IP Osgoode is pleased to announce the award of the IP Osgoode David Vaver Medal for Excellence in IP to Bonnie Hassanzadeh.
IP Osgoode founded this special medal, presented yearly during Osgoode convocation to mark Prof. David Vaver’s induction into the Order of Canada for his leadership in intellectual property as “a scholar and mentor”.
The medal, befitting of Prof. Vaver’s influence on intellectual property law, is an original piece of artwork created by Toronto-based artist, Aries Cheung. IP Osgoode awards the medal yearly to an Osgoode student in the graduating class who merits special recognition for outstanding achievements in the area of intellectual property law. Importantly, the student’s achievements extend beyond academic excellence, and can include significant contributions to research in intellectual property and related areas or exceptional commitment and enthusiasm through their participation in intellectual property-related extra-curricular activities.
Bonnie has been a valued member of various intellectual property programs throughout her time at Osgoode. She joined the IP Innovation Clinic as a Fellow in her 2L year as a student in Prof. Pina D’Agostino’s Directed Reading: IP Innovation Program Seminar course. In this role, she presented a seminar with the City of Barrie Sandbox Centre along with her peers on “The Mechanics of Filing a Patent & Patent Law”. She was also a regular contributor to the IPilogue where, after taking on additional responsibilities to help IP Osgoode’s Assistant Directors to manage the blog, Bonnie was promoted to the role of Senior Editor for her 2L summer. She spent her 3L Fall term in the IP Intensive program, taught by Prof. Vaver, proving to be an asset to her placement at AstraZeneca and receiving glowing feedback from her supervisor. Outside of her course involvement, she also worked with Prof. D’Agostino on research around privacy rights in contract tracing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. She also dedicated her personal time to appearing at multiple club and course fairs to tell prospective students about her experiences with IP Osgoode and the IP Innovation Clinic.
There is no one more deserving of this medal epitomizing the true values of the IP Osgoode David Vaver Medal for Excellence in Intellectual Property Law. Congratulations to Bonnie and wishing her every success in her career in IP!