December 17, 2025 | Alumni
Alumni who crushed it in 2025
Clockwise from top left: David Lawrence, Hannah Flores, Cindy Pom, Dr. Andrew B. Campbell, David Ha and Daniel Drucker.
U of T alumni are making an impact in everything from sports to science and as the year draws to a close, we’d like to highlight some of the people who have really hit it out of the park.
From sports doctor David Lawrence (MD 2013, MPH 2019) who helped make the Toronto Blue Jays World Series-ready to slam poet Hannah Flores (BSc 2025 NEW) who gave environmental science a voice, author Souvankham Thammavongsa (BA 2003 NEW) who just won the Giller Prize for the second time in five years, tech leader David Ha (BASc 2003, MMF 2004) who was named to Time100 AI 2025, therapist Lev Goldberg (BA 2018, MSW 2020) who became the first openly transgender person to swim across Lake Ontario and Daniel Drucker (MD 1980, PGMT 1984) who paved the way for blockbuster drugs, this group of alumni have contributed their knowledge, talent and creativity to make a real difference in the lives of people here at home and beyond.
Jump to: The all-stars * The environmental leaders * The creators * The future makers * The advocates * The changemakers
The all-stars
The sports doc who kept the Toronto Blue Jays World Series-ready
This past October, the Toronto Blue Jays captured the hearts of baseball fans across Canada during a historic playoff run that left them just short of a World Series title. Alongside all the epic moments that played out on the field, there were plenty of people behind the scenes working to keep the Jays fit, healthy and ready to compete. One of these was U of T alum David Lawrence (MD 2013, MPH 2019), medical director of the David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic at the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, assistant professor in U of T’s department of family and community medicine and assistant medical director at the Dovigi Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Lawrence, who is also a huge Blue Jays fan, served as the team’s lead physician, diagnosing and managing the players’ sports injuries and providing primary care services.
Read about more all-stars who crushed it:
- Blue Jays’ World Series run is an ‘incredible’ moment in U of T alum Mike Wilner’s career
- Meet the U of T alum who helped name the Toronto Blue Jays
- Alumnus uses hip hop and basketball as 'a canvas to explore new ideas' at Hart House
- Motorsport medicine pioneer Hugh Scully on the power of a high-performance team
- Running down a dream – Richter Heintz reflects on a four-year run at U of T
The environmental leaders
The slam poet who’s giving environmental science a voice
Can art influence science?
Hannah Flores (BSc 2025 NEW), an award-winning slam poet with an honours bachelor of science degree with a major in forest conservation science, certainly thinks so. The recent graduate is combining her two loves to champion the environment. “I can use my skills as a poet to communicate science,” says Flores.
With a Rising Star award from the 2024 Women Empowerment Awards and being named a Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 by The Starfish in 2025 already under her belt, Flores is now pursuing her master’s degree in geography at U of T.
Read about more environmental leaders who crushed it:
- Engineering a greener future: U of T alum finds purpose in sustainable energy trading
- U of T alum Zaid Seddiqi’s sustainably crafted speakers are catching the attention of the global design community
- Six U of T-founded firms named among TIME magazine’s Top GreenTech Companies
- Alum Peter Love’s lifetime commitment to sustainability began at U of T
The creators
The journalist who captivated online audiences
After more than a decade of reporting for major news outlets in Canada and abroad, Cindy Pom (BA 2010) launched Newsthink, a YouTube channel that has grown to more than a million subscribers.
Her content covers everything from leading-edge technology to history’s transformative thinkers and current events. She credits the skills she gained at U of T for knowing how to ask the tough questions and helping audiences better understand the world.
Read about more creators who crushed it:
- Second Giller Prize awarded to U of T alum Souvankham Thammavongsa
- From U of T Scarborough to the Oscars, alum Nana Frimpong talks about her journey in film
- A&S alum Aisha Jamal’s passion for filmmaking started at U of T
- Andreas Vatiliotou credits U of T's Department of English creative writing mentors for screenwriting success
- From oral care to culinary flair: U of T dentistry alum shines on MasterChef Canada
- Pixar pioneer: U of T alum Bill Reeves leads in animation innovation
The future makers
The tech leader named to Time100 AI 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting every aspect of our daily lives and one U of T alum has been recognized for his work on how it could influence science.
David Ha (BASc 2003, MMF 2004) has been named to the Time100 AI 2025 list, which recognizes groundbreaking advances in AI. Ha, who earned an honours bachelor of science in engineering science and a master of mathematical finance from U of T, was recognized for the unprecedented success of AI Scientist, a new system for scientific discovery – created by Sakana AI – that can independently generate research questions, run experiments, write papers and review them.
Read about more future makers who crushed it:
- Peter Serles: Machine learning and nano-3D printing produce breakthrough high-performance, nano-architected materials
- Alum Alik Sokolov is using generative AI to change how companies invest
The advocates
The advocate championing Black excellence in education
Dr. Andrew B. Campbell (PhD 2014) – better known as Dr. ABC – has dedicated his career to fostering equity and inclusion in classrooms and beyond.
Originally from Jamaica, Dr. ABC earned his PhD in educational policy and leadership in 2014 from U of T’s Ontario Institute for Students in Education (OISE). He is now an assistant professor of racial justice and teacher education, and the director of the Centre for Black Studies in Education (CBSE), at OISE and the co-ordinator of the Black Future Educators Pathway (BFEP).
“I think of myself as the conductor of the CBSE,” he says. “I direct the learning, the activities, the research, the community and the joy.”
Read about more advocates who crushed it:
- U of T alum Binta Bajaha building resilience with World Food Programme
- U of T alum Rachel Browne’s new book ‘Let Us Play’ explores the inclusion of trans athletes in sports
- U of T grad champions environmental causes, Indigenous empowerment
- Social work grad swims 51km across Lake Ontario for trans visibility
The changemakers
The endocrinologist who paved the way for blockbuster drugs
Ozempic and Wegovy have become household names, but did you know a U of T alum paved the way for these blockbuster weight loss drugs?
Daniel Drucker (MD 1980, PGMT 1984) discovered the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the human body, a hormone that stimulates insulin release and promotes weight loss, which led to the development of drugs to treat type 2 diabetes. They are now being used around the world for weight loss and are showing huge promise for several other conditions from kidney disease to neurological disorders.
“This all came about from basic science observations that were unexpected but thankfully translated into clinical findings of use for patients with these challenging disorders,” says Drucker, a senior investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Sinai Health and a University Professor of medicine in U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
Read about more changemakers who crushed it:
- Accelerating the development of lifesaving drugs: U of T alum Joseph Geraci
- U of T alum Jennifer Stinson wins Peter Gilgan Canada Gairdner Momentum Award
- U of T Nursing grad explores sleep challenges in kids with cystic fibrosis
- U of T alum draws international headlines after finding children’s mattresses off-gas chemicals
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