TMU president recognized for advancing health care and innovation in Brampton

The man credited with helping bring Brampton’s first medical school to life has been named Business Person of the Year by the Brampton Board of Trade.

Toronto Metropolitan University President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi received the award during the organization’s Business Excellence Awards gala on May 28, recognition that local leaders say reflects his role in advancing health care, innovation and economic development in one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities.

While Lachemi has overseen several major initiatives during his tenure at TMU, speakers at the event repeatedly pointed to the creation of the TMU School of Medicine as his most significant contribution to Brampton.

The medical school, which opened in 2025, was designed specifically to address the chronic shortage of family physicians and health-care services in Peel Region, where residents have long faced some of the lowest physician-to-population ratios in Ontario.

It is also the first new medical school established in the Greater Toronto Area in more than 100 years.

Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and Brampton North MPP Graham McGregor said bringing the project from concept to reality in roughly five years was a remarkable achievement.

“The work he has done is nothing short of heroic,” McGregor said. “Mohamed is one of those people who finds a million reasons to do something and makes it happen.”

The school was built with a mandate to train future physicians in a community facing significant healthcare challenges. In addition to educating medical students, the school operates Integrated Health Centres to improve access to care for underserved residents through team-based, culturally responsive services.

The project has been widely viewed as a milestone for Brampton, a city that has long argued it has been underserved in health-care infrastructure despite its rapid population growth.

Beyond health care, Lachemi has also played a key role in expanding Brampton’s innovation sector. Under his leadership, TMU launched the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, a national centre focused on cybersecurity training and research, and the Brampton Venture Zone, which supports startup companies through mentorship, networking and funding opportunities.

The Brampton Board of Trade said Lachemi’s leadership has helped strengthen partnerships between academia, business and government while creating new opportunities for students and entrepreneurs.

Mayor Patrick Brown praised Lachemi’s ability to identify community needs and turn ambitious ideas into reality.

“He really is able to look at what the needs of society are,” Brown said in a tribute video shown during the event. “It’s almost like he sees things at 30,000 feet that others don’t.”

For his part, Lachemi said Brampton’s diversity, growth and potential made it a natural place for investment.

“We wanted a team with deep roots in Brampton – people who know the community, know what’s needed and have the connections to build a powerful network,” he said.

Lachemi said one of the most rewarding parts of the medical school project has been hearing directly from residents.

“Now, I have people stopping me in the street and saying thank you for bringing us a medical school,” he said. “Brampton adopted me, and I’m truly honoured.”