Latest News Archives - YFile /yfile/category/latest-news/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 20:20:42 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 Presidential Search Committee: notice of third community consultation /yfile/2026/08/21/presidential-search-committee-notice-of-third-community-consultation/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 20:20:38 +0000 /yfile/?p=409291 University community members are invited to share perspectives on the mandate and profile of 91亚色's ninth president and vice-chancellor.

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Dear members of the 91亚色 community,

The Presidential Search Committee is responsible for the search for 91亚色鈥檚 ninth president and vice-chancellor.

As part of the process of developing the mandate and position profile for the University鈥檚 next president and vice-chancellor, the committee members would like to hear from as many members of the University community as possible.

We invite you to offer your perspectives. We have scheduled our third consultation for: Thursday, Sept. 17 on the Keele Campus at 10 a.m. to noon in the Dr. Robert Everett Senate Chamber, N940 Ross Building.

The session will be in-person with virtual available to those who are unable to join in-person.

Registration for the session:

The Search Committee has prepared questions to consider in advance of the sessions (or if you would like to prepare a written response). The questions can be found here.

If you prefer to write your response, please take a moment to comment in confidence to: yorkpvc@boyden.com or by completing the survey available at . Your comments will not be attributed to you, but will be shared with the committee.

Antonio Di Domenico
Chair Presidential Search Committee鈥

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Global inequities limit access to cardiac rehabilitation, says 91亚色 study /yfile/2026/08/21/global-inequities-limit-access-to-cardiac-rehabilitation-says-york-study/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:59:18 +0000 /yfile/?p=409283 A new global snapshot of cardiac rehabilitation access, led by 91亚色 PhD candidate Rachael Carson, highlights persistent inequities in referrals, affordability and participation, pointing to opportunities for policy and health-system change.

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Many patients who could benefit from cardiac rehabilitation never receive it, according to led by Rachael Carson, a PhD candidate in 91亚色's Faculty of Health.

As cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of illness and death worldwide, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs have been shown to reduce mortality, lower hospital readmissions and improve quality of life.

Despite its proven value, significant gaps remain in who is referred to cardiac rehabilitation and who ultimately participates, particularly in parts of the world where cardiovascular disease places a disproportionate burden on health systems and patients.

Rachael Carson
Rachael Carson

"Even when CR programs are available, patients still face barriers to being referred, accessing programs and affording care," says Carson. "Understanding these gaps helps identify where changes in healthcare systems and policies could improve access, particularly in lower-resource settings.鈥

Previous studies had tracked barriers to cardiac rehabilitation and identified disparities in participation across countries and health care systems. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted CR delivery and access worldwide, says Carson. As a result, the global cardiac rehabilitation landscape had not been comprehensively assessed in the years since, with little recent data available on referral practices, wait times, funding models and the costs individuals face when seeking care.

"An updated audit was therefore needed to understand what CR looks like globally today, where progress has been made, and where gaps in referral and access persist,鈥 says Carson.

Under the supervision of 91亚色 Professor Sherry L. Grace and Adjunct Professor Gabriela Ghisi, Carson conducted a global survey of CR programs in 2025 examining referral practices, limitations to participation, wait times, strategies to improve entry to treatment, funding models and patient costs.

The researchers ultimately received survey responses from 1,505 CR programs across 90 countries. Program leaders completed questionnaires about how care is delivered, how people utilize services and the financial challenges both patients and providers face. The researchers then analyzed the results by country income level.

Among the study's observations was the limited adoption of systematic referral systems, which automatically refer eligible individuals to cardiac rehabilitation rather than relying on a clinician to manually make the referral.

"It was striking that systematic referral, despite being an effective way to increase CR use, was implemented in only about one-fifth of programs globally," says Carson.

The finding also reflected one of the study's broader themes: inequity in access. Systematic referral was far more common in high-income countries than in middle- and low-income countries, with programs in high-income countries estimating that roughly 80 per cent of eligible patients were referred to rehabilitation compared with about 50 per cent in middle-income countries.

The study also found that access was shaped not only by referrals, but by whether patients could afford to participate.

"One finding that stood out to me was the magnitude of the financial barriers," says Carson. "Programs globally estimated that 50 per cent of indicated patients may forego CR because of out-of-pocket costs."

Nearly half of surveyed programs relied on direct patient payments as a source of funding. When patients were required to pay, they covered an average of about 60 per cent of rehabilitation costs themselves. In lower-middle-income countries, patients often paid the entire cost of care out of pocket.

Together, the findings point to a broader inequity. Many of the countries carrying the greatest burden of cardiovascular disease also face some of the greatest barriers to rehabilitation, meaning access to treatment known to improve survival and quality of life can depend on where patients live and what they can afford.

The study also highlighted efforts already underway to improve participation. Researchers found that many programs are taking steps to make cardiac rehabilitation more accessible, including by providing information in multiple formats, offering plain-language educational materials, tailoring services to diverse populations and making resources available in different languages with the support of multilingual staff or interpreters.

Building on this progress, the researchers say addressing the persistent inequities identified in the study will require broader policy action. They recommend stronger public investment in CR, expanded health care coverage to reduce out-of-pocket costs and wider use of systematic referral systems to help more who are eligible for care. Those changes could extend the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation to more patients who need it and ultimately help reduce cardiovascular illness and death.

For Carson, the hope is that her work will help inform practical changes that improve access to care for patients around the world.

"I hope these findings help inform changes in policy and clinical practice that make CR more accessible and affordable," says Carson. "Ultimately, improving referral processes and reducing financial barriers could allow more patients to benefit from cardiac rehabilitation."

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91亚色 research offers employers a roadmap for responding to opioid use /yfile/2026/08/21/york-research-offers-employers-a-roadmap-for-responding-to-opioid-use/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:29:12 +0000 /yfile/?p=409265 91亚色-led research shows how vehicles already travelling through cities could collect critical urban data, potentially reducing the need for costly sensing infrastructure.

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As many organizations remain unprepared to address opioid-related challenges at work, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Associate Professor Duygu Birick Gulseren is helping employers better understand what contributes to opioid dependence and how employers can respond more effectively.

For a decade, Gulseren, who teaches human resource management in 91亚色's School of Administrative Studies, has researched chronic pain in the workplace. During that time, one issue kept surfacing.

鈥淪ubstance dependence is far more common among employees than most people realize,鈥 says Gulseren. 鈥淥pioids kept coming up as an important and often overlooked part of that picture.鈥

The impacts of opioid dependence can be significant for both workers and organizations, she says. For personnel, it can contribute to anxiety, reduced concentration and chronic health challenges. For employers, it can mean increased absenteeism and presenteeism, reduced productivity, higher turnover and rising disability and health care costs.

Duygu Biricik Gulseren
Duygu Birick Gulseren

Despite the effect dependence can have on workers and companies, Gulseren and frequent collaborator Zhanna Lyubykh, an assistant professor at Simon Fraser University, have found many employers remain unprepared to respond.

鈥淢any organizations still lack effective and practical strategies for addressing opioid-related challenges at work,鈥 says Gulseren. 鈥淭hey often don鈥檛 know how to approach it.鈥

That gap led to a paper, , which aims to provide organizations with a clearer understanding of what contributes to opioid use in the workplace and what employers can do to address it.

In order to do so, the researchers reviewed a broad body of literature on opioid use disorder, workplace injuries, job stress, culture, drug-testing policies and recovery programs. They also examined evidence on accommodations and other measures designed to help employees manage substance-use challenges and return to work successfully.

Across the literature they reviewed, several themes emerged. According to Gulseren, one of the most notable findings was that employment setting conditions themselves can contribute to opioid dependence.

A common assumption is that opioid use disorder is primarily a personal issue rooted in an individual's own circumstances.

鈥淥ur research points to something different: conditions like poor ergonomics, high stress, pressure to return to work too soon after an injury or heavy physical demands with little control over one's work can push employees toward dependence,鈥 says Gulseren.

Across the literature, another theme emerged: workplace responses can be just as important as workplace conditions. When organizations addressed opioid use through measures such as drug testing or strict disciplinary policies, the evidence suggested those approaches often fell short.

Punitive measures such as drug testing and strict disciplinary approaches were often found to have limited success. Some studies reviewed by Gulseren even identified links between punitive policies and higher rates of opioid use. She and Lyubykh found such approaches can increase employee distress, create perceptions of unfairness, discourage people from seeking help and encourage workers to conceal substance-use problems.

Instead, the researchers found strategies focused on reducing stigma, providing accommodations and helping staff through treatment and recovery were often associated with better outcomes.

Across the studies they reviewed, these approaches were linked to lower rates of substance use, safer workplaces, greater willingness among employees to seek help, improved retention and more successful recovery and return-to-work outcomes.

For Gulseren, the review was about more than identifying insights from existing research. It was also an opportunity to explore practical ways organizations could better assist personnel.

鈥淚t was important to us that the work translate into applicable, practical recommendations that people in HR and management roles could actually put into practice,鈥 says Gulseren.

The published paper offers recommendations split into two categories: prevention and response.

On the prevention side, it encourages employers to focus on reducing workplace injuries, improving ergonomics, lowering job-related stress, creating psychologically safer spaces and ensuring employees have adequate opportunities for rest and recovery.

For those already struggling with opioid dependence, they recommend non-judgmental conversations, reducing stigma, recognizing signs of distress, providing appropriate accommodations and facilitating treatment and recovery. The researchers also emphasize the importance of structured return-to-work plans and ongoing support after treatment.

The recommendations, Gulseren says, are intended to give organizations the tools and understanding they need to better respond to staff needs while improving outcomes for companies as a whole.

鈥淲e hope it gives managers concrete, evidence-based tools both preventive (how to minimize the likelihood of opioid-related harm in the first place) and reactive (how to support employees through opioid use disorder and recovery when it does occur) ways,鈥 says Gulseren.

For her, that work is especially important because conversations about opioid use in the workplace are often oversimplified.

鈥淥pioids can be a necessary part of chronic pain management for many employees, so this isn't a simple 鈥榦pioids are bad鈥 story,鈥 says Gulseren. 鈥淥rganizations need better ways to manage and respond to this reality. We hope our work encourages organizations to move away from punitive responses and toward more supportive approaches.鈥

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Student applies 91亚色 learning to growing their tech startup /yfile/2026/08/19/student-applies-york-learning-to-growing-their-tech-startup/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:40:33 +0000 /yfile/?p=409240 From software design to startup strategy, 91亚色 student Nikunj Thakur is applying lessons from the classroom to the real world as co-founder and CTO of a growing tech company.

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student Nikunj Thakur is balancing coursework, exams and group projects with another significant responsibility: helping lead a technology startup.

Thakur is the founding engineer and chief technology officer (CTO) of Tally Rewards, a platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses create customer loyalty programs. The platform allows customers to automatically earn rewards through linked payment cards, while providing businesses with data on customer visits, spending and engagement.

Building a company is demanding in its own right, but while helping lead the company's product development and technical strategy, he is also completing a software engineering degree at 91亚色.

Nikunj Thakur
Nikunj Thakur

Balancing those responsibilities hasn鈥檛 always been easy.

"There have been periods where assignments, exams, product deadlines and company responsibilities have all happened at the same time," he says.

The challenge has grown alongside the company, as his role has expanded beyond engineering to include leadership, team development and long-term planning.

For Thakur, balancing a startup while completing an engineering degree has become an education in itself.

"It has forced me to become much more intentional with how I manage my time and prioritize what actually needs my attention,鈥 he says.

The opportunity to gain that kind of hands-on learning while studying was one of the reasons he chose 91亚色.

"91亚色 stood out to me not only because of the engineering program, but also because of the entrepreneurial support and pathways available to students," he says.

Thakur says the overlap between classroom learning and real-world experience has accelerated his growth. Concepts introduced through his coursework, including software design, testing and large-scale software development, often influence how he approaches challenges at Tally Rewards.

Classroom learning was only part of the experience. 91亚色鈥檚 entrepreneurship programs have also shaped his approach to building a business. In addition to his software engineering coursework, Thakur has pursued opportunities through Lassonde's BEST (Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology) program and entrepreneurship courses available through .

Designed to help students develop the skills and understanding needed to launch a startup, these learning opportunities encouraged him to think beyond technology and focus on understanding users, validating ideas and building sustainable businesses.

As a result, Thakur has gained new insights into his role as CTO at Tally Rewards.

"Being a CTO isn't only about being a strong engineer. It's also about helping a team make good decisions and ensuring that what we build actually supports the direction of the business,鈥 he says. 鈥淪ome of the most important work happens before you write any code.鈥

The combination of technical and venture creation education has been one of the most valuable aspects of Thakur's 91亚色 experience.

"My engineering courses at Lassonde have given me the technical foundation to build reliable systems, while the entrepreneurship experiences have helped me understand why those systems should be built and who they should be built for," he says.

Looking ahead, Thakur hopes to continue growing as both an engineer and entrepreneur while completing his degree.

"University is actually a unique environment to experiment because you're surrounded by people who are learning, building and willing to help," he says.

Despite the challenges of juggling both, Thakur believes students interested in entrepreneurship should take advantage of the opportunities available at 91亚色 and not wait until they feel fully prepared before pursuing an idea.

"A lot of students assume they need to have the perfect idea, a complete skill set or a detailed plan before they can build something," he says. "In reality, a huge part of entrepreneurship is learning as you go."

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Passings: Kurt Danziger /yfile/2026/08/19/passings-kurt-danziger/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:23:12 +0000 /yfile/?p=409234 Professor Emeritus Kurt Danziger leaves behind a legacy as an activist in the anti-apartheid resistance in South Africa, a founding member of 91亚色's Department of Psychology and an influential figure in the study of the history of psychology.

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Kurt Danziger, a formative figure in the creation of 91亚色's Department of Psychology and an internationally recognized scholar whose work reshaped understanding of psychology's history, has died at the age of 100.

Born in Germany in 1926, Danziger emigrated with his family to South Africa as a child and completed degrees in chemistry and psychology at the University of Cape Town before pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Oxford, where he was among the institution's first PhD graduates in psychology.

Kurt Danziger
Kurt Danziger

After teaching in Australia and Indonesia, Danziger returned to South Africa and eventually became chair of psychology at the University of Cape Town. During the apartheid era, he became acquainted with Nelson Mandela and other leaders in the anti-apartheid movement and served as an expert witness in trials involving Black activists. His advocacy brought threats against him and his family, as well as the possibility of prosecution by the government.

In 1965, Danziger accepted an invitation to join 91亚色 as the second chair of its Department of Psychology.

Arriving as the University was opening the Keele Campus, he helped shepherd a period of rapid growth for the department. During his two-year tenure as chair, faculty numbers more than doubled. During that period, he also helped recruit many of the scholars who would shape the department's future growth and research strengths. He remained at 91亚色 until his retirement in 1994, when he became professor emeritus.

鈥淜urt was a giant in our department and in the field," says Alistair Mapp, current chair of the Department of Psychology.

While helping shape the department's growth, Danziger also emerged as one of the world's leading scholars of the history of psychology. Although he initially worked in social psychology, his interests increasingly turned toward the history of the discipline and its research methods, as well as the ways the discipline鈥檚 ideas evolved over time.

By the 1980s, that interest culminated in his influential 1990 book, Constructing the Subject: Historical Origins of Psychological Research. It was one of several landmark works that followed, including Naming the Mind: How Psychology Found Its Language and Marking the Mind: A History of Memory, helping establish his international reputation and reshaping how scholars understood psychology's past.

Collectively, his research challenged long-accepted assumptions about some of the discipline's founding figures and prompted new ways of thinking about how psychological knowledge is created. The work also helped lay the foundation for one of his most lasting contributions to 91亚色. Danziger helped establish the University's graduate specialization in History and Theory of Psychology, developing its curriculum and serving as its founding director when it launched in 1980. Over the following years, he supervised many of the students who entered the program, helping train a generation of scholars. The program continues today as Historical, Theoretical and Critical Research in Psychology.

Over the course of his career, Danziger received numerous honours. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1989 and received the Canadian Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training in 1994 for his role in establishing 91亚色's graduate specialization in the history and theory of psychology. In 2005, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. He also received lifetime achievement awards from both the Society for the History of Psychology and the Canadian Psychological Association's History and Philosophy of Psychology Section.

For those who knew him well, including Professor Emeritus Ray Fancher, Danziger's accomplishments resonate not only in the field of psychology, but throughout 91亚色.

"He was surely one of 91亚色's 'greatest' figures," says Fancher.

Mapp echoes that sentiment. "His legacy will live on through his students and his writings. He will be sorely missed," he says.

With files from Ray Fancher

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91亚色 study finds smarter way to collect city data /yfile/2026/08/14/york-study-finds-smarter-way-to-collect-city-data/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:34:19 +0000 /yfile/?p=409187 91亚色-led research shows how vehicles already travelling through cities could collect critical urban data, potentially reducing the need for costly sensing infrastructure.

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As cities face growing pressure to manage transportation networks, infrastructure and public services using smart-sensing systems, new research led by 91亚色 suggests there may be a more effective 鈥 and economical 鈥 way to collect data.

The , published in Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, shows that municipalities may not need new infrastructure to become 鈥渟marter鈥 and explores how to use the city itself as the sensor.

Urban planners depend on data to support decisions ranging from parking management and road maintenance to traffic operations and environmental monitoring, explains Elham Heydari-Gharaei, the study鈥檚 first author and 91亚色 PhD alum. Collecting that information across an entire city, however, can require expensive networks of fixed sensors.

Elham Heydari-Gharaei
Elham Heydari-Gharaei

鈥淚t struck me that while municipalities spend millions installing and maintaining fixed sensors, thousands of vehicles are already travelling through urban streets every day,鈥 says Heydari-Gharaei, who is now an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. 鈥淭hat made me wonder: What if the city itself could become the sensor?鈥

By strategically coordinating vehicles equipped as mobile sensors, bicycles, maintenance vehicles, municipal fleets and shared mobility services could gather and share information as they move through urban areas.

鈥淭he key challenge is coordinating those vehicles efficiently, so the data remains reliable while keeping costs manageable,鈥 says Heydari-Gharaei. 鈥淏y solving that coordination problem, cities can collect reliable, up-to-date information while making better use of existing resources.鈥

In response, the research team developed algorithms to help planners evaluate operational scenarios. They assessed factors such as sensing frequency, fleet size and service routes, while scaling solutions for large urban networks.

One finding that stood out emerged from a Toronto case study. Researchers found that only about one-quarter of Toronto鈥檚 Bike Share fleet could monitor the entire permit parking network if equipped with sensors and strategically routed. The result highlights how optimization can significantly reduce the resources needed for city-wide monitoring.

Mehdi Nourinejad
Mehdi Nourinejad

Mehdi Nourinejad, associate professor at the and Heydari-Gharaei's doctoral supervisor, says the implications for mobile sensing systems could enhance data retrieval for infrastructure inspection, environmental monitoring, traffic management and other smart-city applications.

鈥淐ities already have thousands of vehicles moving through their streets every day and the key is to develop optimization methods that determine how those vehicles should be routed and deployed to collect reliable data,鈥 says Nourinejad. 鈥淚f cities can collect reliable information using resources they already operate, they may be able to improve services without major new expenditures.鈥

The findings could also help address financial barriers experienced by municipalities seeking to expand data collection without making large investments in smart-city infrastructure.

Reliable urban data, says Heydari-Gharaei, supports everyday decisions, from helping drivers find parking to monitoring road conditions, air quality and public infrastructure. Better data, says Heydari-Gharaei, can support better planning, reduced congestion, improved sustainability and more responsive public services.

鈥淎s sensing technologies continue to improve, there is enormous potential to rethink how cities gather information without continuously investing in new infrastructure,鈥 says Heydari-Gharaei.

During the project, 91亚色 researchers collaborated with Professor Matthew Roorda from the University of Toronto, who contributed expertise in freight transportation and urban mobility.

With files from Alex Huls

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Markham Campus earns national design award /yfile/2026/08/14/markham-campus-earns-national-design-award/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:31:59 +0000 /yfile/?p=409195 91亚色鈥檚 newest campus is building a national profile for innovative design, with growing recognition for inclusive learning spaces and a focus on community.

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91亚色鈥檚 Markham Campus has earned another national design award for an interior that emphasizes accessibility, wellness and connection.

The 10-storey, 400,000-square-foot facility, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, received Canadian Interiors鈥 2026 Best of Canada Award in the institutional category for 鈥渁 design that places emotional comfort, social engagement, wellness and intuitive movement at the centre of the design agenda.鈥

The award adds to recent recognition for 91亚色鈥檚 newest campus, which was created to expand educational opportunities in one of Canada鈥檚 fastest-growing urban regions. Markham Campus previously earned top honours at the GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Awards and was named a winner in the LEARN category of the 2025 ARIDO Awards.

According to Canadian Interiors, this year鈥檚 winning projects reflected a growing emphasis on spaces that support meaningful experiences and respond to culture, heritage and contemporary design priorities.

Located in Markham, the campus is organized around a five-storey atrium that serves as a gathering space. A central staircase links classrooms, study areas and collaborative spaces, while glazing and daylight help maintain sightlines across multiple floors.

The facility supports interdisciplinary learning and research through flexible teaching, collaboration and community-focused spaces. Its interior design encourages interaction among students, faculty, staff and visitors by connecting learning, research and informal activity spaces.

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Continuing Studies launches disability case management certificate /yfile/2026/08/12/continuing-studies-launches-disability-case-management-certificate/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:36:11 +0000 /yfile/?p=409143 The new part-time program at 91亚色鈥檚 School of Continuing Studies equips professionals with practical disability management and return-to-work skills.

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Demand for disability management professionals is rising across Canada as employers respond to growing accommodation needs, mental health-related disability claims and an aging workforce.

91亚色鈥檚 has launched a new to prepare learners for careers in the field.

Designed for professionals working in human resources, health care, insurance, rehabilitation, occupational health and safety or related fields, the three-month, part-time program is delivered through a blend of synchronous and asynchronous online learning. It includes three courses focused on the theory, applied knowledge and workplace skills needed to support employees through disability-related transitions.

The first cohort begins in Winter 2027.

Frances Fung
Frances Fung

"With an aging workforce and rising disability claims, particularly related to mental health, there is a high demand across the province of Ontario and Canada for disability management professionals to help employers reduce workplace absences and facilitate safe returns to work," says Francis Fung, program advisory committee member.

Disability management efforts, says Fung, must address issues beyond legal compliance and duty to accommodate and give more consideration to inclusive workplace practices.

鈥淚 am excited that the 91亚色鈥檚 School of Continuing Studies is launching a program that will prepare learners in recognizing disability as a human diversity and focus on a person-centred approach in disability management," he says.

The certificate covers functional interviewing, job-demand analysis, workplace accommodation, case co-ordination, professional documentation and communication for sensitive workplace conversations. Learners will also develop graduated return-to-work plans that balance employee needs with workplace and operational realities.

Christine Brooks-Cappadocia
Christine Brooks-Cappadocia

鈥淐reating learning and working environments where everyone can participate and succeed is a core value of 91亚色鈥檚 School of Continuing Studies and mine,鈥 says Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, assistant vice-president of continuing studies at 91亚色.

"By learning from industry professionals and engaging with real-world cases, students gain the knowledge and experience to help organizations create more inclusive workplaces and ensure people have the support they need to succeed."

Graduates will be prepared to pursue roles such as disability case manager, return-to-work co-ordinator, accommodation specialist, accessibility adviser and disability management consultant.

for the inaugural Winter 2027 cohort.

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Passings: Robert (Bob) Cluett /yfile/2026/08/12/passings-robert-bob-cluett/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:34:36 +0000 /yfile/?p=409117 Professor Emeritus Robert Cluett leaves a legacy at 91亚色 as a dedicated teacher, mentor and advocate for students during his more than three decades in the University's Department of English.

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Robert (Bob) Cluett, a 91亚色 professor emeritus and recipient of an honorary doctor of letters from 91亚色, has died at the age of 93.

Cluett joined 91亚色 in the late 1950s, beginning his more than three decades at the University, where he taught in the Department of English and served as Chair of the graduate English program before retiring in 1989.

Robert (Bob) Cluett
Robert (Bob) Cluett

At 91亚色 he became known as a dedicated teacher, mentor and advocate for students.

Former students remembered Cluett as an educator who combined intellectual rigour with generosity and encouragement. Many recall his willingness to support students through academic and professional challenges, helping them navigate graduate studies, secure career opportunities and pursue paths beyond academia. Others describe him as thoughtful, principled and deeply committed to fostering independent thinking and intellectual curiosity.

Cluett's contributions to 91亚色 extended beyond the classroom. An associate of Winters College, he coached the University's women's squash team from 1979-86, later describing it as his most rewarding coaching experience. Former players remember him as a dedicated coach and mentor.

During his years at 91亚色, Cluett became increasingly interested in how universities identify and support talented students. Concerned that many promising Canadians were leaving the country to pursue post-secondary education elsewhere, and seeing limitations in scholarship programs focused primarily on grades or athletic achievement, he developed an alternative vision.

That vision led him to take early retirement from 91亚色 in 1989 to establish the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation, now known as the Loran Scholars Foundation. As founding chair and CEO, he championed an approach that emphasized character, leadership potential, resilience and community engagement alongside academic accomplishment. 91亚色 was one of five founding university partners in the program, which has since become one of Canada's most prominent undergraduate scholarship initiatives.

According to his family, Cluett considered the foundation his proudest accomplishment.

In recognition of his contributions to education and student development, 91亚色 awarded Cluett an honorary doctor of letters. Through his teaching, mentorship and the scholarship foundation he created, his influence continues to be felt by students and graduates across Canada.

Cluett was predeceased by his spouse and a granddaughter. He is survived by his three daughters, a cherished niece regarded as part of the immediate family, seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter and a brother-in-law.

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Passings: John Frederick Bankes /yfile/2026/08/07/passings-john-frederick-bankes/ Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:30:55 +0000 /yfile/?p=409089 An alum and lifelong supporter of 91亚色, John Frederick Bankes created a legacy of business leadership and philanthropy for future generations by promoting the value of volunteering.

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John Frederick Bankes, a lawyer, investment banker, philanthropist and longtime supporter of 91亚色, has died at 74.

Bankes graduated from 91亚色 with both an LLB and MBA in 1977 before going on to become a respected leader in law and finance. After practising law in Toronto and New 91亚色 and working with international investment banking firms including Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse First Boston, he founded Artemis Management Group, a private investment bank that advised clients around the world on mergers, acquisitions and other major transactions.

John Frederick Barnes
John Frederick Barnes

Throughout his career, Bankes maintained a strong connection to 91亚色. Appointed a student member of the University's Board of Governors in 1974, he returned to the board in 1985 as an alumnus and business leader. He served for more than three decades and became the longest-serving active member of the Board of Governors.

He contributed to the University in numerous other ways over the decades. He served for more than 15 years as an executive member of the 91亚色 Alumni Association and, in 1995, was co-chair of a national fundraising campaign in support of the University.

His involvement at 91亚色 also included teaching as a sessional lecturer at , where he taught an advanced corporate law seminar in the joint law and MBA program, and supporting students through scholarships, bursaries and awards.

His commitment to service extended far beyond 91亚色. Volunteerism and philanthropy were defining features of his life, reflecting a deeply held belief in giving back to the community.

He lent his leadership and expertise to a wide range of charitable, educational, health care and cultural organizations, serving as a board member of the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation and co-chair of the Scarborough Hospital Foundation. He also served with the Prince of Wales Charities Advisory Committee, PREVNet, a national organization dedicated to preventing bullying, and arts organizations including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Canadian Stage.

In recognition of his contributions to business, philanthropy and community service, Bankes received numerous honours throughout his lifetime, including the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Centennial Medal.

Among his proudest honours was receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws from 91亚色 during Spring Convocation in 2014.

Speaking to graduands at the ceremony, Bankes encouraged them to see volunteerism not as an obligation but as an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and their communities.

Quoting inventor and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller, he said, 鈥淔ind a cause that needs your involvement, your integrity, loyalty, intellectual capacity, passion and most importantly your commitment to give back to society.鈥

He challenged graduates to recognize the impact they could have through service, arguing that volunteerism remains a powerful force for addressing societal challenges and strengthening communities. He also shared his belief in their potential to bring about change.

鈥淚 think about what young people who have more tomorrows than yesterdays are to make of the world they have inherited,鈥 he said.

Through a lifetime of leadership, philanthropy and service, Bankes now leaves a better inheritance for those who follow.

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