December 8, 2005 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051208-1896.asp New deans in law, medicine appointed Top scholars to head Canada’s leading medical and law schools
Dec 8/05
by Nicolle Wahl (about) (email) Professors Mayo Moran and Catharine Whiteside have been named the new deans of the University of Toronto’s Faculties of Law and Medicine, respectively. "I am thrilled to announce the appointments of Professors Moran and Whiteside," says Professor Vivek Goel, vice-president and provost. "Their commitment to excellence in education and their record of vision and leadership in academic and administrative roles promise to launch an exciting new era for both the Faculties of Law and Medicine at the University of Toronto." Both women have experience within their faculties’ decanal offices; Moran served as associate dean of the Faculty of Law from January 2000 to June 2002 and Whiteside was associate dean (graduate and inter-faculty affairs) from 2000 until she became interim dean of the Faculty of Medicine on June 16, 2005. Moran, associate professor of law, completed her LLB at McGill University, followed by an LLM at the University of Michigan and an SJD from the University of Toronto. Moran, whose primary areas of expertise are in private law, comparative constitutional law and legal theory, has worked on litigation involving the equality guarantee under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and, most recently, the Chinese-Canadian head tax claim. Her current research focuses on how our practices and theories of responsibility come to terms with discrimination. During her time as associate dean, Moran undertook major curricular changes and innovations, including the introduction of first-year electives such as transnational law, introduction to civil law and feminism and the law. She also developed diversity initiatives, implemented the introduction of a laptop policy and worked on the expansion of clinical programs and their integration into the academic program. "Professor Moran is a brilliant academic, a gifted teacher and very strong institutional leader," says David Naylor, president of the University of Toronto. "I am confident that she will bring great vision and leadership to the position, and will help to ensure the continued excellence, innovation and pluralism which have become hallmarks of the U of T Faculty of Law." Moran will take over from Professor Brian Langille, who has served as interim dean since July 1, 2005. The previous dean, Professor Ronald J. Daniels was named provost of the University of Pennsylvania in May 2005. "Toronto's law faculty is a great Canadian institution and one of the world's leading academic law schools," says Moran. "I am deeply honoured to be chosen as its dean. Thanks to the legacy of visionary academic leaders we have great opportunities before us and I look forward to working with the outstanding students, faculty and larger community to make those exciting possibilities a reality." Whiteside was named interim dean of medicine following the resignation of former dean David Naylor upon his being named president of the university effective October 2005. A graduate of U of T’s Faculty of Medicine, Whiteside completed Royal College post-graduate training in internal medicine and nephrology. Following clinical training, she obtained her PhD from U of T’s Institute of Medical Science and joined the Department of Medicine in 1985 as a clinician-scientist. Her field of study involves cellular mechanisms of kidney disease with a particular interest in the study of diabetic nephropathy. Throughout her career, Whiteside has actively pursued ways to improve the student experience and develop teaching skills among students planning future careers in academia. From 1993 to 1999, she was the graduate co-ordinator of the Institute of Medical Sciences, which is the largest graduate unit in the Faculty of Medicine and serves the clinical departments. She directed the clinician-scientist training program in the Department of Medicine from 1997 to 2002. In 2000, she became associate dean (graduate and interfaculty affairs), overseeing the graduate and second-entry allied health academic programs, as well as the MD/PhD program. "It is a great honour to be appointed dean of the Faculty of Medicine," Whiteside says. "Having made my academic career at the University of Toronto, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with truly wonderful colleagues in the Faculty of Medicine and in our teaching hospitals. I look forward with sincere enthusiasm to the challenges ahead." "Professor Whiteside is exceptionally well-suited for this important leadership position in the Faculty of Medicine," says Vivek Goel. "This role will enable her to integrate her expertise in education and research to the benefit of our students and scholars. I look forward to working with her in her new capacity as dean." The appointments, approved today by the university’s Academic Board, are effective Jan. 1, 2006 through June 30, 2011. The university will be announcing in the coming weeks the appointment of a new dean for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. Established in 1887, the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law is one of the oldest professional faculties at the university, with a long and illustrious history. The modern law school was founded in 1949 and today is widely recognized as Canada’s pre-eminent law school, and as competitive with the very few leading law schools in the world. The law school’s student-faculty ratio is 10:1 today — one of the very best in North America. Moran will be the ninth dean of the Faculty of Law and its first female dean. Founded in 1843 as a school of medicine, the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine is an integral component of one of North America's largest health science complexes. In addition to undergraduate, postgraduate and graduate programs in medicine and medical sciences, the Faculty of Medicine offers programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, biomedical communications, arts and science, community and public health, and speech-language pathology, at a variety of academic levels. Through the University of Toronto, the Faculty of Medicine is affiliated with a network of teaching hospitals and community-based health units that offer students a broad spectrum of educational experiences. Whiteside will be the 16th dean of medicine, and the faculty’s first female dean. Contact: Nicolle Wahl, U of T Public Affairs, 416-978-6948; e-mail: nicolle.wahl@utoronto.ca Kathleen O’Brien, Faculty of Law, 416-946-8188; e-mail: kathleen.obrien@utoronto.ca
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