Awards Database
Medical Education and Teaching Awards
About
The Temerty Faculty of Medicine is home to some of the world’s foremost medical educators and education researchers and scholars. We are proud of the passion, commitment and innovation that our faculty members bring to their diverse roles, and we celebrate their achievements in a number of ways.
Our Faculty offers over 50 internal awards to recognize significant contributions to medical education across the medical education continuum. We also nominate outstanding faculty and staff members for prestigious institutional, provincial, national and international awards. We recognize award recipients annually at the Education Achievement Celebration, an evening ceremony hosted by the Vice Dean, Medical Education.
How to use this database
Use the database below to find education-focused awards offered at the Faculty, University, national, and international levels. More than one filter can be applied in each of the criteria below.
If you are unsure about the suitability of a given candidate for an award, please book a consultation with the Research, Awards & Honours Officer in the Office of the Vice Dean, Medical Education. This database is updated regularly. Where there is any discrepancy between the database information and the linked award criteria, refer to the award criteria.
When to submit nominations
Nominations for most awards occur in two cycles: Fall (opens in mid-September) and Spring (opens in mid-March). You can filter by cycle below. To receive the call for nominations, sign up to our medical education awards mailing list.
Nominations are now open for Spring-cycle awards.
Select the "Spring" filter under "Awards Cycle" below to explore available awards. The deadline to submit a nomination is May 22, 2026. Submit a nomination here.
Medical Education & Teaching Awards Database
U of T Northrop Frye Awards for Excellence
Recognizes faculty and staff who have contributed to enhancing and re-imagining the student learning experience. The Northrop Frye Award is open to teams of faculty and / or librarians and / or staff who have undertaken a teaching and learning project within the last five years that significantly enhanced the student learning experience.
Type: Group
Financial prize: Yes
Process:
- As this is an external award, candidates are first adjudicated at the faculty level to select the official nominee that will be put forward on behalf of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
- The first stage of the adjudication requires a simpler version of the official nomination package.
- If chosen as the official Temerty nominee, the Office of the Vice Dean, Medical Education will support the nominee to develop their full nomination package.
- Please direct any questions to medicine.awards@utoronto.ca rather than to the organization offering the award.
Recent Temerty recipients:
- N/A
U of T President’s Teaching Award
Recognizes sustained and ongoing excellence in three interrelated areas:
- Educational Leadership
- Teaching Excellence
- Educational Innovation
Type: Individual
Financial prize: Yes
Process:
- As this is an external award, candidates are first adjudicated at the faculty level to select the official nominee that will be put forward on behalf of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
- The first stage of the adjudication requires a simpler version of the official nomination package.
- If chosen as the official Temerty nominee, the Office of the Vice Dean, Medical Education will support the nominee to develop their full nomination package.
- Please direct any questions to medicine.awards@utoronto.ca rather than to the organization offering the award.
Recent Temerty recipients:
2025
2024
2023
- Denise Belsham, Department of Physiology
- Sharon Switzer-McIntyre, Department of Physical Therapy
2022
- Sanjeev Sockalingam, Department of Psychiatry
W T Aikins Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award
Recognizes any faculty member with a minimum of 10 years since their initial faculty appointment at Temerty Medicine who has designed educational innovations specifically for use in the MD Program.
Type: Individual
Financial prize: No
W T Aikins Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award
Recognizes any faculty member with a minimum of 10 years since their initial faculty appointment at Temerty Medicine who has engaged in teaching in the undergraduate medical (MD) program - clerkship (lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, portfolio, clinical skills, interviewing skills or in electives).
Type: Individual
Financial prize: No
W T Aikins Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award
Recognizes any faculty member with a minimum of 10 years since their initial faculty appointment at Temerty Medicine who has engaged in teaching in the undergraduate medical (MD) program - foundations (lectures, laboratories, seminars, workshops, tutorials, or, in clinical skills).
Type: Individual
Financial prize: No
W T Aikins Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award
Recognizes any faculty member or group of faculty members in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, with a minimum of 10 years since their initial faculty appointment at Temerty Medicine, who have engaged in developing and implementing the MD Program curriculum (course/component/theme).
Type: Individual or group
Financial prize: No