For the 100th year, outstanding physicians, residents, medical students and community leaders have been recognized for their remarkable achievements and contributions to the medical profession, health care and patients through the Ontario Medical Association’s Awards. At a virtual awards ceremony held on the eve of the OMA’s Annual General Meeting, 67 exceptionally deserving recipients were honoured, including those who have spent their lives dedicated to caring for others and those whose career as a physician is just beginning.
“While we will name 67 deserving individuals, this year you all deserve recognition,” said Dr. Samantha Hill, in one of her final acts as OMA president before handing over the reins to Dr. Adam Kassam. “When I look back at the year, I think about all the things we’ve accomplished together and I’m inspired by the courage, the steadfastness, the solidarity of the physicians I’ve been honoured to serve.”
The OMA celebrated its 100th annual awards gala on Friday, May 28, recognizing excellence in the field of medicine, which included honours given to (from left to right): Dr. Albert Ng, Distinguished Service Award; Dr. Ruth Mathieson, Presidential Award; Dr. Silvy Mathew, Emerging Leader Award; Dr. Jonathan Cluett, Resident Achievement Award; and Ms. Lisa Paul, Centennial Award.
The OMA’s Presidential Award was given to Dr. Ruth Mathieson, of Belleville, Ontario, whose extraordinary humanitarianism spanning four decades served patients at a 100-bed mission hospital in Nigeria and at an HIV-AIDS clinic in Kenya, where she worked by the light of paraffin lamps and slept in residences whose roofs were inhabited by bats. “The most common admissions were adults and children with cerebral malaria,” said the evening’s co-host, Dr. Sohail Gandhi, who is also past president of the OMA. “You can just imagine what she saw when she was there.”
Dr. Silvy Mathew, an early career physician who is a family physician in Toronto, was the first recipient of the OMA’s new Emerging Leader Award recognizing the leadership she has shown toward shaping the future of medicine. “Dr. Mathew is described by her peers as an inspirational leader,” Dr. Gandhi told the audience. “Her deep care for her patients makes her an empathic and effective clinician. Her deep knowledge of the health-care system — including governmental, organizational, and institutional relationships — make her sought after by stakeholders.”
Dr. Albert Ng, an innovator in health care who also dedicated himself to leadership and service throughout his career including on the OMA Board of Directors and many committees, received the Distinguished Service Award. “Dr. Ng’s contributions to medicine have created many new, innovative programs to service the people in his community,” said Dr. Gandhi, including the first hospital-based palliative care unit in his hometown of Windsor, Ont., and his work to find a family physician for patients through the one-of-a-kind Unattached Patient Program linked to the Department of Family Medicine at Windsor Regional Hospital.
Forced to go virtual as the global COVID-19 pandemic stretches into its second year, audiences watching the event from home were lifted by video performances of songs of hope such as OneRepublic’s “I Lived,” and Katy Perry’s “Firework” by Dr. Moni Ravi’s band of women physicians, Voices Rock Medicine. “It’s so important we continue these events despite the pandemic,” said Dr. Hill, and indeed the pandemic and the remarkable contributions in response by Ontarians and Ontario’s physicians punctuated the ceremony.
For example, Ottawa’s Lisa Paul, a director at St. John Ambulance, was recognized with the Centennial Award for her work along with the OMA and Conquer COVID-19 campaign to collect and distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) to doctors when it was in short supply during the pandemic’s first wave. Through the eight drives, she led, more than 130,000 pieces of PPE made their way to doctors. “In the very dark and early days of the pandemic … her efforts allowed doctors to continue to provide care in a safe manner,” Gandhi said.
Columnist Andre Picard’s coverage of the pandemic for the Globe and Mail earned him an OMA Honorary Membership and comes on the heels of other honours recently bestowed on him for his dedication to improving health care, including Canada’s first Public Health Hero award from the Canadian Public Health Association and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. “His accounts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on us locally, provincially and globally have provided a voice of transparency,” Dr. Gandhi said. “He has uncovered gaps and promoted the cause of a sustainable health-care system.”
Fourth-year obstetrician-gynecologist resident Dr. Jonathan Cluett was recognized with a Resident Achievement Award for his work as the pandemic began to develop protocols for labour and delivery among possible COVID-positive women.
Those caring for northern Indigenous children, LGBTQ2S+ youth, homeless and street populations were also recognized, as were those showing leadership in gender and diversity issues, particularly among Black, Indigenous and people of colour populations in Canada.
This year, there were a remarkable 25 worthy recipients of the OMA Life Membership, awarded to those who have made an outstanding contribution to the work of the association, the medical profession and medical science, or the common good.
Over the century, thousands of people have been recognized with an OMA Award for the unique stamp they have made on health care in Ontario. As co-host and comedian Julie Kim joked the OMA has been recognizing good work in health care since the year University of Toronto researchers discovered insulin, the Ottawa Senators won their ninth Stanley Cup, and long-running former mayor Hazel McCallion was born.