A distinguished educator, philanthropist, community leader and health advocate, Dr. Daniel C. Andreae has made tremendous strides within the field of teaching and contributing to causes, including Alzheimer’s disease and brain research. Most notably, he is recognized as the first executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Toronto, and he played a key role in building up and growing the Society and later served as chair of their Patrons Council. For his many contributions, he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society, a Community Leadership Award, an award presented by the Chair of the International Alzheimer Society Princess Yasmin Khan, as well as a Pioneer Award. His interest in neuroscience led to a brain research laboratory in his honor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, one of the world’s most dynamic and respected educational and research institutes in the world, located in Rehovot, Israel. He is a member representing Canada on their international board of directors and is a member of the President’s Circle. Weizmann has named Dr. Andreae as one of 10 leading Canadians. He is also an honorary patron of Brain Injury Canada.
Dr. Andreae is a gifted and highly respected professor and educator. Over a more than 20-year career teaching at colleges and universities, he has taught 45 different subjects ranging from psychology to humanities and bioethics to leadership. He was selected as a Distinguished Professor at the University of Waterloo, named a Fellow of Renison University College, University of Waterloo, the recipient of Professor of the Year in two different faculties at the University of Guelph Humber, and chosen for the Mentorship Award selected by graduating students. For his contributions to health care, Assumption University gave him an honorary LLD, and recently, Laurentian University awarded him an honorary doctorate. The Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Toronto gave him an honorary degree.
Early in his career, Dr. Andreae pursued a formal education at York University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, followed by a master’s degree in clinical social work from Wilfrid Laurier University and a doctoral degree in education from the University of Toronto. A firm believer in continuing education, which he believes is no longer a luxury but a necessity, has taken several professional certificates and diplomas including in stress management, nutrition from FX Nutrition and in neuropsychophysiology. As a result of studying with the Benson Henry Mind/Body Institute affiliated with Harvard University, he was granted membership in the Harvard University Graduate Association for Continuing Education. He is a Founding Fellow of The Coaching Institute at McLean Hospital in Boston and is a certified health coach.
Dr. Andreae is very interested in health and views the person from a holistic perspective. Health involves biology, but also includes psychology and emotional wellbeing as well as cultural and social environments. It is imperative to take into account issues such as social connections, key to optimal health and issues such as working conditions, access to services, poverty, physical environments, and access to food, educational opportunities and quality of health care. He is interested in how systems in the body interact closely with each other in a dynamic fashion, including nervous, immune and endocrine systems in relation to stress.
Outside of his primary work, Dr. Andreae provides annual scholarships to worthy students at the Humber College of Technology and Advanced Learning and sponsors an annual lecture at Laurentian University, which is free and open to the public under the umbrella theme of Living in Healthy Communities. He also sponsors an annual lecture at the Michener Institute at the University Health Network on the topic of The Changing Role of Work in Health, where he sits on their board of governors.
Dr. Andreae is the lead sponsor of the DaVinci Robot at Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Hospital, which greatly improves surgical techniques. He and his sister are sponsoring a leading edge Surgical Training Academy at the Michener. He is a past chair of the National Eating Disorder Information Center (NEDIC) at Toronto General Hospital, named recently as the fourth best hospital in the world. He is also past chair of the Canadian Abilities Foundation.
Dr. Andreae is the longest serving president of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW), where he led a successful 10-year campaign through the governments of three different political parties and seven different ministers. At the time, the Province of Ontario was the only jurisdiction in North America lacking legislated standards of practice for public protection. He was chosen as both Social Worker of the Year in Ontario and nationally, and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the OASW.
As a testament to his success, longevity in the field and dedication to his profession, Dr. Andreae has been recognized nationally and internationally. From Wilfrid Laurier University, he was selected as Alumnus of the Year and chosen as one of the 100 Leading Alumni of the Century during its centennial celebrations. In addition, he received the Lyall Hallman Social Work Award. Laurentian University bestowed him with an Inaugural Impact Award, and the National Eating Disorder Information Center gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Brain Injury Canada and the Canadian Abilities Foundation. The Top 100 Registry named him Intellectual of the Year in 2020 and Worldwide Humanitarian in 2021. The International Association of Top Professionals selected him as Professor of the Decade and previously as Male Visionary of The Year. The Government of Ontario recognized him with an Ontario Medal of Citizenship and an inaugural June Callwood Outstanding Volunteer Award. On a national level, he was given a Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award and a Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal.
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