LMP Promotions 2023
We are pleased to announce the promotion of 8 of our faculty this year, effective July 1, 2023.
Department Chair, Dr. Rita Kandel commented, "These individuals showcase the broad range of scholarly activities going on in our department. They have all made outstanding contributions to various research and clinical areas".
Congratulations to all!
See more about promotions in LMP including advice for those considering promotion.
Promotion to Professor
Dr. Elizabeth Demicco
Excellence in creative professional activity (CPA)
Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health
Dr. Demicco is internationally recognized for her translational research program focused on identifying prognostic and theranostic markers for adult sarcomas.
She is the first pathologist to develop, refine, and validate a reliable scoring system that predicts metastatic risk for a specific type of soft tissue tumour, solitary fibrous tumour (SFT). This tumour has been notoriously difficult to predict outcome making treatment planning challenging. The scoring system she developed for SFT, now called D-score (Demicco score), is used as a risk prediction tool clinically and impacts decisions on its clinical management internationally.
Dr. Brendan Dickson
Excellence in creative professional activity (CPA)
Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health
Dr. Dickson is internationally renowned and very highly regarded for his exceptional scholarly activities in sarcoma pathology and molecular diagnostics.
He has used advanced molecular tools to define new entities and identify biomarkers for previously described soft tissue tumours. He has published prolifically. By defining these new tumour types, he has delineated biologically unique sarcomas that may require different treatments and has advanced the field.
To ensure equitable access to his specialty expertise, he disseminated case studies through a professional Twitter account generating interactive discussions and retweets, with some postings gaining over 10,000 views. He has also published an online Soft Tissue and Bone Tumour Atlas.
Dr. Richard Kirsch
Excellence in creative professional activity (CPA)
Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health
Dr. Kirsch is internationally recognized for his seminal contributions to gastrointestinal (GI) pathology, especially in the area of risk stratification in colorectal cancer (CRC) that enhances that achievable by classical staging alone (TNM).
In particular, he has contributed to our understanding of the role of venous invasion and tumour budding for predicting prognosis. He has built on his previous accomplishments to become a recognized leader internationally in GI pathology and has changed clinical practice at an international level by showing the role of pathology in risk prediction in colorectal cancer.
Dr. Jeff Lee
Excellence in Research
St. George Campus
Dr. Lee is an internationally recognized expert on the fundamental processes of viral cell fusion with host cells that allow it to evade an immune response.
More recently he has extended this focus to include cell-cell fusion and its role in health and disease. He combines both structural and biophysical techniques and biochemical methodology to interrogate viral and cellular fusogens and their mechanisms of interactions. His research is considered paradigm shifting.
Additionally, Dr. Lee continues to make impactful contributions through his research that informs our understanding of the molecular basis of sperm-egg recognition, the constraints on cross-species fertilization, and the nature of barriers to polyspermy.
Read a promotions Q&A with Dr. Lee
Read about some of his research in 10 years, 10 papers: building fundamental science and friendship
Promotion to Associate Professor
Dr. Vanessa Allen
Excellence in creative professional activity (CPA)
Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health
Dr. Allen is nationally (and internationally) recognized as an expert in N. gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance and its surveillance.
She is a leader in infectious disease preparedness and testing for emerging pathogens. She is well respected not only for her outstanding scholarly contributions that have had significant clinical impact, but also for her leadership in provincial, national, and international infectious disease test standard setting committees and in developing surveillance approaches, particularly, in regard to COVID-19.
Dr. Daniel Beriault
Excellence in creative professional activity (CPA)
St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
Dr. Beriault is recognized as a national leader in the field of toxicology. He is respected for his outstanding scholarly contributions that have had national clinical impact by developing methodology and tools to analyze the composition of street drugs (drug checking services) that not only supports the harm reduction of those with addiction issues but also informs and improves how healthcare professionals respond to overdoses. His results have influenced public health policies and funding programs.
His contributions to guiding professional practices, by disseminating novel lab test utilization strategies he developed, have gained him recognition both nationally and internationally. These also impacted patient care.
Dr. Lianna Kyriakopoulou
Excellence in creative professional activity (CPA)
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
Dr. Kyriakopoulou has developed a national presence as an expert in developing genetic testing, particularly with respect to lab-developed RNA sequencing tests for identification of inborn errors of metabolism.
She is guiding professional practice by standardization and harmonization of biochemical and genetic diagnostic tests by developing first-ever guidelines and through her leadership in quality assurance. Her innovation in these areas have led to the establishment of leading-edge diagnostics of national impact and to improved quality and health outcomes for rare diseases and cancer.
Dr. Jelena Mirkovic
Excellence in creative professional activity (CPA)
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Dr. Mirkovic has attained a national reputation, and growing international reputation, for her exemplary professional practice in gynecologic pathology.
She has made significant contributions to standardization of diagnostic criteria and classification of rare gynecologic malignancies based on histomorphology and ancillary molecular biomarker assays, which have led to changes in practice across Canada.
She is also advancing the practice and discipline through her educational activities at the local, national, and international levels.
