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THAN A DECADE AGO, KELLY HANNAH-MOFFAT
started volunteering at the Elizabeth Fry Society, an organization
that advocates for women in conflict with the law.
The then-graduate student in sociology and legal studies wanted
to get more involved in the kinds of issues that sparked her academic
interest. But this move would do far more than that – it would
profoundly shape her career.
The 34-year-old assistant professor of sociology and criminology
now has a wealth of real-life experiences to enrich her studies.
She has had long stints as both the Elizabeth Fry Society’s
President and a member of its board of directors, along with roles
as a probation officer and a recreation officer in the Ontario correctional
system.
"It gave me direct contact with women who are in conflict with
the law, and the opportunity to hear what they had to say about
their lives and their experiences. And when you start to put that
together with what you read and how you think about things, it gives
you a different understanding of the issues."
So sought after is her unique perspective that in 1995 Hannah-Moffat
was appointed the senior researcher and policy analyst to Madame
Justice Louise Arbour during the inquiry into the riots at the Prison
for Women in Kingston, Ontario. "The report came out with some
very scathing findings around issues of abuses of rights and power
within prisons. And these are the same prisons that are supposed
to be empowering."
That project took the better part of two years to complete, but
was "an invaluable experience" that was perfectly in sync
with her doctoral thesis. "How often does a commission inquiry
on your thesis topic fall into your lap?"
Her thesis, Punishment in Disguise: Penal Governance and Canadian
Women’s Imprisonment, represents the only Canadian study
of its kind, filling a critical gap in criminology literature both
nationally and internationally.
In fact, the U.K.’s Centre for Crime and Justice Studies recently
awarded Hannah-Moffat the 2001 Radzinowicz Memorial prize for the
most significant contribution to criminology, for a recent article
about women’s prisons published in the esteemed British
Journal of Criminology.
Hannah-Moffat’s current focus is on parole, which will be the
subject of her next book. With funding from the Social Sciences
and Humanities Research Council, she is studying all the cases of
women offenders who went before the parole board in fiscal 2000-2001
to understand how the board makes decisions about their release.
"There is no book in this country right now that addresses
the issue of parole," Hannah-Moffat observes. Ultimately, the
work will give parole boards valuable information that may trigger
changes in the current parole process.
Speculating about why her work is unique, Hannah-Moffat muses, "A
lot of it has to do with how you approach the issue, how you get
concerned about it. I got concerned by being involved in the issues,
as opposed to simply having an academic interest in them.
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 LAKSHMI
KOTRA BELIEVES A WAY TO TREAT
viral infections and cancers – by inhibiting important enzymes
– may be just around the corner.
"Let me draw you a diagram," says the assistant professor
of pharmacy. He sketches a spherical virus cell with a squiggly
line in it to indicate an enzyme called a "protease."
The protease, which is central to the replication process in several
viral infections and cancers, takes centre stage in Kotra’s
research.
In order for viral cells to multiply, the protease must cut the
proteins that will become part of the new virus particles. "This
cleaving is important," smiles Kotra. "This is how the
new virus is generated. But if we can block the protease from doing
this, we can stop the replication of the viral cell." His expression
reveals a ripple of excitement.
Kotra has good reason for enthusiasm. He and his team of three post-docs
and two students are on the verge of discovering a way to combat
the activity of serine proteases, the largest family of proteases.
Kotra is working to create compounds – using computer modeling,
synthesis and lab testing – that will modulate the target enzymes’
activities.
Cross-appointed to the department of chemistry, Kotra, 30, attended
the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India,
for his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, and the University of
Georgia for doctorate work in medicinal chemistry. He completed
his post-doctoral studies at Wayne State University in Detroit before
coming to the University of Toronto in 2000. In addition to his
faculty appointments, Kotra is the current director of U of T’s
Molecular Design and Information Technology Centre, which recently
received a $2.97 million award from the Ontario Innovation Trust.
Success at this stage would certainly be cause for much celebration.
However, says Kotra, next comes the hard part. "We don’t
want to make compounds that cannot be made into drugs. We must create
a drug that is compatible with the patient, is without side effects,
and safely treats the disease."
Kotra won’t say precisely at what stage his team is in its
research, but will admit that they "have a powerful design"
and have achieved "partial success" in developing effective
compounds.
Those who stand to benefit from such a breakthrough include victims
of viral infections and cancers. "A huge number of diseases
have this class of protease," says Kotra. "And we can
tailor compounds to fit the disease."
Kotra’s laboratory is also supported by the Canada Foundation
for Innovation, the Connaught Fund, the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research, and the Rx&D Health Research Foundation.
The Faculty of Pharmacy both supports and benefits from Kotra’s
groundbreaking research. It is doubling student enrolment and developing
new undergraduate programs in pharmaceutical sciences. Observes
Kotra, "With all these new things happening, there is an incredible
future for pharmaceutical sciences, especially in the area of drug
discovery and development. There is a great need for good research,
and we are generating the scientists who can do that."
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