CMA Awards and Nominations

Sir Charles Tupper Award for Political Action

“My mom sponsored me into a lot of spaces I never imagined I could participate in.” Today, Dr. Alika Lafontaine is taking the same tack with his own advocacy — using his voice to create spaces where Indigenous communities can work with physicians, politicians and policy-makers to improve Indigenous health care.

CMA Medal of Service

A preventive medicine specialist, Dr. Ak’ingabe Guyon says her biggest battle was a political one. In 2015, when the Quebec government slashed $24 million from regional public health budgets, she took her concerns directly to the National Assembly and the minister responsible for public health. 

CMA Award for Young Leaders (Early Career)

Dr. David-Martin Milot has always had a strong moral compass. In university, he considered careers in both journalism and social work as a way to fight inequity and help the less fortunate. Ultimately, he chose to become a public health physician because of the leadership role doctors can play in society.

CMA Award for Young Leaders (Resident)

“This has been one of the first times I’ve been able to implement a change, build something, have people use it and then see a real difference. To have that complete process has been an unbelievable experience,” says Dr. Sheila Wang about her Swift Skin and Wound app.

CMA Award for Young Leaders (Student)

When Philip Edgcumbe was accepted to Singularity University in 2016, he admits the program goal to positively impact the lives of a billion people felt a “tad ambitious.” But after spending 10 weeks there, meeting people who had achieved this goal, Edgcumbe started to believe he could make the same impact in the realm of health care.

CMA May Cohen Award for Women Mentors

Through her company, Dr. Mamta Gautam has established leadership and mentoring programs at several medical women’s organizations to help female colleagues develop the skills, strengths and confidence to take on executive positions in medicine.

CMA Award for Young Leaders (Resident)

It was his family’s own history fleeing Uganda that shaped Dr. Ali Damji’s commitment to speak out for his peers and colleagues. “Growing up hearing these stories made me realize the power of advocacy and looking out for those around you, and I’ve always tried to champion that.”

CMA Owen Adams Award of Honour

For physicians who’ve set up practice in Saskatchewan, Ed Hobday was probably their first introduction to the Saskatchewan Medical Association. Before the ink on their medical licences was dry, he would offer a welcome, learn a bit about them and thank them for their commitment to the province.

CMA Award for Young Leaders (Student)

Can empathy change the world? For medical student Charles-Antoine Barbeau-Meunier, the answer is yes. It was during his research for his master’s thesis in sociology that he first made the connection between emotions and social action and saw medicine as a way to pursue both.

F.N.G. Starr Award

"I love a big, tangled-up policy challenge.” Dr. Martin certainly found one in 2005, during the divisive debate over the privatization of Canadian health care. Still in her first year of practice, she created Canadian Doctors for Medicare (CDM), which still exists today.

John McCrae Memorial Medal

Dr. Vivian McAlister was an established transplant surgeon when, at age 52, he joined the Canadian Forces Health Services and began basic training. Over ten years, he completed five missions in Afghanistan, one in Iraq and another in Haiti, all while maintaining surgical and teaching duties at home.