The award recognizes outstanding contribution by McMaster graduates to the greater Toronto community. The award will recognize individuals who have made a positive impact on the greater Toronto community within the past three years, enhancing the quality of life while reflecting the values of McMaster – integrity, quality and teamwork.

Preference will be given to those residing in the Greater Toronto area. The nomination form is available by clicking on the following link: Alumni Association Nomination Form.

Nomination deadline: February 1st

The 2016 McMaster Alumni GTA Community Impact Award Recipient


Vivian Rambihar `75

Faculty of Health Sciences
Cardiologist Vivian Rambihar is a pioneer in diversity and health, studying immigrant health, particularly for South Asians. An immigrant himself, he arrived in Canada from Guyana in 1970 to study math and physics at UC, then medicine at McMaster University. He was among the first in Canada to identify ethnic and gender differences in health, and to use chaos and complexity science as a model for this and for health promotion. He was aware of the need for social development of the South Asian community as they settled into the GTA, and he helped to create a network of planned activities and provided services as necessary. He is the recipient of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Segall Award for Health Promotion in Canada, the IndoCanadian Chamber of Commerce Humanitarian Award, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubliee Medal. In 2011, Vivian Rambihar was named one of the Top 25 immigrants in Canada. An Adjunct Professor of Medicine at U of T, he is also the health co-chair for the Global Organization for People of Indian Origin, with the goal of reducing the epidemic of premature heart disease and diabetes across the Indian Diaspora.