2025 MUFA Award for Outstanding Service Winner

Dr. Thomas Hawke is a research educator in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine (PMM) and has been the Associate Chair of Research (ACR) since October 2023.  In this role he has provided leadership for the department and acts as a valued advisor to the chair.

Dr. Hawke joined our department in 2009 from York University and since that time he has developed an international reputation for his research in skeletal muscle.  He has developed a diverse network of collaborators at McMaster, nationally and internationally.  He also has more than 100 publications and over 4.5 million dollars in research funding, most as the result of peer review grants. His work spans a wide breadth of skeletal muscle research including the regulation of muscle stem cells, tissue engineering, skeletal muscle growth and repair in response to stressors.  He is also doing work on cultivated meat, an important area of research for food security.  Additionally, Tom Hawke demonstrates skill in recruiting and supervising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. In total, he has directly supervised a total of 90 highly qualified personnel/trainees as a principal supervisor.  Since 2018, he has also directly supervised a total of 36 trainees within his research laboratory. He has helped to improve and grow McMaster’s reputation for excellence and establish a culture that is consistent with the FHS tenets by attracting and training high quality researchers with a clear focus on diverse backgrounds, lived experiences and expertise. Evidence of the success of his EDI-IR strategy is exemplified by the fact that >75% of his trainees self-identify as female and >50% self-identify as a member of an equity deserving group (disabled, indigenous, racialized and gender-equity seeking).

As the Associate Chair of Research, Dr. Hawke has worked tirelessly to increase the research profile of our department.  He has improved communication with the clinical members of our faculty, built a relationship with the Hamilton Regional Laboratory medicine program and expanded resident research opportunities and experience.  He has been instrumental in evolving the PMM Resident Research Day and the Resident Research Grant and his collaborations across all aspects of the department have allowed relationships to grow and flourish. Tom has also been a mentor to other researchers in our department and has nominated his peers for Canada Research Chair grants.

Dr. Hawke has demonstrated leadership in education within Pathology and Molecular Medicine through his contributions to the education committee, the development of new courses and a postgraduate diploma in laboratory medicine. He is a valued advisor to the department chair and has played an important role in improving our fiscal responsibility and increasing revenue generation.

Overall, Tom Hawke is deserving of this award due to the breadth and depth of contributions he has made to the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine in helping to build our research profile, developing new educational content and identifying new and innovative ways to address our budget deficit.

citation by Cheryl Main