uOttawa News

OTTAWA, November 8, 2013  —  The University of Ottawa is pleased to announce the winners of its 2013 Excellence in Media Relations Awards, two individuals who have provided a wealth of knowledge and commentary to media across all platforms. The winners, Jabeur Fathally, assistant professor, Civil Law Section (Francophone recipient) and Yoni Freedhoff, assistant professor, Department of Family Medicine (Anglophone recipient), are highly coveted experts in their respective fields.

Jabeur Fathally is a hot topic expert who has commented on various recent international crises, notably in North Africa and the Middle East. His fluency in English, French and Arabic has made him a go-to expert for world issues on various platforms, nationally and internationally.  Professor Fathally regularly gives print, radio and television interviews. He is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after experts by the media and one of the most appreciated by the Canadian public. A co-founder of the JuriGlobe research group, which documents legal systems around the world, Fathally’s passion for his areas of expertise is unmatched, and is coupled with his amiability and his skill in explaining complex issues in plain language. Seeing him as a model for his peers, the jury recognized Fathally’s concise, poised and adept approach with media.

Yoni Freedhoff is regularly quoted in the national and international media. He has 13,000 followers on Twitter and uploads informative videos to YouTube regularly. His award winning blog, Weighty Matters, has had over 4.9 million visitors. Dr. Freedhoff writes a weekly column for U.S. News & World Report and is a guest blogger for both Psychology Today and the Huffington Post. His latest book, The Diet Fix: Why Everything You’ve Been Taught About Dieting Is Wrong and the 10 Day Plan to Fix It, will be published in March 2014. Dr. Freedhoff is the founder of the Bariatric Medical Institute and is one of only three physicians in Canada to be board certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. He is recognized by the Canadian Obesity Network as a national obesity expert and has been at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Family Medicine since 2011, where he regularly supervises both medical students and residents in his office.

Each year, many University of Ottawa professors share their knowledge, research and insights with the media. In doing so, they provide a service to the University and to the community at large by educating the broader public and encouraging discussion on a variety of topics that affect our lives. The Excellence in Media Relations Award is given annually to two University of Ottawa faculty members to recognize their outstanding service. Each award comes with a $5,000 prize.

The University would like to thank the journalists who made up the 2013 selection panel for their hard work reviewing all the nominations and making the final decisions. We look forward to continuing this collaborative effort in the future. 

INFORMATION:

Kina Leclair
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 ext. 2529
Cell: 613-762-2908
kleclair@uOttawa.ca

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