U of T’s 2022 Naylor Fellows shine light on Black health, climate communication, humane prisons and a healthy home

“We’re delighted to welcome Damilola, Jill, Kate and Nayani to the university,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives. “They join a community of world-class scholars who are committed to serving society by solving the biggest challenges of our time. We’re so grateful to the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation for championing researchers like these as they launch their careers.”

“To support early-career researchers is to give brilliant scholars a boost at the moment they need it most,” says Joshua Barker, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost. “Support from the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation is not only helping graduate students make new discoveries during their studies, but is setting them on the path to an impactful career. To launch a problem-solver is to help solve untold problems far into the future.”

“What really excites me is what we have not done yet,” says Damilola Iduye.

“We do know that Black people have twice the rate of type 2 diabetes compared with white Canadians. We also know that Black people generally are disproportionately affected by social determinants of health. But we often think about Black people as a homogenous group;, we usually don’t consider their cultural diversity and how they may experience health differently.”

For her doctoral research at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, she wants “look at how social and structural determinants of health intersect to shape the experiences of Black people in Canada with type 2 diabetes with consideration for their cultural diversity. I’m really excited to contribute to the body of knowledge on culturally appropriate and structurally competent health care.” Iduye’s doctoral dissertation will provide insights into future research directions and the development and implementation of equity-informed policies and interventions for combating diabetes in this population.

A proud Canadian, Iduye has made Truro, Nova Scotia home since immigrating from Nigeria over a decade ago. She holds a diploma in nursing from the Oyo State College of Nursing and Midwifery, a bachelor of nursing science from the University of Ibadan, a master’s in nursing from Dalhousie University, and a master’s in public health from the University of Edinburgh.

“This scholarship means a lot,” she says. “It’s a motivation to do more for my community Also, I wouldn’t have been able to afford living in Toronto without it. I’m really thankful to the Irvings for their generosity. Simply put, they’ve afforded me the opportunity to pursue my dream.”

Jill Downey, a master’s student in environmental chemistry, wants to make your home safer.

“When people hear ‘environmental chemistry,’ they think of the outdoors and pollution,” she says, “but pollutants can also get indoors and affect our air quality. In particular, I’m looking at ozone and how it reacts with surfaces and things that accumulate on indoor surfaces, like oils.”

Ozone, it turns out, can react with other molecules and trigger the release of volatile organic carbons—substances that can affect our health. Downey hopes her work will help keep Canadians safe by teasing out the health impact of different types of materials in the home, from glass to metal to fabric.

Downey grew up in Rothesay, New Brunswick, and earned her bachelor of science at Mount Allison University. “Without this fellowship, I wouldn’t be able to go to U of T,” she says. “And U of T has the best environmental chemistry program in Canada.”

“People might be left out, if it wasn’t for scholarships,” she says. “Scholarships give students opportunities to go to these big expensive cities and study amazing things.”

Kate Mitchell knows a lot about the law—and about how scholarly research can make the case for change.

Currently studying for her SJD (Scientiae Juridicae Doctor, a doctorate in law) at the University of Toronto, the Halifax native also already holds a JD from Queen’s University. And before that, “a bachelor of arts from Dalhousie, a master’s of public administration from Queen’s, and a master of laws at UCLA.”

Mitchell’s current focus is “how we can ensure the rule of law within prison walls. Although prisons have transformed from systems in which officials had basically unfettered discretion into rule-based systems in which prisoners have rights, many harsh practices remain.”

“My comparative study, looking at both Canada and the United States, explores that transformation, and I think more importantly, why we’ve failed to ensure that prisoners are treated in a humane and dignified manner. And, what a system would have to look like to ensure such treatment.”

“This fellowship has given me financial stability,” she says, “which also allows me to round out my studies: volunteering with Pro Bono Students Canada, and engaging with all of the different talks and events that U of T has to offer. It’s just a great community, so that support has meant everything to me.”

Two hundred years ago, a devastating volcanic eruption in Indonesia sparked the birth of climate science.

Nayani Jensen, a doctoral candidate in U of T’s Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, explains. “The Mount Tambora eruption in 1815 led to two or three years of really anomalous cold weather, disasters, famine and floods around the world. That led to the publication of books like Frankenstein, and a lot of writing about climate.”

“Focusing on 1800 to 1840, I’m looking at how science responded to extreme weather events,” she says, “and how we came to understand that climate is global. In the early 19th century there was a very different way of writing about science, much more popular and accessible, and so I’m also hoping to find new ways for writers and scientists to reach the public. It’s an interesting mix of climate research, history, statistics, and how we think about science.”

Jensen, who was born and grew up in Halifax, began her career with an engineering degree at Dalhousie University. She appreciates how the Naylor Fellowship gives her the time and space for both academics and creative writing—both vital to an interdisciplinary thinker. “Having that flexibility and added liberation while doing grad studies is really special,” she says. “And I was thrilled that there was a scholarship specifically related to the Atlantic region!”