The People's Doctor - Fall 2021 - Eileen de Villa: making good on the promise of public health - The York University Magazine
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Fall 2021
The
People’s
Doctor Eileen de Villa: making good
on the promise of public health
4 The President 5 Editor’s Notes 6 View 28 Giving 32 Alumni 38 Flashback
14
THE PEOPLE’S DOCTOR
With scientific lucidity, Eileen de Villa has
been steering Toronto through the pandemic.
Meet the medical expert behind the mask
20
FLORA FEMINISTA
Plant-minded women have
been cultivating the study of
botany for years.
York scholars get to the root
24
VIEW FROM THE WHEELCHAIR
A health condition has left
Nikoletta Erdelyi with limited
Now more than ever we understand the importance of creating a just world that mobility. But that’s the least
interesting thing about her
sustains and provides for us all. People who belong to the most underprivileged
groups are disproportionately impacted by environmental crises and intensive
urbanization. York is introducing the new Faculty of Environmental and Urban
Change to create a greener, healthier, and more equitable tomorrow for everyone.
Join us in creating positive change for a more just and sustainable future at
yorku.ca/EUC. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FORD
Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 3
THE PRESIDENT EDITOR’S NOTES
Bella Fortuna
AS I SIT DOWN TO WRITE THIS MESSAGE, community members from across York OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS, we’ve grappled with the one minute, down the
are busily preparing for the beginning of the Fall academic term – students are partici r ecognition that life is often unfair, subject to forces beyond next – proposed that
pating in orientation events, faculty and course directors are preparing lectures and staff our control. But are we always fortune’s fools, tethered to the being true to ourselves
are getting ready to welcome students onto our campuses. In some ways, the bustle of vagaries of the stars – or can we take control of our destinies and trusting in reason
familiar activity makes it seem almost like any other year. through the choices we make? can save us from falling
But of course, we know that it is not quite like other years. After nearly 18 months apart, It’s a question as old as astrology, and it’s colouring our from hope into ruin. But
we are finally starting to reopen our campuses with increased in-person teaching, research experience of the pandemic, forcing us to consider how much then there’s the equally
and other activities, giving an entirely new meaning to homecoming. I want to acknowl- our personal actions figure into our future survival. persuasive thinking of
edge that even during the 2020–2021 academic year, while most of us worked remotely,
Personally, I believe in perseverance, determination, knowl- Thomas Hardy and F.
essential staff continued to meet on-campus needs, some instructors offered in-person
edge and the power of the imagination to seek solutions even Scott Fitzgerald, literary
instruction when student learning outcomes could not easily be achieved online and many
during seemingly impossible situations – such as the one we’re geniuses whose romantic
of our researchers maintained urgent work that would otherwise have been at risk.
all living through now. These attributes stand out in many of destiny novels show how
Throughout the pandemic, and especially in preparation for the introduction of more the York alumni you will read about here, in the Fall 2021
RHONDA L. LENTON fate’s inconstant hand can completely overwhelm even the
PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR in-person activities, we have continued to work closely with the Chief Medical Officer of edition of The York University Magazine. Take, for instance,
best-laid plans, destroying people’s lives.
Ontario, Toronto Public Health and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to ensure Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, tasked
the safety and well-being of our community. This is why we made the important decision with piloting the city through the current health crisis, and One way to parse the existential dilemma is to see life as a
to require vaccinations for everyone attending our campuses in person – a central com- Nikoletta Erdelyi, a burgeoning writer who consistently commixture of chance and free will, a card game with rules
ponent of our multi-layered pandemic defense strategy. We very much hope to welcome challenges fate (in the form of a rare congenital disease) by attached. Our stories on teen psychology in the time of
many of you this year, and invite you to check out our Better Together website to learn living creatively and sensually while confined to a wheelchair. COVID and on Robert Rotenberg, a lawyer who writes legal
more about our YU Screening Tool and other safety measures.
But are we actually the authors of our success? How much thrillers on the travails of Toronto’s haves and have-nots,
As much as we are craving a return to normal, we know that higher education, like most of what passes as success is governed by external influences? exemplify that. In Rotenberg’s bestselling books, you play
other aspects of society, will be different going forward. The transformations triggered by Should we count ourselves lucky when things work in our the hand given you and whether you win or lose depends on
the pandemic – the widespread adoption of remote work; online teaching and learning; favour? I can’t quite decide. circumstances often beyond your control. And yet you stay in
the amplified impacts of automation and A.I.; the increased urgency of addressing envi-
Boethius, the sixth-century philosopher who, while down the game. Why? Because just maybe you’ll get lucky. You’ll
ronmental and sustainability challenges; and the refocused attention on the critical need
on his luck, wrote about life on the Wheel of Fortune – up get to live another day. l — DEIRDRE KELLY
to address inequality, among others – have permanently reshaped not only York’s future
but the future of our world more broadly.
History has shown us that times of great disruption can be an inflection point of rare
opportunity for positive change. And so, as we begin a new academic year and a new
THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF YORK UNIVERSITY
chapter in York’s future, we are challenging ourselves to seek out these opportunities for
enhancing our impact by leveraging the lessons we have learned over the course of the
pandemic and advancing our University Academic Plan 2020–2025 – through enriched Volume 7, Number 1 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069546
21st-century learning, research intensification, enhanced access and student advising, an ON THE COVER
PUBLISHER Jaqueline Janelle Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:
international perspective and collaborations that extend around the world. Communications and Public Affairs Eileen de Villa
EDITOR Deirdre Kelly
West Office Building, York University Photography
We have many exciting projects in development, including the new Markham Campus, a DESIGN Communications & Public Affairs by Mike Ford
proposal for a new School of Medicine, a Service Excellence Program and a new cloud- 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
CONTRIBUTORS
based Student Information System, to name just a few. Working together, we continue to Tel: 416-736-5979 Fax: 416-736-5681
David Agnew, Peter Feniak, Mike Ford,
explore, discover, develop, create and innovate – we are ready to right the future.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MCKENZIE JAMES
Sofie Kirk, Ira Lamcja, Alanna Mitchell,
THE YORK UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE is printed and
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FORD
Katie Nanton, Chris Robinson, Ariel Visconti
mailed to alumni and friends of the University
CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING OFFICER once a year, in the fall. The summer and winter
Susan Webb issues are available online only, at yorku.ca/
magazine. Ideas and opinions expressed in
ADDRESS CHANGES: alumni@yorku.ca or the articles do not necessarily reflect the ideas
1-866-876-2228. Update your communication or o
pinions of the University or the editors.
preferences at yorku.ca/alumniandfriends To get in touch, email yumag@yorku.ca
4 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 5
Democratizing
Science
Conversing with the public about the cosmos
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS ROBINSON
A
NEWLY APPOINTED assistant professor in the Department of Science & Technology
Studies, Jesse Rogerson (PhD ’16) is an astrophysicist who believes in bringing science back
down to earth.
His astrophysical area of expertise is quasars – supermassive black holes at the centres of
very distant galaxies that are actively consuming large amounts of gas and dust. He also
studies variable stars using data that ordinary people have gathered using telescopes around the world.
Citizen science projects are a growing international phenomenon that is expanding the frontiers of scientific
discovery through mass information-gathering projects such as Rogerson’s. But that’s not the only reason
he likes them.
“By including people in our work, we help to demystify the process, and we make science more democratic,”
he says. “People deserve to be able to engage with that content meaningfully.”
Working with the public on complex science projects stems from Rogerson’s experience working as a science
communicator at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Telus Spark in Calgary and the Canada Aviation and
Space Museum in Ottawa over the past 10 years. There, he took complex ideas and made them accessible to
the general public, forging connections between people and science in ways that might help them better
understand their world.
Today, as a science educator at York, Rogerson draws from his present research projects and past science
communication experience to make a difference in the classroom. In engaging his students with real
astronomical data, he sparks a personal connection with the universe, inspiring future generations of citizen
scientists to want to learn more.
“Science communication is a conversation, not a lecture. It requires true dialogue and empathy for scientific
ideas to resonate with an individual, which creates benefits for us all.” l
— Deirdre Kelly
6 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 7
W
ITH A LARGE PORTION of the popu- relationships do not flourish as well without some kind of
lation now partially or fully vaccinated, personal contact.”
Canadians are undoubtedly eager to
Connolly believes that there will be a “resurgence” of
leave the COVID-19 era behind and
young people’s interest in peer and romantic relationships
resume their lives. But for young people who have had their
following the pandemic. But she cautions that we must be
formative years interrupted, entering post-pandemic life
“very cognizant” of the mental health challenges that the
brings unique anxieties about what life will look like.
pandemic has caused for young people, including increasing
Long lockdowns during the pandemic have been extremely rates of depression and anxiety that may linger.
disruptive to young people. Teens would normally spend
She notes that the cohort of young people who have
this time forming their identities and building independent
graduated from high school and entered post-secondary
lives outside of their families. Instead, they’ve spent months
studies during the pandemic has faced particularly difficult
under lockdown in their households, missing out not only
challenges. Making this transition is already stressful, but
on celebratory rites of passage and milestones but also on
doing so in an era of online learning, social distancing and
common formative experiences – going to school, engaging
lockdowns has completely upended their experience and
in extracurricular activities, getting their first jobs, socializ-
impacted their ability to enter new social groups and roman-
ing with friends, and exploring dating and sexuality – that are
tic relationships.
crucial to their development.
“For these youth, this first-year university experience has
Now that the country is entering post-pandemic life, what
been like nothing anybody has ever experienced,” she says.
impact will this disruption have on teens as they move for-
“It’s been a very isolating, lonely world. And I think they Teens struggle with living through
ward and transition into young adulthood?
have especially felt that because they have, in a way, left their a pandemic, York psychologist says
York University psychologist Jennifer Connolly is optimistic high school networks, their high school friendships, and
Are the Kids
that any disruption to teens’ social development brought on they’re transitioning to university relationships, but that has
by the pandemic will be temporary. been very much blocked.”
Really Alright?
“I think it’s more of a pause than a permanent delay for Similarly, students entering universities this fall, on the heels
most youth,” she says. “But sometimes there’s growth from of the pandemic, may need extra support with the transition.
stressful experience as well as delay. I’m hopeful kids are Connolly emphasizes the need for universities to make sure
going to recover, get back into school, get back with their mental health resources and services are available to students
friends and re-engage, and they’ll start to feel better.” who are struggling with transitioning to post-COVID life,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FORD
Connolly is a professor and Psychology Department Chair and to ensure that they don’t face hurdles like wait-lists when
in York’s Faculty of Health. Her research focuses on social trying to access support.
development in adolescence, particularly romantic develop- “I think that their needs are going to be immediate and
ment, as well as resilience in youth who have experienced temporary, and if we can just help them right away with these
adversity. transitions, that’s going to be really important. I think that
Dating, an important part of many young people’s lives, universities are very aware of this issue and the resources are
has been especially interrupted by the isolation and social being put into place,” she says.
distancing that dominated pandemic life. While teens are Although it may take time, Connolly is confident that young
accustomed to socializing via their smartphones, as Connolly people will find their footing and bounce back from the chal-
explains, developing or maintaining a romantic relationship lenges they experienced during the pandemic.
without face-to-face contact is inherently difficult, and even
“I’m just hopeful that they’re a resilient and capable
more so for young people who are navigating romantic
group of youth, and that, as things open up, they too will
relationships for the first time.
re-engage with the world with enthusiasm,” she adds. “I
“Youth are used to being in the virtual world and being think there’s going to be a slower emergence; I think there
online and using social media, more so than us, but there’s will be lingering effects, but I don’t think it’s going to be
always the other component of social interaction,” she says. permanently damaging.” l
“Even though I think they have some adeptness in that, — Ariel Visconti
8 The York University Magazine Fall 2021
How York is fending off criminal hackers
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS ROBINSON
CYBER SECURE T
HANKS TO THE QUICK THINKING of Post and, later, JBS USA, the world’s largest meat supplier,
University Information Technology (UIT) staff, crippling operations at the company’s plants in Alberta,
York was able to fend off a serious cyber attack Ontario and elsewhere. The perpetrators are sophisticated
last spring. A strike corrupted a number of criminal gangs like DarkSide, who, in the case of Colonial
York’s servers and workstations, disrupting productivity for Pipeline, were paid a ransom of 75 Bitcoin – the equivalent
24 hours. Luckily, no sensitive data was stolen. of US$5 million, most of which was later recovered – to
Since then, the University has introduced new measures to return stolen data.
prevent such a breach from happening in the future, includ- The situation is complex and in immediate need of trained
ing two-step authentication to improve the protection of professionals to combat the proliferating posse of cyberworld
York accounts and data, as well as the modernization of key bad guys. Enter York University’s cyber security certificate
systems that take an inside-out approach to block unautho- program, offered through the School of Continuing Studies
rized manipulations of internal systems. in a new accelerated 12-week course format.
“The rapid move to working from home has provided much A speeded-up version of the five-month cyber security
more opportunity for cybercriminals, and some industry program originally launched at York in 2016, this intensive
sources have indicated a fivefold increase in the amount of initiative quickly delivers the skills needed for this in-demand
ransomware activity globally over 2020,” says York’s chief field. In Canada, the profession is growing annually by seven
information security officer, Chris Russel. “Zoom and other per cent, with an anticipated 3.5 million job positions open-
remote collaboration tools have a learning curve to use ing up globally in 2021 alone, according to the Canadian
securely, and cybercriminals take advantage of that when Centre for Cyber Security.
there are a huge number of new and inexperienced users. Given that cyber breaches have become a daily occurrence,
Awareness and training for secure use of those tools is part fast-tracking the next generation of cyber security profes-
of the solution.” sionals is a high priority for businesses operating today, says
Alerts about cyber security are now regularly posted to advanced cyber program instructor Ed Dubrovsky (MBA
the York web page in addition to tips about how to avoid ’10), who who contributed to the development of the curric-
falling victim to outside phishing expeditions, fraudu- ulum surrounding network security engineering and vulner-
lent websites and other scams. Additional materials will ability management within York’s cyber security program.
become available in October, during what the University In his role as a chief security information officer, Dubrovsky
has designated cyber security month. Concurrently, York has handled over 3,500 cyber attacks – experience he brings
has deployed end-point detection and response (EDR) to to his new role with access management developer Qnext,
most University PCs and laptops. The supercharged anti- where he acts as executive cyber advisor on issues surround-
virus software enhances the University’s ability to protect, ing global security and data protection on the international
detect and respond to cyber events in devices being used stage.
remotely, outside the York network – a necessity in today’s “Cybercrime has reached an unprecedented and explosive
work-from-home reality. momentum, driven by skyrocketing ransom demands and
Still, vulnerabilities persist, both locally and globally. In May fuelled by a lack of skilled defenders to protect organizations
of this year, hackers attacked U.S.-based Colonial Pipeline and governments,” elaborates Dubrovsky, who also sits
using ransomware – malicious software that blocks access on the University’s Cyber Security Advisory Board. “The
to a computer system – triggering the shutdown of one of training of ethical, skilled defenders has become one of the
the biggest oil suppliers on the continent. Canada wasn’t highest needs for modern digital societies.” l
immune. The same month, hackers infiltrated Canada — Deirdre Kelly
10 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 11
Brain Gain
Using exercise to help young concussion patients recover
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FORD
Y
ORK UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR, athletic McGill University under the supervision of Isabelle Gagnon,
therapist and kinesiologist Danielle Dobney who was leading innovative research in this area.
(BA ’06) is working to make aerobic exercise a In 2017, Dobney and her research team conducted a study
more widely used therapy for young patients that prescribed an active rehabilitation program to 277
who are slow to recover from concussions. youths experiencing persistent concussion symptoms. They
Dobney – who graduated from and is now an assistant profes- found that the patients demonstrated improved physical,
sor in York’s Kinesiology and Athletic Therapy programs – has cognitive, emotional and sleep-related post-concussion
been researching concussion management and working with symptoms following the treatment.
concussion patients for over a decade. Her interest in this area Despite its potential benefits, aerobic exercise is currently an
was piqued as a York University student in 2006, during a time underused therapy for concussion management.
when research into concussions was taking off.
In a study published in 2021 that surveyed 555 clinicians
“People were just beginning to recognize that concussions about what treatment they would recommend for two clinical
weren’t ‘just a bump on the head,’” she says. “It was being vignettes, Dobney and Gagnon found that just over one-third
recognized as a brain injury, and there was so much we didn’t prescribed aerobic exercise.
know. At that time, rest was really the only strategy in manag-
“Clinicians were prescribing a wide variety of treatments, many
ing a concussion.”
of which didn’t have supporting evidence. However, treatment
Traditionally, clinicians advised against exercise for children for which there is supporting evidence (such as aerobic exer-
and teens who experienced persistent symptoms following a cise) was prescribed less frequently,” Dobney explains.
concussion. But for many patients she worked with, Dobney The next step in the research will focus on knowledge transla-
saw that withholding light exercise was having a negative tion and raising awareness of aerobic exercise as an effective
effect. concussion management strategy among clinicians.
“The longer they were inactive, the worse they felt. They “It took a long time to have this research move into clinical
experienced emotional symptoms from being so limited in practice because having people with concussion symptoms
what they could do. When I started letting my patients do a take part in exercise was contrary to what had been previ-
bit of exercise at a low level, it lifted their mood to be able to ously recommended,” Dobney says. “It takes a long time to
do something,” she explains. move research into practice, especially when it contradicts
previous knowledge or evidence.” l
She focused on aerobic exercise as a concussion management
strategy while pursuing her PhD in rehabilitation sciences at — Ariel Visconti
12 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 13
Eileen de Villa has calmly guided Toronto
through the pandemic, making good
on the promise of public health
The
People’s
Doctor BY PETER FENIAK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FORD
14 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 15
When it comes to speaking up much is expected.” She has also taken an amazing journey of She invited comparisons with someone she greatly admired Educated at elite private girls’ school Havergal College,
learning – including a much-valued MBA degree from York – the late Sheela Basrur (Honourary Alum, LLD ’07), who de Villa took a bachelor of science degree at McGill but
for the public’s interest, University’s Schulich School of Business – that has enabled shone as Medical Officer of Health during the Toronto was initially uncertain about following her parents’ career
speaking up for public health, her to make a difference during the health crisis. outbreak of SARS in 2003. “One key bit of information I path into medicine. As an undergraduate, she connected
she does it, and she does it as With the surprise of a pandemic, de Villa’s team delivered
took away from Sheela,” de Villa recalls, “is recognizing that with the United Nations and moved to Vienna as an intern
you’re operating in a political environment, but that we’re with the UN Industrial Development Organization, where
firmly as anybody I’ve ever seen expertise in “outbreak management.” That, says de Villa,
not the politicians. Our job is to deliver the best possible she learned of the fragilities of the developing world. She
meant “the essential data of the instance – where are the
scientific advice in order to inform decision-makers.” returned to Canada for a master’s degree in health studies
cases? Where are they coming from? What tests did they
at the University of Toronto, and ultimately decided on and
have? What does our experience on the ground tell us?” De Villa speaks softly, plainly, but she is tough as nails.
completed a medical degree at U of T in 1998. Next came
Toronto’s mayor describes the city’s top doctor as smart,
residency accreditation – and her days completing an MBA
W
fair and collegial, adding that “she is the original iron fist in
at York University’s Schulich School of Business.
ITH HER OVERSIZED GLASSES, the velvet glove.”
rotating collection of colourful, flow- Some might dismiss de Villa’s pursuit of a master’s of busi-
“When it comes to speaking up for the public’s interest,
ing scarves and ability to answer with ness administration as a diversion, but she is clear on the
speaking up for public health,” Tory ruminates, “she does it,
clarity any and all of the hard pandemic value it gave her as a public health physician.
and she does it as firmly as anybody I’ve ever seen.”
questions, she became a reliable (if not downright fasci- “As the Medical Officer of Health, I oversee a team of 2,000
nating) presence in the city’s battle against COVID-19. But she doesn’t do it alone. “I’m just the spokesperson,” de
people. It’s an organization,” de Villa explains. “We have
Through it all, she projected honesty and commitment at Villa modestly but steadfastly insists. “When we talk about
objectives and goals, we need to do strategic planning, we
press conferences held with Mayor John Tory (LLB ’78) and anything I’ve been able to achieve, it’s because of the team,
have to evaluate how our operation’s functioning. Are we
D
Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg, who led the city’s plan- the people I have around me. They’re doing the heavy
maximizing the efficiency of our service delivery? How do
ning and response team. All met early each day throughout lifting.”
URING THE DARK, anxious months of we adjust it so that we’re getting more by way of outcomes?
the COVID-19 pandemic, how did Toron- the health crisis to discuss strategy. But de Villa didn’t just That’s all learning that you can get from an MBA. You do not
H
to’s Medical Officer of Health maintain her offer medical advice. She determined the city’s course of get it at medical school, I can assure you.”
ER SUPPORT GROUP includes her family.
calming voice and message of assurance? action. Said Pegg to a reporter at the time, “We all look to
Married to Toronto cardiologist Richard Farrugia, her medical colleague, concurs. “I think that Eileen
her. She sets the tone.”
Eileen de Villa (MBA ’03) answers with Choi, de Villa is the mother of three teenaged has always had a different approach,” she says. “Even in med
typical directness. Over many difficult months, de Villa’s frequent updates sons who rarely saw their mother during the school, she did an MBA as part of her graduate training,
(appearing everywhere from Twitter to TV) made her some- worst days of the COVID-related disruptions. which gave her a perspective that went beyond the purely
“I think the calmness comes from ‘I’m telling you what
thing of a media star. Today, it’s widely recognized that her medical or scientific approach. I think she always had this
I know. This is not “dressed up.”’ It is a very honest and “Apparently, we all live in the same house,” she says with a
calm authority in the face of the fast-breaking, frightening idea that she could do a lot more than just being a practi-
earnest approach,” she says from her office at Toronto Public smile. “But there were some days when I’d literally see my
coronavirus developments lifted the spirits of a city under tioner treating more patients in a clinic. I think she wanted
Health, Canada’s largest local public health agency. “I genu- husband and my children for just a few minutes. Through-
siege. to have more scope than that.”
inely care about the three million people I call ‘my patients.’ out the pandemic, 18-hour days felt kind of normal. But my
And I’m genuinely telling them what I believe. You go to the “She had so much credibility,” observes former classmate family remained so very supportive. They’re the reason I do De Villa began her career in public health in the Region
science and you express the science in a way that the people Michele Farrugia, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at this.” of Peel in 2004. She became Toronto’s Medical Officer of
can easily grab.” Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. “I think so many people Health in 2017, and her stated goal from the beginning has
Eileen de Villa was born in 1969 in Boston, where her
really admired her, including everyone at all the down- been “to improve health status, reduce disparities in health
Delivering “the science” amid the heartbreaking toll of illness parents – both from the Philippines – were completing their
town academic teaching hospitals. I think everybody really status, and be prepared for and able to respond effectively to
and death from COVID-19 (over 170,000 cases and 3,575 medical studies as foreign students. As a child, she lived
respected the way that she was so steady and consistent and outbreaks and emergencies.” But easier said than done.
deaths as of early summer 2021), as she did, has challenged briefly in Manila, where her parents began their medical
straightforward with the messaging, particularly in those
health leaders – and political leaders – everywhere. As practice. Her mother, Maria Antonina “Nenette” de Villa, “In terms of improving health status and disparities, it’s all
early days of the pandemic. I personally had a lot of admira-
Toronto fought the fast-spreading virus, Canada’s largest worked as a cardiologist, and her father, Guillermo de Villa about the social determinants of health – income, education,
tion for her. I still do.”
city shrank into a “stay-at-home” version of a once-vibrant (now deceased), as an ob-gyn. But conflict with the hardline housing, social connectivity, sense of hope, sense of belong-
metropolis. But de Villa stayed the course. From an early As the grim months ground on, politicians and media Marcos regime eventually drove them out again. In 1975, ing, transportation, built environment, natural environ
age, she has followed a motto instilled in her by her own bickered over which measures mattered most. But de Villa her parents resettled in Toronto, where they became import- ment,” de Villa says. “All of these things are what creates and
accomplished parents: “From those to whom much is given, continued forthright delivery of Public Health’s findings. ant leaders in the city’s growing Filipino community. maintains health.”
16 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 17
It’s delusional to think we can
just take care of ourselves here
in Canada and not think about
the rest of the world
A
S PAST-PRESIDENT of the Political Affairs I feel a deep sense of responsibility to support them, partic-
Club at Havergal, de Villa learned early on ularly newly arrived members – recent immigrants – to the
that politicians make the ultimate choices community.”
about what is funded for the public. This
Globally, she sees another challenge. “As pleased as I am to
experience proved invaluable when the provincial govern-
see vaccine uptake here in the city, I’m very conscious of the
ment made deep cuts to the Public Health budget in April
fact that, unless we as a global community don’t ensure that
2019; knowing that these cuts would have “significant nega-
the more resource-poor environments of the world – coun-
tive impacts” on the health of Torontonians, she was quick to
tries like the Philippines, India and others – have access to
protest. Premier Doug Ford accused her of “fearmongering.”
vaccines, we’re not going to be successful. It’s delusional to
But her passion and persistence eventually won him over.
think we can just take care of ourselves here in Canada and
“She’s a super bright, very smart doctor and a hardworking
not think about the rest of the world.”
person, and she takes it so seriously,” Ford later said. “And
I understand. She feels like she has weight of the world on How will she succeed in implementing positive change?
her shoulders; she’s dealing with the [country’s] largest city.” Again, de Villa is direct in her answer.
“Vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19 and
Thinking back on those pre-pandemic days when she had
is still proving to be effective. But we need everyone who is
to fight to maintain the integrity of public health, de Villa
eligible to be vaccinated as soon as possible,” she says. “We
reflects on how she has been able to guide the conversation
continue to work hard to make vaccines accessible with a
with knowledge and compassion, often bringing opponents
focus on bringing vaccinations directly to workplaces, faith
around to her way of thinking.
groups, organizations and communities with barriers to
“It’s true that I don’t have a direct hand on a lever that con- vaccination and low vaccine uptake. Our goal is to get the
trols budget choices,” she says. “But there is so much that I maximum number of people vaccinated as quickly as we
can do in the position I hold and with the team I have. I can can.”
influence some of the decisions.”
But delivering these projects is not easy. It requires some-
Given her strong leadership, persuasively informative com- body with a logistical vision and a deep commitment to her
munication style, executive training and sincere interest in fellow citizens.
the intersection of politics, economics and social justice,
“Fundamentally,” de Villa says as our conversation winds
would she consider running for public office? It’s a question
down, “I want people to know that I have a very strong value
that came up at a Havergal Old Girl Association event held
system and I’m deeply committed to doing everything I can
via Zoom last October, during which de Villa received a
to advance the social determinants of health, to improve the
Lifetime Achievement Award from her former school. De
health status of people in this city, to reduce disparities and
Villa didn’t say no.
to ensure that we are in a good position to respond effec-
“I’m of Filipino background,” she says, “and there are many tively to outbreaks and emergencies. That’s enough for me
in the Filipino community who, frankly, are not privileged. for now.” l
18 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 19FLORA
Women in the plant world are breaking ground
FEMINISTA BY ALANNA MITCHELL
Rusty Shteir Lisa Der
PHOTOGRAPH BY SOFIE KIRK PHOTOGRAPH BY MIKE FORD
Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 21T
HEIR ANCESTORS, cyanobacteria, evolved and improvement” for the female of the species. Studying That has been an incredible space for She was fascinated to track the shifting relationship between
billions of years ago to perfect the art of these women and their work offers a glimpse into the power people and plants during the pandemic. Forced to stay
eating sunlight. Because that process – photo structures of the day, as well as the ways gender roles and
challenging all these colonial put (like plants) and worried about food scarcity, people
synthesis – creates oxygen, and because there ideology were enforced. precepts about what a plant is and gardened. Remember all those Instagram shots of celery
were so many of these organisms emitting so
And it lends itself to unanswerable questions. What else
what a plant does stumps resprouting on kitchen windowsills?
much oxygen, they eventually changed the makeup of the
would these women have studied had they had the chance? “What I was observing was this urgent connection people
atmosphere. And since the chemistry of the atmosphere
What was it that they derived from the work? Perhaps joy? were making with plants,” she says. “People experienced
determines what can live on the planet, that means photo
A connection to nature? The opportunity to share their something really beautiful through quarantine, with plants.”
synthesizers became the architects of life. We buckle to their
knowledge? Maybe a genteel kicking over of the traces?
will. She even convinced her mother to liberate the front lawn and
The downside of this feminine passion for flowers was that, as a colonial science through which all the Earth’s wealth
grow vegetables for the first time.
And you could argue that those who study plants are seditious by the time the Victorian era drew near, plants had become began to be transferred.
in their own way, too. Just ask Ann (Rusty) Shteir (honorary so identified with women that men felt they had to wrest “Really beautiful adventures were had,” Myers says, laughing.
And so, in line with emerging scholarship about how plants
LLD ’06). A founder and director of York University’s graduate back control. For example, in a lecture in 1829, John Lindley, are sentient and intelligent and communicate with each Lisa Der (née Tappenden; BA ’05) accomplished a similar floral
program in the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies, the first professor of botany at University College London, other, she began to think about what plants get up to when rebellion. Der, a York graduate in psychology with a masters
now professor emerita, Shteir is one of the world’s foremost felt compelled to declare: “It has been very much the fashion they are alive. A dancer, she even began to dance plant from OISE, is the adult education supervisor at the Toronto
scholars of the long love affair between women and nature. of late years, in this country, to undervalue the importance of movements, a feat she once demonstrated in one of Shteir’s Botanical Garden. Her backyard is full of zucchini, spinach and
Her latest book, edited during the pandemic, is Flora’s this science, and to consider it an amusement for ladies rather graduate seminars. tomatoes, with robust lashings of dandelions. The latter are for
Fieldworkers: Women and Botany in 19th-Century Canada. than an occupation for the serious thoughts of man.” pollinators, and they love it.
For Myers, it comes down to acknowledging the unique
Based on presentations made at a workshop at York in 2017, It amounted to a campaign to reposition the science of
world-making capacity photosynthesizers have. Which
this new collection is due to be published in the spring. botany as male.
prompts a question: they do all that for us and other species I’ve become much less interested in
It’s part of Shteir’s lifelong passion to recover the lives of “My language is that he ‘defeminized’ botany,” Shteir tells me. – what can we do for them? the ornamental value of plants and
these erstwhile devotees of Flora, the goddess of plants. Many
Shteir is not immune to Flora’s allure. She’s lived with a “If our future literally hinges on the future of plant life, for more invested in building a personal
would have been lost but for Shteir’s work.
cherished staghorn fern for 53 years, among many other every reason – climate, water retention in the soil, purification garden that supports a healthy
“I start with women. What can I learn about these women and houseplants. of the water, the oxygen we breathe – then the question
ecosystem
what can we see through their stories?” she says. is, how do we reckon with these beings as being worthy of
“I guess I’d be lost without plants,” she says.
address?”
Shteir can trace her own love of plants back to when she
I love green was a graduate student (her PhD in comparative literature is Like Shteir, she seeks to honour plant narratives that have not
and what green represents from Rutgers University in New Jersey). She chuckles as she always had their due.
remembers writing a paper comparing different translations “I find as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become much less interested in
“There are other plant knowledges all around us that need
of a poem by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca about the ornamental value of plants and more invested in building
to be held in conversation with the sciences,” she says. “Not
loving the colour green. a personal garden that supports a healthy ecosystem,” Der
as ‘Oh, it’s so nice that these people have these lovely beliefs,’
tells me.
“I love green,” she says. “I love green. And what green but we know what goes on because we have the universal
represents.” truth of science.” It marks a radical shift from the gardens she knew when she
Her research has taken her to slender entries in the archives of
was growing up. Then, the ideal was a pristine, motionless,
centuries past, when women had little access to scholarship Natasha Myers (MES ’01) does too. An associate professor Myers has been deeply shaped by her work with the Indig-
weed-free lawn where wildlife was unwelcome. She sees her
or intellectual work. Some of the records survived by sheer of anthropology at York University, she describes not just enous Land Stewardship Circle, a collective of Indigenous
garden as habitat, as regeneration. And, because she is an
serendipity, including, she reveals, a letter from one of her falling in love with plants but being “abducted” by them three elders and others who came together in 2019 to weave a
educator at the botanical garden, she wants to help others
recent female subjects preserved because it was tucked into decades ago during an undergraduate class at McGill. Today, plan to restore High Park’s rare oak savannah landscapes. The
nurture their relationship with the Earth.
the folds of a letter written by her husband. Myers, who tongue-in-cheek calls herself a “planthropologist” savannahs feature widely spread oak trees interspersed with
– which is to say an anthropologist of plants and people – is tall prairie grasses and wildflowers. They are sacred spaces “We can learn so much from plants,” Der says.
During some of those eras, studying plants was one of the
director of York’s Plant Studies Collaboratory. where Indigenous ancestors once grew gardens, foraged for
few socially acceptable scientific pursuits for women. In the Strangely enough, the pandemic gave her an assist. Partici-
food and held ceremonies.
late 18th and early 19th centuries, for example, women were She had been on track to study biology when the abduction pation in the botanical garden’s online programs quadrupled
collecting plants, identifying new ones, drawing them, press- took place. Afterward, she found herself recoiling from “That has been an incredible space for challenging all these this spring, compared to non-pandemic times. Der’s online
ing them in albums for the breakfast room, fashioning them looking at plants in a traditional scientific manner: dead on a colonial precepts about what a plant is and what a plant workshop on botanical watercolour – a revered practice of
out of wax and even writing popular science books about dissecting table. To her, plants were far more than function or does, how plants can be in relation, and where the source of the devotees of Flora in earlier centuries – was so popular this
them. It was, as Shteir writes, considered both “amusement chemistry or discrete bits. She says she started to see botany knowledge is,” she says. summer that she couldn’t fit everybody in. l
22 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 23Her View
from the
Wheelchair
Nikoletta Erdelyi is ready, willing and able
BY DEIRDRE KELLY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOFIE KIRK
T
HERE ARE GO-GETTERS, and then there’s Nikoletta Erdelyi
(BA ’16), an energetic, articulate and philosophically minded
dynamo who lives her life from the perch of a wheelchair. Identified
as a mentor to watch at the 2019 Canadian Women of Influence
Awards, Erdelyi counsels youth at Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids
Rehabilitation Hospital when not writing poetry and books or starring in her own
one-woman theatre shows. At age 29, she embodies the Emersonian principle that
there are no insurmountable barriers save individual weakness of purpose. And God
knows, Erdelyi is not lacking in purpose. Her body is frail but her mind and will are
strong. “I am super ambitious,” she says. “I have so much I want to do, and I will do
it. I must.”
A native of Hungary, the York grad rose to prominence after acclaimed Canadian
playwright Judith Thompson, a two-time winner of the Governor General’s Award
in the performing arts, commissioned Erdelyi to create and perform a monologue
for her nine-person wheelchair-based play Borne at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre
in 2014. More collaborations have followed, among them 2019’s Welcome to My
Underworld, for which Erdelyi contributed Ghost Tales, a playlet about her father.
Known for her works of activist theatre, Thompson likes working with Erdelyi,
whom she calls an extraordinary talent.
24 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 25THERE ARE NO LIMITATIONS TO KNOWLEDGE.
IDEAS CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE,
PROVIDED YOU HAVE AN OPEN MIND
AND WILLINGNESS TO HEAR THEM
“Niki’s writing is both powerful and unique, and at moments Erdelyi knows what it’s like to be on the margins wanting to
it moves into sheer, unforgettable poetry,” Thompson says. be heard. As a descendant of the Romani, an ethnic minority
“She is one of the most authentic people I know, and is not in Eastern Europe, she grew up with stories about entrenched
afraid to say exactly what she thinks, even when it makes us a discrimination and centuries of persecution targeting her
little uncomfortable. She cannot abide being patronized and people. It’s one of the reasons she and her family came to
she is not afraid to call bullshit when she smells it.” Canada when she was six – to escape the prejudice dogging
the Romani in Europe. The Roma have a history of living
Born with a rare muscular joint condition affecting one in
on the fringes where, in the popular imagination, they live
every 12,000 live births, Erdelyi has spent her life in a wheel-
itinerant lives as tinkers, palm readers and thieves. Erdelyi’s
chair. Arthrogryposis is a congenital condition that causes
own father, a shoplifter who died six years ago in an Austrian
contractures of the joints and makes it impossible for Erdelyi
jail after being refused medical treatment for cancer, might
to walk on her own. “I’ve lived all my life using a wheelchair.
have fit the stereotype. But to Erdelyi, his ignoble demise,
But I’m very independent, and compared with the tales that
far from his family, is more than just a cautionary tale.
I have to tell, my wheelchair is the least interesting thing
“There’s sadness in this world,” she says, “but my mind is
about me.”
oriented toward finding the light in the darkness. Often, we
But even if her wheelchair doesn’t define her, it is a neces- find ourselves trapped by circumstances beyond our control.
sary appendage, an essential mode of transportation that she The absurdity of life is a universal experience. I find laughter
especially relied on as an undergraduate to zip in and out of brightens the dark. It exposes it for what it is: an essential
classes on York’s sprawling Keele campus. York, being a com- part of the human condition.”
paratively new university, has wheelchair ramps and other Erdelyi learned these life lessons early. When she came to
accessibility design elements built into its functionally mod- Canada, she could speak no English. She had never even
ernist architecture. “It was the main reason I chose York,” seen the inside of a classroom before. It took a year to get
Erdelyi says, “because I knew of the University’s reputation her settled in her new city of Toronto, and much of the delay
for inclusivity, which includes people with disabilities.” had to do with finding a mechanized wheelchair that could
accommodate her tiny size. She was seven when she entered
At York, Erdelyi started in psychology but switched to com-
grade one, older than the others in her class, and more deter-
munications soon after, thinking it a better fit for her innate
mined, too. She has since mastered the language to the point
writing talents. Philosophy became a particular passion, and
that it has become her métier and bridge to a bigger world
today, as a gifted public speaker, she often draws upon lessons
beyond the wheelchair.
learned at York in her talks about personal empowerment.
“I had one professor in particular, Dr. David Stamos, and The words keep flowing. In lockdown – when getting out
I remember a favourite saying of his, that ‘politics does not at all, let alone in a wheelchair, proved especially onerous
determine good scholarship.’ I’ve always loved that, because – Erdelyi spent the time writing a book. Tinder Tales is
it basically means that there are no limitations to knowledge. the working title of the yet-to-be-published new work.
Ideas can come from anywhere, provided you have an open Erdelyi describes it as a humorous look at the online
mind and willingness to hear them. Just because someone dating scene as told from the perspective of a young single
doesn’t think like you doesn’t mean their thoughts are invalid. woman in a wheelchair. The stories are mostly her own.
If you’re a critical thinker, then you are capable of learning “Able-bodied guys my age like me,” she says. “They like my
something from even the most controversial of minds.” confidence.” l
26 The York University Magazine Fall 2021 Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 27BY IRA LAMCJA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FORD
K
IARA MAVALWALA RECALLS that day excellence, demonstration of leadership and financial need.
Ten years in spring very well: heightened anxiety, Since its launch a decade ago, the program has continued
and hundreds of students pacing around the room, speaking out to increase the value of its scholarships, culminating in the
after it was introduced, loud to herself, trying on dozens of dif- January 2020 announcement of Schulich’s additional and
Seymour Schulich’s ferent outfits. She was preparing for her extraordinary investment of $100 million.
interview with the Schulich Foundation as a candidate for
legacy scholarship program “For more than a decade, the Schulich Leader Scholar-
the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships.
soars to new heights ships have provided forward-thinking students with the
“I was so nervous,” Mavalwala recalls, able to laugh about it opportunity to advance their learning in STEM disciplines
now, all these months later. “And between all the nerves, I and develop their skills as entrepreneurial-minded tech-
never allowed myself to imagine that I would get it.” nology innovators,” says Rhonda Lenton, President and
Vice-Chancellor of York University. “York is grateful for
But all Mavalwala’s preparations worked. This past summer,
Seymour Schulich’s visionary investment in Canada’s youth,
“When you
she and incoming York student Aryan Soni were announced
and proud to partner with the Schulich Leader Scholarships
as two new Schulich Leaders who would be receiving
program to support the next generation of STEM leaders.”
$100,000 and $80,000, respectively, to attend York’s Las-
change one
sonde School of Engineering.
“I was shocked,” says Mavalwala, recalling the moment she IN SEPTEMBER 2013, Yaakov Green stepped onto Keele
got the news during a Zoom meeting. “I screamed. I ran
life, you
Campus as part of the very first cohort of Schulich Leaders.
and told all my family, all my friends, and all my teachers. I Growing up as one of six kids in a large, tight-knit family, he
couldn’t believe it. was drawn to the sciences from a young age.
change the
“It’s beyond anything I ever dreamed of.” “I remember I had a fascination with physiology and genet-
ics,” Green says. “I was drawn to York because it was a large
school with so many different opportunities that could foster
entire world”
WHEN CANADIAN BUSINESSMAN and philanthropist
my aspirations.”
Seymour Schulich founded the Schulich Leader
Scholarships program 10 years ago, he wanted to give young Applying the first year that the Schulich Leader Scholarships
students the same opportunity to excel that he was given rolled out, Green doubted he’d be one of the first to receive
when he received a scholarship that allowed him to pursue the prestigious scholarship.
post-secondary education. This scholarship program is his “I was with my family in the car, driving to visit my grand-
way of paying it forward. parents. All of a sudden, I got a call from a number that I
“It’s gratifying that this important and meaningful investment didn’t know. When I picked it up, the voice on the other end
in the future of Canada is off to a strong start,” Schulich says. said it was [then] York President Mamdouh Shoukri.” Green
“Schulich Leaders will be the engine that drives prosperity laughs a little when recalling this moment.
for our country. We look forward to supporting exceptional “When President Shoukri introduced himself, I just did
students pursuing their STEM education for many years to not register it. So what I said was: ‘Oh, hi, what’s going
come.” on?’ I remember thinking to myself, ‘There’s no way that
Today, the Schulich Leader Scholarships program is the larg- happened. That must have been a prank call.’ ” That’s when
est undergraduate STEM (Science Technology Engineering Green called the number back and found out that it really
Mathematics) scholarship opportunity in Canada, with more did belong to York University. “It was legit.”
Schulich Leader Scholarships recipient Yaakov Green than 570 recipients across the country.
Studying biology at York, Green pursued courses that would
Out of a pool of approximately 1,500 high school students, lead to a career in medicine. He is now entering his fifth
100 are chosen to receive a scholarship based on academic year of a dual MD/MBA program at Yale University’s School
Fall 2021 The York University Magazine 29You can also read
