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For her leadership in interdisciplinary teaching that spans health humanities and arts-based health research methods, Assistant Professor Andrea Charise of U of T Scarborough has been honoured with . 

“This award is so meaningful on a personal level because my teaching often involves working with students who have little to no background in the humanities, let alone literature or the arts,” says Charise, who over her career has received numerous teaching awards and research grants in both health sciences and literary studies.

An assistant professor in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Health & Society, Charise’s research often focuses on aging, old age and intergenerational relationships. 

In 2017, Charise led the development of Canada's first – and currently only – minor program in health humanities at U of T Scarborough. She is also the founding director and principal investigator of SCOPE, an arts- and humanities-based research and education initiative.

“My aim has always been to give students a strong sense of what the arts and humanities bring to our understanding of health and illness. And in turn, why what we think of as health and wellness must actively integrate the arts and creative practices more broadly.”