by Sarah Topa

Graphic design by Andrew Janeczek

Dr. Jay Keystone was an expert in tropical medicine, travel medicine, public health, and medical education, and a long-time faculty member in the Institute of Medical Science (IMS). He passed away on September 3, 2019, after a long battle with cancer. Dr. Keystone is fondly remembered for his skill at communicating complex scientific material. He taught students about the importance of excellence in scientific communication through the IMS core seminar series in translational research, bringing his keen sense of humor to the classroom. His lectures were also cherished by the students in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, which he delivered as part of their seminar series.

In recognition of Dr. Keystone’s important contribution to the education of graduate students, the IMS created the Jay Keystone Memorial Award for Innovation in Scientific Communication. Launched in 2021, this annual award—administered through the Student, Staff, Alumni and Faculty Engagement (SAFE) Committee —provides a grant to an IMS student(s), supported by a faculty member, to create a new initiative that demonstrates innovation and excellence in the communication of medical science to diverse audiences.

The IMS has so far been able to support four incredible initiatives through this award:

• 2024: IMS MedDash, led by Shaghayegh Foroozan, Addison Pacheco, and Archita Srinath. At this novel event, inspired by the popular TV show The Amazing Race, senior high school students will embark on an exciting journey across the University of Toronto’s (UofT) St. George campus next summer to solve hands-on science challenges. Competing in small teams, participants will work collaboratively to solve the problems as quickly and accurately as possible to receive their next clue. After all teams have crossed the finish line, participants will enjoy a catered lunch, faculty keynote address, and the awards ceremony.
  
• 2023: REACHing with Survivors, led by Priya Brahmbhatt​, Maggie Chen, and Christian Lopez. This initiative took place on National Cancer Survivors Day, June 4, 2023, and aimed to bridge the gap between cancer survivorship researchers and public audiences. Researchers created short and engaging educational videos about their work, which were shared on the Cancer Survivor Twitter account and were accompanied by a live, virtual question and answer period between the video creators and the public.
  
• 2022: The Healthcare Innovation Challenge, led by Kayvan Aflaki and Serena Peck. Teams of graduate students utilized their creativity and critical thinking skills to solve a real-world healthcare challenge question developed by clinicians and faculty. In the first stage, participants competed through a written proposal. The top 5 scoring teams advanced to the final competition where they pitched their solution to a panel of judges and an audience of IMS community members.
  
• 2021: Youth-of-T Talks, led by Laura Best, Muzaffar Bhatti, Rachel Dadouch, Kimia Gannad-Zadeh, Jesse Knight, Swapna Mylabathula, Hannah Shuster-Hyman, Isis So, Sajeevan Sujanthan, and Claire Wunker. Their mission is to educate and empower young people to be active participants in addressing climate change. Using content from the 2021 UofT Talks symposium on climate change and health, the team created age-appropriate materials for children and youth ranging in age from kindergarten to grade twelve. The materials included a comic about composting, a waste wizard character who shares tips on reducing waste, and activities that encourage critical thinking involving real-life scenarios related to environmental racism.

As co-chair of the SAFE Committee and a member of the team that has adjudicated the Jay Keystone Memorial Award since its inception, it has been inspiring to see these innovative ideas come to life and to witness the passion IMS students have for science communication. The IMS believes in students’ ability to make an impact, and providing this grant is one of the ways we’re working to realize our vision of inspiring and preparing future leaders in translational medical science.