What is Fireside at FemSTEM?

Fireside at FemSTEM is an interactive conversation series held each winter as part of H2i’s broader FemSTEM programming.

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During each Fireside, we sit down and chat with one incredible speaker. Speakers are distinguished women within the health entrepreneurship space and are joined by members of the H2i and UTE community as moderators. 

Audience members are able to submit questions via chat to be posed by the moderator. A 15 minute open networking session enabling audience members to mingle with our speaker and moderator will close out each event. 

Watch the recording

Meet the Speaker:

Dr. Sandy Skotnicki is the founding director of the Bay Dermatology Centre and is Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Medicine in the Divisions of Dermatology and Occupational and Environmental Health. 

Dr. Skotnicki started the Bay Dermatology Centre in 2006 in an effort to provide a full-service dermatology centre that focuses on the patient, not procedures. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology and immunology from the University of Toronto, and then earned her medical degree, graduating with the highest honors. Dr. Skotnicki completed her dermatology training at the University of Ottawa, and was awarded her fellowship in Dermatology by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1997. She is also a Diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology. 

She is a member of the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Dermatology Association, American Dermatology Association and American Contact Dermatitis Society. Previously she was a Board member of the Canadian Dermatology Association and served as an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in the specialty of Dermatology from 2011-2016. 

Dr. Skotnicki is a consultant Dermatologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and is an expert in Allergic Skin Disease. She is also a consultant for the Workplace Safety Insurance Board. 

Active in research and education, Dr. Skotnicki has been teaching University of Toronto Dermatology, Allergy and Family Medicine residents at her St. Michael’s Hospital clinic since 1999. She is also a member of the Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease, and has published numerous articles on different aspects of Allergic Skin Disease. 

Widely regarded as the “go to” Dermatologist in Canada for ingredient reactions and safety, she regularly provides commentary and contributes to medical journals, media outlets (e.g. Flare, Glow, Elle Canada, Toronto Life Fashion, Zoomer, Chatelaine, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail, CBC Radio), and speaks on reactions to chemicals in the skincare industry. 

Other areas of interest include the Arts. Dr. Skotnicki is a member of the Canadian Art Foundation, Partners in Art, a non-profit group of Toronto art supporters with an interest in promoting the visual arts in Canada. She is a past Board member of the Institute of Contemporary Culture, Royal Ontario Museum and the Design Exchange. 

Dr. Skotnicki also loves adventure and volunteering. She completed two trips to Haiti where she volunteered her time and expertise to help local community members with dermatological issues. She also participated in the True Patriot Love Expedition to the Magnetic North Pole in 2014 traversing over 125 km on cross-country skis in the Canadian Arctic to help raise funds and awareness for Wounded Canadian Military Veterans. As a past member of the University of Toronto Championship Women’s Volleyball Team, she has remained active with fundraising, mentorship and sun-awareness lectures to players and staff at U of T as well as the Ontario and Canadian Beach Volleyball Community. 

This event is taking place as part of U of T Entrepreneurship Week. Click here to see the complete schedule of events and to register for free tickets.