Dr. Elli Weisbaum, BFA, MES, PhD is an endlessly curious human, which has led to her love of teaching and research. She has worked internationally facilitating mindfulness workshops and retreats within the sectors of education, healthcare and business. She is based at the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor (teaching stream) in the Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health Program (BPMH), with a joint appointment to the Department of Psychiatry, in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She is cross-appointment to the Dalla Lana School of Public Health in their Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME).

Her work draws upon research from the fields of neuroscience, education, healthcare and the workplace to explore how the scientific evidence base for mindfulness is being integrated and operationalized across key sectors of society. Previous and ongoing collaborations include working with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Engineering, Rotman School of Management, Physical Therapy Department, the Ontario Hospital Association, The Hospital for Sick Children, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to integrate mindfulness into programming for faculty, staff, clinicians, patients, and students. In 2024 she was awarded a grant from the Ontario Medical Foundation (OMF) to continue her innovating research on the Applied Mindfulness Program for Medical Personnel to explore how to cultivate healthy environments within healthcare and education where everyone in the community can flourish and thrive. She attended her first retreat with Zen Master and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh just after her tenth birthday, and has continued to train with his international Plum Village community. Elli’s novel background in both academic research and traditional mindfulness practice provides a distinct approach to her ongoing work teaching and researching in the field.