U of T Engineering professor honoured nationally for excellence in training Canada’s next generation of regenerative medicine leaders

Professor Milica Radisic has been named a recipient of the Talent Builder Award as part of the Stem Cell Network’s 25 for 25 Silver Anniversary Awards, a national initiative recognizing 25 individuals and organizations whose contributions have shaped Canada’s regenerative medicine ecosystem over the past 25 years. 

The 25 for 25 Silver Anniversary Awards were established to mark the Stem Cell Network’s 25th anniversary and celebrate individuals whose leadership, mentorship, innovation and community‑building have advanced regenerative medicine in Canada. Award recipients will be formally recognized during the 2026 Till and McCulloch Meetings, Canada’s leading stem cell and regenerative medicine conference, to be held November 9–11, 2026, in Vancouver. 

Radisic, a Professor at the University of Toronto and Tier I Canada Research Chair in Organ‑on‑a‑Chip Engineering, is being recognized for her exceptional and sustained contributions to the training and mentorship of highly qualified personnel in regenerative medicine. The Talent Builder Award honours individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in developing the next generation of researchers, innovators and translational leaders across Canada. 

“This award carries tremendous meaning for me. Helping to train Canada’s future leaders in regenerative medicine and translation and working with my students and postdoctoral fellows has always been the most rewarding part of my career, and to be recognized for that contribution is especially significant.” Says Radisic. 

Over the past two decades, Radisic has played a central role in shaping interdisciplinary training environments that bridge engineering, biology, medicine and commercialization. She has created and led innovative national training initiatives, including a multi‑institutional NSERC CREATE program in Organ‑on‑a‑Chip Engineering and Entrepreneurship, that prepare trainees for diverse career paths spanning academia, biotechnology, start‑ups and the health sector. Through close mentorship and a strong emphasis on translation, her trainees have gone on to make significant contributions across Canada and internationally. 

Internationally recognized for pioneering advances in biomedical engineering, Professor Radisic is a global leader in organ‑on‑a‑chip and tissue engineering research. Her work has transformed how human heart and vascular tissues are modelled in the lab, most notably through the development of heart‑on‑a‑chip platforms that enable more accurate drug discovery and disease modelling using human stem cell‑derived tissues. Her research has led to significant translational impact, including the co‑founding of biotechnology companies that bridge academic discovery and industrial application. Radisic’s contributions have been widely recognized through some of Canada’s and the world’s most prestigious honours, including the Governor General’s Innovation Award, election as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Collectively, these distinctions reflect her sustained leadership in innovation, research excellence and the advancement of human‑relevant biomedical technologies. 

“Professor Radisic’s impact extends far beyond her extraordinary research achievements,” said Professor Milos Popovic, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering. “She has set a national benchmark for how engineers can lead with purpose. This recognition is richly deserved, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate her success.”