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Denise Chong\n<\/strong>Honorary Doctor of Laws
\nFaculty of Arts, Faculty of Education
\n<\/span>October 20, 10:30am<\/em><\/p>\n
Denise Chong has achieved eminence as an economist, public servant and author. She became a trailblazer for a more inclusive Canadian public service, first in the Department of Finance and later as senior economic advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, where she worked closely with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Chong left the public service in 1985 to establish herself as a writer. Her highly-acclaimed books – The Concubine’s Children<\/em> and The Girl in the Picture: The Kim Phuc Story<\/em> – forged her reputation as a leading chronicler of the Asian-American experience. The Concubine's Children<\/em> won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction and the City of Vancouver Book Award, and was short-listed for a Governor General’s literary award, <\/em>as was The Girl in the Picture. <\/em>Chong has continued her involvement in public life, serving on task forces, public boards and committees, including the Task Force on the Participation of Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service, the National Advisory Board on Culture Online, and the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Northern British Columbia.<\/p>\n Dr. Sheela Basrur served as the first medical officer of health for the amalgamated City of Toronto, leading one of the largest public health bodies in North America. Her leadership in handling the SARS outbreak in Toronto in 2003 earned her the respect of health care professionals around the world. In this role, Basrur was known for her ability to address systemic problems and her unique understanding of issues facing Toronto’s diverse communities, particularly those of immigrants and refugees. She was instrumental in the city’s banning of non-essential "cosmetic" pesticides and improving public health standards in Toronto’s restaurants. Basrur went on to serve as chief medical officer of health and assistant deputy minister of public health in the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care. She is a recipient of the YWCA Toronto 2004 Women of Distinction Award and an honorary member of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/photos\/20071017\/basrurWEB.jpg\")
Dr. Sheela Basrur
\n<\/strong>Honorary Doctor of Laws
\nFaculty of Health, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science & Engineering
\nOctober 20, 3pm<\/em><\/p>\n
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Charlotte Gray