Dr. Michelle French and Dr. Bill Ju

Talk: “Mental Health in Undergraduate Education”

Dr. French is an award-winning educator in the Department of Physiology in the Faculty of Medicine and an expert and scholar in the student-centered approach to learning. Dr. French is particularly noted as a practitioner and leader in three key thematic areas: Large-Class Teaching, Science Communication & Learner Engagement, and Mentoring and Supporting Learners. Dr. French began her teaching career as a Laboratory Demonstrator and Teaching Assistant at both U of T and Western University while she was taking her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Physiology. Upon completion of her PhD, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Melbourne, Australia and Toronto. In 1999, she became a Lecturer at U of T and at Ryerson University (1999-2001, 2002-2008). She taught for many years in the Department of Cell and Systems Biology and in the Human Biology Program at U of T before joining the Department of Physiology as a Lecturer in 2009. Since 2014, she has held the rank of Associate Professor, Teaching Stream. In addition to her teaching, she acts as a science writing and editorial consultant to principal investigators and research funding organizations.

A graduate of the department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Dr. Ju’s research involved the examination of cellular and molecular pathways underlying motivation, learning and memory, and neurodegeneration. A post-doctoral fellowship extended these interests, and investigated the roles of receptor trafficking and stabilization in the brain and their influence on health and disease states. After completing his research, Dr. Ju was a sessional lecturer in the Physiology and Cell and Systems Departments at the University of Toronto, before joining the Human Biology Program in 2009. Bill has incorporated the use of his previous research background to teach courses within the Neuroscience as well as the Health and Disease streams.