Professor Ira Jacobs, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, is among eight University of Toronto researchers who were named Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), one of Canada’s most esteemed academic academies. Election to fellowship in the Academy is considered one of the highest Canadian health sciences honours.
Professor Ira Jacobs, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, is among eight University of Toronto researchers who were named fellows of The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) this year.
CAHS is one of the three national scientific academies that comprise the Canadian Academies of Science which was created by government legislation and operates at arm’s length form the federal government. The other two Academies are The Royal Society of Canada and The Canadian Academy of Engineering.
Considered one of Canada’s most esteemed academic academies, CAHS provides assessments and recommendations on issues affecting the health of Canadians, based on evidence reviews and leading expert opinion. CAHS fellows are nominated by peers and selected by a fellowship committee because of a history of outstanding performance in the academic health sciences and recognition by their peers nationally and internationally for their contributions to the promotion of health science. Election to fellowship in the Academy is considered one of the highest Canadian health sciences honours.
“I am surprised and feel very honoured for the recognition of my research, and I’m flattered and humbled to be in the company of so many esteemed colleagues from the University of Toronto and from across the country,” said dean Jacobs. “I have been very fortunate over the years to have had significant and productive collaborations with talented scientists and, in particular very creative graduate students who have definitely taken me outside of my scientific comfort zone.”
(See full list of 2016 U of T fellows here.)
Professor Jacobs is the first member of U of T’s KPE to be inducted in the Academy. There are only a handful of others from other universities that also have kinesiology as their home division, and he sees this as an important acknowledgement of kinesiology as an academic discipline that is integral to improving and sustaining the health of Canadians through physical activity.
“I don’t think there has ever been a time when public awareness has been higher in our society about the benefits of physical activity and the risks of inactivity,” says Jacobs “Yet, in spite of that, research consistently shows that the majority of our population, at all ages, does not engage in sufficient regular physical activity to reap its health benefits.
“My commitment is to use my position of leadership of an academic division as a platform for the generation of new knowledge about the interactions of health and physical activity, and to support the translation activities that are necessary to convert that increased awareness into positive action.”
Jacobs is an expert on adaptations of human physiological systems to exercise and environmental stressors. He has led ground-breaking research about biochemical responses within muscle during exercise, body temperature regulation during thermal stress, and nutritional and pharmacological strategies for preserving health and performance for those who work in harsh environmental conditions, including Canadian military personnel.
He worked for 25 years as a federal government scientist in the Canadian Department of National Defence, before assuming academic roles first in York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, and more recently as Dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. His expertise continues to be sought by Canadian government departments and international organizations alike.