Everything Economics at the University of Toronto
The Department of Economics Run for the Cure Team raised $2450.80 on Sunday, October 7. While, as of writing, the team was $49.20 short of its fundraising goal, donations will be accepted until 31 December. [Read more…]
What does the price of Triscuits over decades at one California grocery store say about macroeconomic conditions? What do civil servants and academic researchers need to do to retrofit microfiche readers to painstakingly digitize historical data? These details came to the fore when Professor Emi Nakamura delivered the 2024-25 C. Malim Harding Visiting Lectureship in Political Economy on 30 September 2024. Among the members of the audience were faculty of the Department of Economics, the Department of Political Science, graduate students, and members of the Harding family including his son Victor, daughter Debbie, and their spouses. [Read more…]
“From research to treatment options to access to services and programs, many women are overlooked and underserved because healthcare has traditionally not considered the impact of sex and gender differences.”
from The Health Gap, Women’s College Hospital
Extensive literature discusses the gender gap in women’s health care. It has been established that women’s symptoms are often ignored, and they are belittled by their doctors for conditions that are often under-researched, under-diagnosed, and are under treated. Niketana Kannan, a third-year PhD student with the Department of Economics, is seeking to understand the gap and discover potential interventions policymakers can use to bridge this health gap.
“My personal interest in this research topic came from hearing my family members talk about these kinds of experiences happening to them. They talked about when they went to a doctor and were told to just go take Tylenol to relieve their pain symptoms,” Kannan recalled. “Eventually, they were able to get the right diagnosis for what they needed, but it was a long and winding road to get there for them to finally find a doctor to take them seriously.”
In her research project, Kannan is focusing on the role of female physicians to see if there is potential to improve health outcomes for women if female physicians are matched to female patients. [Read more…]
In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released 94 Calls to Action. The purpose of these calls, the TRC stated, is to “redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation.” Many of these calls concern education, including post-secondary institutions. Every September 30th we observe Orange Shirt Day, also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a time to remember the legacy of residential schools, honour the memory of the children who died in them, and to understand the experiences of survivors. [Read more…]
Second year PhD student Renato Zimmermann moved to Canada as a newly-admitted undergraduate six years ago. A research assistantship during those studies sparked a deep curiosity about complex questions in economics. His admission into graduate studies didn’t come as a surprise.
“Renato was one of the best undergraduate students I’ve ever had; he was always very inquisitive. He has three of the most important qualities, in my view. He is very curious about economics and wants to understand things deeply. He is very resilient and perseveres through challenges. Third, he works hard, goes into detail and actively identifies and addresses problems without letting obstacles stop him,” said Associate Professor Eduardo Souza-Rodrigues. [Read more…]