When she started music lessons at the University of Toronto in 1962, Dena Taylor never imagined that she would find her calling at the same institution. But 53 years later, she’s celebrating her time at U of T and her 21-year career as the director of U of T’s Health Sciences Writing Centre.
“I never really left U of T,” says Taylor. “Since I was 12 years old I would trundle downtown on the subway three or four times a week for music lessons at U of T. When I was 17, I started my undergraduate degree here in English and never looked back.”
After completing her PhD at U of T and working in the Department of English, Taylor became the director of the writing centre in 1995. It was the first centre to serve students in U of T’s Faculties of Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work, and Kinesiology and Physical Education.
“At the time U of T had many writing centres, but it was Bruce Kidd, then the Dean of the Faculty, and others who really advocated for a writing centre dedicated to the health sciences,” says Taylor. “We wanted to help our students become critical thinkers and prepare them for the future.”
Over the years the centre’s services have expanded – in its first year it served close to 200 students and this year it helped over 700, with nearly 3,000 one-on-one sessions.
During these one-on-one sessions, expert instructors help students build their skills in grammar, writing and research. The centre also provides in-class instruction and works closely with professors and teaching assistants to create assignments. With its online resources, its impact extends across the world – last year one of Taylor’s online documents on literature review received close to 400,000 views.
“Over the past three years, Dena has not only reviewed my assignments, but she’s also helped me understand how to become a better writer, researcher and critical thinker,” says Stephanie Seymour, a fourth-year undergraduate in the Faculty. “She really was a safety net for me and she made me the student I am today. I’m now thinking of pursuing a graduate degree in exercise sciences.”
In recognition of her impact, Taylor received the 2012 Joan E. Foley Quality of Student Experience Award, a U of T Award of Excellence.
“Receiving that award was one of my most memorable experiences,” says Taylor. “Another one was the Faculty led trip to Windhoek, Namibia in 2011. I had a great time supervising students volunteering for an NGO called Physically Active Youth, and I also led writing workshops and classes at the University of Namibia.”
Beyond leading the centre, Taylor is also a science fiction and fantasy writer and plans to continue to work on many writing projects in her retirement. One of these projects includes finishing A Comprehensive Guide to Writing in the Health Sciences. She will also help to transition her role to the new director, Boba Samuels.
“After spending such a long time here, I’ll be sad to leave,” says Taylor. “I’ve enjoyed working with thousands of students and it’s been so rewarding to see them progress.”