Dr. David Hood is an outstanding graduate student mentor. A Professor School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University since 1999, Dr. Hood is also a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Cell Physiology and Director of the Muscle Health Research Centre. He has supervised 52 Master’s students, 18 PhD students, and 17 Postdoctoral Fellows.
An international leader in the field of muscle health, Dr. Hood has an extensive record of assisting his students explore career options and to find fulfilling post-graduate positions. He brings together multi-disciplinary teams of senior and junior researchers to teach and learn with his students, and organizes frequent grant writing workshops, writing boot-camps, and networking events. Dr. Hood maintains close contact throughout his student’s research journey, running weey research meetings that challenge students to think critically about their work and find innovative solutions to their research problems. “The learning culture that Dr. Hood creates is one of constant improvement,” reflects a former PhD graduate.
Dr. Hood is known for encouraging, inspiring, and supporting his students to reach their full potential. He creates a learning environment that maximizes the skills and abilities of each individual student, while also providing opportunities for collaborating on new and unexpected discoveries. Former students write about the care that he took with their research output and impact, but also more holistically with their overall career development, expanding their networks by facilitating introductions, reviewing article drafts and career materials.
As one former PhD student recalls, “Dr. Hood instructed me with patience and understanding, teaching me discipline, research techniques, and the basis of scientific research. Most importantly, he taught me how to balance the various aspects of my life as a graduate student.”
