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2022 Emerging Leader Award Winners
Victoria Haldane Vic 1T2 (left) is a rising voice in global public healthcare, advocating for equity, human rights and community engagement. Her graduate research has spanned reproductive health services in rural India to access to tuberculosis care in Tibet, producing policy-relevant evidence for highquality care. During the pandemic, Victoria played a key role in infection prevention and control training in the Philippines and Sri Lanka, assisting the World Bank and WHO on their responses. She has co-authored papers in the Lancet, the British Medical Journal and Nature Medicine.
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As a Vic student, Nirmala Ramprasad Vic 1T4 (centre) co-founded Green Dupatta, a charity dedicated to sustainable development and agriculture. She did her MA at U of T, focusing her research on the suicide epidemic in Guyana. As president of Green Dupatta, Nirmala spearheads global community projects and educational initiatives, from restoring an abandoned building into a community centre in Guyana to constructing water harvesting and filtration systems in India. Nirmala is also the lead planner for her organization’s annual gala, using the event to showcase local youth talent and celebrate Caribbean culture.
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A graduate of Vic One’s Stowe-Gullen stream, Esther Vlessing Vic 1T6 (right) was well aware of the challenges a pandemic could bring to healthcare systems. When Ontario’s hospitals urgently needed isolation gowns, she jumped into action, planning a nationwide manufacturing response and then cofounding Canada Emergency Medical Manufacturers (CEMM). Ultimately, CEMM delivered over one million reusable isolation gowns to Ontario Health, the University Health Network and long-term-care homes. Esther’s efforts helped protect frontline workers while employing 550 people across the province.
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Nominations Open for Alumni Awards!
Do you know a remarkable Vic alum? Nominate them for a Victoria College Alumni Award! Make your submission by Dec. 31, 2023. Learn more about how to nominate Vic alumni for:
Any questions? Please contact Helena Herscovici, alumni affairs officer, at h.herscovici@utoronto.ca.
