Award Recipients
Vanier Scholarship
Congratulations to Dr. Hassanabad, resident in Cardiac Surgery and recipient of prestigious Vanier Scholarship - Read more
Dr. Chirag Shah International Resident Award
Postgraduate Medical Education is pleased to announce the Dr. Chirag Shah International Resident award recipient for 2019-2020. The $2,000 award was established in 2012 by Dr. Shah to assist international medical graduates who are adjusting to life in Canada and to inspire them to give back to their community and contribute to making Canada a better place.
PGME is proud to announce that Dr. Oluseyi Akinola, a PGY2 in Family Medicine is the 2019 recipient of the Dr. Chirag Shah International Resident Award. The $2,000 award was established in 2012 by Dr. Shah to assist international medical graduates who are adjusting to life in Canada and to inspire them to give back to their community and contribute to making Canada a better place.
Dr. Akinola was born in Western Nigeria and after completing her medical training in the Netherlands she volunteered in northern Nigeria where “the population is predominantly Moslem and the Boko Haram Crisis has resulted in internally displaced camps for citizens caught in a religious and political war. The ones who bore the most burden of suffering were the children and women. Many of them victims of rape and various forms of abuse, both physical and mental. It was a personal challenge for me every time I encountered a new patient there, trying to treat their physical ailment, at the same time wanting to unravel the mystery behind eyes pooled with pain.” This experience led Dr. Akinola to develop her own Non-Governmental Organization “Building this Generation”.
Dr. Akinola returned to practice in Lagos and was able to raise enough money to annually return to the camps to offer her services. “I succeeded in shipping books to makeshift libraries so that the children could dream outside their current reality and started some skills acquisition for the women including sewing, making neck beads as well as baking, all of which were aimed at mental health therapies. In these circles, they forgot their pain and chatted about the future, sometimes mentioning some of the trauma they endured.”
Today, Dr. Akinola continues her work with the underserved and her NGO “Building this Generation” has remained a priority for her. She is using the $2,000 award to “identify and improve some health indices in the Internal Displaced Camps of northern Nigeria, a direct result of the Boko Haram crisis as well as promoting better mental health, both in Nigeria and Calgary, while working with refugee kids as well as victims of addiction, thus promoting health equity and bridging that gap.”
Past Award Recipients:
2018-2019 - Dr. Navdeep Dehar (Internal Medicine)
2017-2018 - Dr. Sidra Javed (Internal Medicine)
2016-2017 - Dr. Maria Espinoza (Pediatrics)
2015-2016 - Dr Hassan Azhari (Internal Medicine) and Dr Syeda Ruqaiya Abbas (Pediatrics)
2014-2015 - Dr Archana Vijay (Internal Medicine) and Dr Liena Zhao (Anatomical Pathology)
2013-2014 - Dr Sumathili Raja (Family Medicine) and Dr Wenqian Chen (Anatomical Pathology)
2012-2013 - Dr Ayesha Nasir Rahim (Family Medicine)
PARA Clinical Teaching and Well-being Awards 2019 - 2020:
Congratulations from PGME to all the winners!
The Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA) presents awards each year to deserving preceptors and staff mentors, who are nominated by resident physicians for their valuable and informative instruction.
PARA is pleased to announce the following award winners connected to the University of Calgary:
- Dr. Michele Ramien, Pediatric Dermatologist, Clinical Associate Professor, Alberta Children’s Hospital, University of Calgary has been awarded the 2019-2020 PARA Clinical Teaching Award
- Dr. Justin Low, Clinical Lecturer, University of Calgary has been awarded the 2019-2020 PARA Clinical Teaching Award
- Dr. Scott McLeod, Program Director, Developmental Pediatrics, University of Calgary has been awarded the 2019-2020 PARA Well-being Award
Honourable Mention for Clinical Teaching:
2020 CSCI Resident Research Award
Winner for the 2020 CSCI Award for Excellence in Resident Research: Dr. Stefan Lang, a PGY 5 Neurosurgery Resident. The abstract is entitled: “Theta-burst stimulation for cognitive enhancement in Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial”. Authors: Stefan Lang MD1,2,4, Liu Shi Gan PhD1,4, Eun Jin Yoon PhD1, Alexandru Hanganu MD, PhD1,2,5, Mekale Kibreab BA1, Jenelle Cheetham BSc1, Tracy Hammer RN1, Iris Kathol PhD1, Justyna Sarna MD, PhD1,2, Davide Martino MD, PhD1,2,4, Oury Monchi PhD 1,2,3,4
Second prize: Dr. Aravind Ganesh, a PGY 5 Neurology Resident. The abstract is entitled: “Five-year clinical and health economic outcomes in patients with late functional improvement post-stroke: A population-based cohort study”. Authors: Aravind Ganesh, Ramon Luengo-Fernandez, and Peter Rothwell (supervisor).
Honourable Mention: Dr. Christina Thornton, a PGY 4 Respirology Fellow. The abstract is entitled: “Anaphylaxis and Anaphylactoid Reactions Associated with the Insertion of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters: A Multi-Year Comparative Retrospective Cohort Study”. Authors: Christina S. Thornton, Jody Dumanski, Cheryl-Anne Margherit, Sandra Vaz-Gonsalves, Sheryl McDiarmid, Michael D. Parkins (supervisor), John M. Conly (supervisor).
2020 Alumna of Distinction for Excellence in Service
Dr. Jaelene Mannerfeldt, MD'89, an obstetrician-gynecologist, has been called to remote and international service for most of her professional life. She has worked in Inuvik, Iraq, Pakistan, Laos, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda. Her time in Pakistan with Doctors Without Borders strengthened her determination to make a difference in the lives of people in rural and remote locations around the world. Dr. Mannerfeldt has also dedicated 15 years to help establish and develop family medicine as a speciality in Laos. Today, the program has seen growth from zero to over 200 family medicine physicians working in rural Laos.
Dr. Mannerfeldt has recently focused her teaching efforts in Uganda and Tanzania. On an annual basis, she takes medical students to Africa to expose them to the developing world and rural medicine with the hope of inspiring new doctors to enter rural practice. She has been involved in maternal-newborn health projects in Tanzania and is continuing to contribute towards improvement in sexual and reproductive health for adolescents in East Africa.
Dr. Mannerfeldt is the director of Resident Affairs and Physician Wellness for Post Graduate Medical Education at the Cumming School of Medicine, where she works to improve the educational experience of residents in their various training programs.
Fun Facts – Driven by a desire to enter university as quickly as possible, she convinced her high school principal to allow her to take summer school thereby accelerating her path towards medicine.
Life on the farm where she grew up was difficult and money was often in short supply. When she was a young student, Dr. Mannerfeldt was focused on becoming a physician, her father committed to doubling the herd to support her educational aspirations.
Send Congratulations to Dr. Mannerfeldt
2020 Alumna of Distinction for Excellence in Education
Dr. Suzette Cooke, MD'96, PhD'15, is an award-winning educator who designs curricula and conducts research in medical education. Her personal skills in education have resulted in awards both locally and internationally. She was instrumental in re-designing the Teaching Scholars in Medicine Program and offering faculty development workshops across the departments of Medicine and Surgery.
She is passionate about creating, launching and directing the new Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Fellowship program, one of the first programs of its kind in Canada. The program celebrated its first graduate in 2019 and now takes fellows on a yearly basis. The fellowship is helping to define the quality of training for future clinicians and advance the field of pediatric medicine in Canada and abroad.
Dr. Cooke's research focuses on creating, teaching and evaluating medical education curricula in the areas of clinical reasoning, health care communications, interdisciplinary simulation and quality improvement. She is currently a pediatrician at the Alberta Children's Hospital. She is also a clinical associate professor, clinician educator and researcher at the Cumming School of Medicine. Dr. Cooke enjoys the diversity of clinical work in the pediatric hospital setting.
Fun Fact – Dr. Cooke was inducted into the Alberta Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017. This milestone recognizes over 30 years in sport, both as a coach and a player.
Send Congratulations to Dr. Cooke
Dr. Bryan Ward Award 2020
Congratulations to Dr. Scott MacLeod (PGY-3 in Family Medicine Enhanced Skills, Family Practice-Anesthesia). He is the 2020 recipient of the Dr. Bryan Ward Award for Enhanced Skills in Rural Practice. This award is co-presented by the friends & family of Dr. Bryan Ward, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, the Family Medicine Enhanced Skills Residency Program and the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. More information on Dr. Bryan Ward can be found at: http://www.cpsa.ca/about/dr-bryan-ward/. Dr. MacLeod's demonstrated commitment to rural practice and the provision of family medicine and anesthesia care services in rural communities make him an outstanding recipient.
Calgary Internal Medicine Resident Doctor is 2019-2020 RDoC Award Recipient:
Dr. Alyssa Lip of the University of Calgary is one of five Canadians recognized for their contributions to improving the lives of resident doctors in Canada
April 24, 2020 – Ottawa, Canada – Dr. Alyssa Lip, a PGY-3 resident doctor and Chief Resident of the General Internal Medicine Program at the University of Calgary, is being honoured nationally for her contributions to improving the wellness of resident doctors in Canada. Dr. Lip is receiving the RDoC Puddester Award for Resident Wellness, resident category. She shares this award with Dr. Cheryl ffrench, an emergency room physician at the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Emily Stewart, President of RDoC, said: “At the best of times, medicine can be an intense occupation, and RDoC works hard with its stakeholders to make sure that the wellness of Canada’s resident doctors is always a consideration in decision-making. These are unusual times and we are especially grateful for everyone who are providing wellness support to our members. It is an honour to recognize Dr. Lip for her ongoing work and thank her for what she does.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the RDoC Awards will be presented to their individual recipients at a future date once restrictions on physical distancing have been lifted.
Biographies of all RDoC Award Recipients can be found by clicking on this link.
The Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA) Awards
PGME would like to congratulate the winners of the following awards:
- Dr. Luke Savage, Family Physician, University of Calgary has been awarded the 2017-2018 PARA Clinical Teaching Award (Rural)
- Dr. Rahim Kachra, Clinical Lecturer, University of Calgary has been awarded the 2017-2018 PARA Clinical Teaching Award (Calgary)
- Dr. Kara Nerenberg, Clinical Lecturer, University of Calgary has been awarded the 2017-2018 PARA Well-Being Award (Calgary)
Dr. Marnie Hinton Award Recipients:
The Dr. Marnie Hinton Awards is a joint initiative between the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) and the Physician and Family Support Program (PFSP). Set up to recognize the late Dr. Marnie Hinton and her contributions to the development and advocacy of a physician health program in Alberta, this year’s winners were chosen from a pool of strong submissions.
Dr. Jeffery McCarthy is a Family Medicine resident whose submission was impressive for a number of reasons. After completing a summary of resident feedback about existing wellness needs, Dr. McCarthy, along with his team of “Wellness Avengers”, spearheaded the creation of concise, accessible, practical, ready-to-use modules in a variety of wellness areas. The curriculum is detailed, well-constructed, and includes pop culture references to make the whole process a little less daunting. Dr. Todd Hill, Director of Behavioural Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine, wrote of Dr. McCarthy:
“This candidate is an outstanding example of how a resident can contribute to physician wellness, his current colleagues/ coaches/ teachers' wellness, while looking after his own as well. This young resident is truly exceptional”.
Dr. Darby Ewashina also won the award for her work on a paper co-authored with Dr. Jane Lemaire entitled: Understanding how patients perceive physician wellness and its links to patient care: A qualitative study. At the 2018 WellMed3 Conference in Greece, this paper was named “the most impactful paper on wellness for 2018”. Exploring the link between physician wellness and patient care from the patient’s perspective, this study demonstrated the effect of physician stress cues on the people at the other end of the stethoscope. Dr. Marie Claire Bourque, Director of the Canadian Psychiatric Association wrote in her nomination of Dr. Ewashina:
“Dr. Ewashina has made significant commitments to resident and physician health at the local, national and international levels. She embodies physical and emotional health practices and practices what she preaches.”
Hearty congratulations to both award winners for their ongoing contributions to resident wellness!