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What you need to know about the 3 fall vaccines, according to U of T experts

3D renditions of three dangerous respiratory viruses: RSV (top left), SARS-CoV-2 (bottom center), and flu (top right). Note: not to scale. Credit: NIAID

Here is what these U of T experts want Canadians to know about the new RSV vaccine, the updated COVID-19 vaccine, and this year’s flu shot.   By: Ishani Nath and Betty Zou  As cold and flu season approaches, Canadians are facing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an increase in COVID-19 activity,...

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IfP Graduate Studentship Award recipient works to improve treatment of migrant workers

Banner image includes Stephanie Mayell's portrait. Mayell received the Institute for Pandemic's Graduate Studentship Award.

Graduate Studentship Award recipient Stephanie Mayell's journey is a testament to the transformative power of education and determination. Dropping out of high school at sixteen years old, her path seemed far removed from the world of academia. However, fast forward thirty years, and Mayell's reality is nothing short of remarkable....

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DLSPH Faculty Among Recipients of the 2023 New Initiative and Innovation Awards

Image of a pharmacist helping a patient

DLSPH faculty were among the recipients of the inaugural 2023 New Initiative and Innovation Awards from the Network for Improving Health Systems (NIHS). The network was created in November 2022 from a $3 million donation from Shoppers Drug Mart to both the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH)...

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This AI will help us get ahead of the next pandemic

Headshot of Dr. Kamran Khan

By Ishani Nath It seems appropriate that the Toronto offices for Kamran Khan’s BlueDot, which uses artificial intelligence to flag potential infectious disease outbreaks around the world, are located at the edge of Lake Ontario. Similar to a lighthouse, BlueDot signals when there’s danger ahead. "We use the internet as...

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U of T Experts Help Ontario Science Centre Bring Vaccine Science to Life

A panel with buttons on it and a series of dots on the floor behind it.

By Ishani Nath “Fun” is not a word people typically associate with vaccines. The Ontario Science Centre wants to change that with new exhibits that invite visitors to see, touch, and — at times — walk through vaccine science. “We don't want to just tell people [about vaccine science], we...

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RSV Immunizations Are Coming. This U of T Researcher Is Helping Parents Prepare

Scanning electron micrography of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) labeled with anti-RSV/gold antibodies shedding from surface of human lung A549 cultured cell.

By Ishani Nath RSV researchers have been waiting for this moment for decades. Two new ways to protect children from respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, are on the verge of becoming available in Canada. Even though the majority of children will get infected by age 2, “most parents...

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“I Just Don’t Want People to Feel Broken and Misunderstood”

DLSPH Students Lead Studies to Support Student Mental Health By Heidi Singer Two research teams at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health are studying student mental health in close partnership with the best experts on the subject – students themselves. Both teams received funding from a new University of...

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UNICEF Report Underscores Urgency of Childhood Vaccinations, U of T Researcher Says

7-year-old Hind Ali Nasser holds her arm after being vaccinated in Aden Governorate, Yemen. (UNICEF)

By Ishani Nath The pandemic drastically set back routine immunizations leaving millions of children in Canada and around the world vulnerable to preventable diseases, according to a new report from UNICEF. “This underscores the urgency of this situation,” says Prof. Shelly Bolotin, Director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable...

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New Fellowship Develops Human-​Centered Leaders in AI for Health

portrait of man with glasses and beard, jacket and button down shirt, next to woman with medium length hair and black scoop necked t shirt

Artificial intelligence promises to have a huge impact on Canadian health care --  and faculty at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health are working now to train leaders who can realize its benefits. In partnership with AMS Healthcare, DLSPH has launched The AMS-Fitzgerald Fellowship in AI...

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Strengthening Primary Care Key to Rebuilding Canada’s Crumbling Healthcare System

Assistant Professor Sara Allin

A new report on the sustainability and resilience of Canada’s healthcare system has sounded the alarm that the current healthcare model is incapable of making the changes necessary to address the challenges faced today and will not withstand the next crisis. The Sustainability and Resilience in the Canadian Health System...

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