.

Hooper is available to comment on:

• 2SLGBTQIA+ protest movements
• Policing and pride
• 2SLGBTQIA+ history

Nick Mul茅

(he/him) is a professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women鈥檚 Studies and the School of Social Work, LA&PS. He teaches sexual activism, and social justice. His research areas include advocacy, and the social inclusion 鈥� and exclusion 鈥� of gender and and sexually diverse populations (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, two-spirit, genderqueer, intersex, queer, questioning 鈥� 2SLGBTQIA+) in social policy and service provision and the degree of recognition of these populations as distinct communities in cultural, systemic and structural contexts. Mul茅 also engages in critical analysis of the 2SLGBTQIA+ movement and the development of queer liberation theory. Mul茅 is currently leading a national research project on poverty in 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, the first national study of its kind.

Mul茅 is available to comment on:

• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, intersex and queer issues
• Queer liberation theory
• 2SLGBTQIA+ health and social service concerns, public and social policy regarding 2SLGBTQIA+ people and communities
• History and politics of the 2SLGBTQIA+ movement
• Diversity in society and 2SLGBTQIA+ human rights

For information on Pride celebrations at 91亚色, please see here.

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91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for meaningful life and career paths. 91亚色's Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campus in Costa Rica offers students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact: Emina Gamulin, 91亚色 Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

The post 91亚色 U experts available to comment on Pride Month appeared first on News@91亚色.

Researchers from 91亚色 U, Environment and Climate Change Canada found chemical compounds trigger inflammatory, toxic responses in human lung immune cells

TORONTO, May 27, 2026 鈥� A published today in the journal Environment International reports that chemicals released from tires can transform into complex mixtures in the atmosphere that may pose previously unrecognized risks to human respiratory health.

Tire rubber contains antioxidant chemicals, most notably 6PPD and DPPD, that are released into the air as tiny particles during normal driving. A single compound formed from 6PPD, known as 6PPD-quinone was previously shown to be implicated in the death of coho salmon in urban waterways, but the broader atmospheric chemistry and potential human health impacts of these compounds have remained largely unexplored until now.

鈥淭he striking finding was that the mixtures were far more toxic than the original tire chemicals themselves and are far more toxic than the one compound previously implicated in environmental studies,鈥� says 91亚色 Associate Professor Ali Abdul-Sater, who co-lead the study with researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada. 鈥淭his suggests that focusing on a single compound may substantially underestimate the real health risks associated with tire-derived air pollution.鈥�

Abdul-Sater, with the School of Kinesiology and Health Science in the Faculty of Health at 91亚色 and director of the Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) CARE Hub, connected with research scientists John Liggio and Samar Moussa from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The federal government agency has a 鈥渓ibrary鈥� of archived ambient samples on hand from across the country and the researchers used some of these samples from near Highway 401, and close to 91亚色, for the study.

鈥淲hen you oxidize one chemical from a tire, it probably makes hundreds of chemicals in the mixture, and you don't know which one of those, or all of them are causing the toxic effect that we're seeing,鈥� explains Liggio. 鈥淓ven though we can identify what they are chemically, you can't go out and buy that chemical and test only that chemical.鈥�

In this study, they identified at least 150 chemicals and found 88 of them to be present in the roadside samples. They then recreated the mixture of tire derived chemicals in their laboratory and handed them off to Abdul-Sater.

At his lab at 91亚色, Abdul-Sater exposed human macrophage cells to this chemical mixture. Macrophages are immune cells that serve as the lungs鈥� first line of defense against inhaled particles. Surprisingly, while the fish-killing 6PPD-quinone was not found to be particularly toxic, the chemical mixture overall was.

鈥淭he results showed rapid cell death, substantial mitochondrial damage, and strong activation of inflammatory pathways,鈥� says Abdul-Sater. 鈥淭hese effects were far more severe than those caused by the parent chemicals alone or by 6PPD-quinone, the single product that has received the most attention. Importantly, the concentrations that triggered these responses are comparable to estimated levels in human lung fluid based on real-world air quality measurements near busy roads.鈥�

Moussa adds: 鈥淭he original motivation for the project was to assess the toxicity of this one compound, but what we discovered was a potentially more complex issue that we aim to disentangle in future studies. When you breath in air, you take it all in, you are not selectively breathing this molecule or that molecule.鈥�

The researchers say the results are preliminary and not cause for alarm, pointing out that these exposures have existed for half a century or more, but they may be one more environmental exposure that is contributing to the rise of chronic inflammation and related disease. Previous studies have shown negative health effects being correlated with living near major roadways.

鈥淲e have to think about this from a chronic exposure angle,鈥� says Abdul-Sater. 鈥淭hese compounds may be increasing our proclivity to develop certain kinds of diseases.鈥�

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91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for meaningful life and career paths. 91亚色's Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campus in Costa Rica offers students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact: Emina Gamulin, 91亚色 Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

The post New study shows atmospheric compounds formed from tire wear may pose human health risk appeared first on News@91亚色.