The Faculty of Health has recognized four of its faculty members for their accomplishments in teaching, research and service.
Four faculty members were recognized with the annual Dean’s Awards, which reflect excellence and innovation within the Faculty.
This year’s recipients are: Mathieu Poirier – Dean’s Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership, Pedagogical and/or Curricular Innovation; Julie Conder – Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching; Adrian Viens – Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service & Engagement Impact Award; and Amy Muise – Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research.
The annual awards alternate each year between “early career” faculty and “established career” faculty in the categories of Teaching, Research and Service. This year’s awards cover the 2020-21 academic year for early career faculty.
“These faculty awards recognize the excellence of four individual faculty members whose dedication and expertise have enabled us to achieve our mission of providing an innovative and supportive environment for learning, teaching and discovery,” said Faculty of Health Dean Paul McDonald. “On behalf of all faculty, staff, students and community partners, congratulations and thanks to this year’s winners.”
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership, Pedagogical and/or Curricular Innovation
Award recipient: Mathieu Poirier, School of Global Health
Nominated by Assistant Professor Tarra Penney
This award recognizes outstanding educational leadership, pedagogical and/or curricular innovation.
Poirier is an innovative educator who has demonstrated leadership in internationalizing pedagogical approaches to experiential learning. For example, he has taken the lead to co-ordinate several projects delivered through our Costa Rican partners and campus. Poirier volunteered to be the faculty lead on a documentary film project that explored the determinants of health of migrant workers in Costa Rica during COVID-19. The documentary was released this summer, with plans to produce many more episodes that focus on various topics.
Poirier is York’s leader in the Globally Networked Learning Environment partnership with universities in Germany and Romania. This network was launched in the fall of 2020 with the course he created titled Global Health Policy: Power & Politics. Over 200 students participated from three countries and had the opportunity to develop policy briefs, supporting podcases and policy solutions to a range of pressing issues such as mitigating the medical, social and economic impact.
His nominator, Assistant Professor Tara Penny, wrote that Poirier “embraces the opportunities and the challenges in the course of planning and implementing pilot initiatives and has not been deterred to work through them. These innovative approaches to pedagogy and curricular development are laying the groundwork to internationalize our course offerings and deeply integrate experiential education learning into the fabric of our School of Global Health.”
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Award recipient: Julie Conder, Department of Psychology
Nominated by University Professor Suzanne MacDonald
This award recognizes outstanding commitment to high-quality teaching.
Conder’s love of teaching and dedication to students manifests itself through the innovative ways she engages with them. She is leading the way in creating innovative teaching resources that she openly shares with her colleagues. Here are just two of her outstanding contributions:
- “A Roadmap to Learning” is a series that she spearheaded to provide resources and training to psychology faculty and graduate students, enabling them to develop more effective online courses.
- A collaboration with the Faculty of Science to host a science communication panel provided students with an opportunity to learn how to effectively communicate science to the public.
She teaches in the areas of critical thinking, writing and communication in psychology. In her nomination letter, Conder’s colleagues shared praise of her teaching and noted they look to her for tips that they can use in their own teaching.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service and Engagement Impact
Award recipient: Adrien Viens, School of Global Health
Nominated by Assistant Professor Oghenowede (Ede) Eyawo
This award recognizes the outstanding service and impact of faculty members in the Faculty of Health who has gone beyond the usual service expectations.
Viens has been a stellar colleague who has made service contributions at all levels of the University from his School to the University Senate. He stepped forward to serve as the inaugural Chair of the School of Global Health. For the last several months he has also served as it undergraduate program coordinator. As Chair of the new school, he has been developing innovative strategies to increase student recruitment and successful career development.
In addition to co-leading and contributing through his membership on committees that range from hiring, curriculum, EDI and tenure and promotion, Viens also led the school’s first cyclical program review. As an example of his contributions, Viens volunteered to assist another unit’s UPD when they experienced an unusually high volume of Academic Honesty meetings.
In addition to University service, Viens serves on provincial and national committees providing advise on COVID-19-related strategy. He continues to engage in service internationally, with his leadership as Editor-in Chief of a highly regarded international Journal of Health, Philosophy and Policy.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research
Award recipient: Amy Muise, Department of Psychology
Nominated by Associate Professor Jennifer Steele
The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research recognizes a Faculty of Health faculty member whose research is making an impact through its innovation, level of excellence and commitment to dissemination.
Muise joined York in 2016. Her research focuses on the successful maintenance of romantic relationships, a key contributor to overall health and well-being. Muise’s work has had a national and international impact.
- In 2016, the Canadian Psychological Association president recognized her with a New Researcher Award.
- The Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science gave her an Early Research Award in 2018.
- Also in 2018, she received the Caryl E. Rusbult Early Career Award from the Relationships Research Interest Group of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
- In 2019, she was awarded a York Research Chair in Relationships and Sexuality.
- In 2020, she received the Sage Young Scholars Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Gerald R. Miller Early Career Achievement Award from the International Association of Relationship Research.
Muise has secured more than $1.8 million in Tri-Council research funding. In the past three years, she has published 45 articles in some of the highest impact journals in her field. She has been a frequent invited speaker and conference presenter, and has already mentored more than 30 graduate students.
To learn more about Research & Innovation at York: follow us at @YUResearch; watch the animated video which profiles current research strengths and areas of opportunity, such as artificial intelligence and Indigenous futurities; and see the snapshot infographic, a glimpse of the year’s successes.