Eric Zhao
Eric Zhao is a data scientist and health innovator committed to empowering patients and personalizing medicine. As an MD/PhD student at the University of British Columbia, he co-authored over 15 original research articles, reviews, and book chapters and has delivered platform presentations at leading conferences including Advances in Genome Biology & Technology and The American Society of Clinical Oncology. Eric recently defended his PhD, developing computational methods to personalize cancer therapy using whole-genome DNA stability analysis. For his accomplishments he received the Lloyd Skarsgard Research Excellence Award and Vanier Canada Scholarship. Eric served as vice chair of the UBC Vancouver Senate and president of the UBC Medical Undergraduate Society (MUS). In this role, he oversaw passage of a position paper on National Pharmacare, revamped student representation on Faculty of Medicine committees, overhauled member communication, and supported the launch of the inaugural MUS Strategic Plan. Eric now co-leads a faculty of medicine working group on disruptive innovation in medical education. In 2015, he co-founded a start-up tailoring evidence-based medication care plans for patients with complex health needs. Nationally, Eric advises on the CIHR Strategic Working Group on Health Research Training and served as VP Internal of the Clinician-Investigator Trainee Association of Canada.
Inspired by 2016 Laureate Dr. C. David Naylor
Michael Taylor
Michael is an MD/MBA student who plans to forge new paths in policy research for vulnerable populations and encourage passion among peers in primary care medicine. As a health systems and quality improvement researcher, Michael has leveraged his prior graduate training in epidemiology/biostatistics to advocate for knowledge dissemination at numerous local, provincial, national, and international conferences with nearly 40 poster/oral presentations, lectures, and business case competitions. As a leader, he balances commitments to community, campus, and classmates. Michael currently leads the Community-Based Research division of the Edmonton Men’s Health Collective - a grassroots health care organization that prioritizes education, research, and health advocacy through public outreach initiatives. On campus, he co-leads the UAlberta Research Interest Group, which facilitates evidence-based medicine reviews/workshops and showcases research for lay audiences with a provincially sponsored annual ‘3-Minute Thesis’ competition for medical students (The ‘3MT-MD’). Michael also enjoys facilitating mixed-fidelity medical simulation as co-leader of Edmonton’s Mass Gathering Medicine group. He and his group train fellow learners in diverse health care professions to comfortably respond to emergency situations at large-scale community events. Michael embraces humour and vulnerability in order to share impactful experiences with others. As director/co-representative of his faculty’s annual fundraiser-comedy show, ‘Med Nite’, and as an annual speaker at his school’s ‘Monologues of Mental Health’ event, he aims to combat harmful stigma, foster solidarity and shed light on individual/shared adversity.
Inspired by 2016 Laureate Dr. C. David Naylor
Nicole Thompson
An occupational therapist with a masters in wound management, Nicole has a breadth of experience in health care leadership. Throughout medical school, Nicole has been involved in several student-led quality improvement initiatives including authorship of an interprofessional collaboration core document as well as the development, evaluation and implementation of curriculum content for transgender medicine. She is determined to play her part in creating high functioning health care teams as well as in changing the health inequities faced by the transgender community. Nicole has also initiated a Canada-wide Delphi study with the goal of developing a national strategy for how undergraduate medical institutions teach gender-affirming care and trans health. In addition to her passion for equity, she has a curiosity about the world which has taken her backpacking through more than 50 countries. She is active in student government as the VP Global and Community Health and as a mentor in the high school outreach program. Nicole is a fierce, thoughtful and systems-oriented advocate who hopes to continue her work in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Inspired by 2018 Laureate Dr. Emily Stowe
Adam Neufeld
Adam Neufeld is a third-year medical student at the University of Saskatchewan with a passion for community outreach, research, and mentorship. He completed a BA in Psychology and an MSc in Neuroscience at Carleton University in Ottawa. Adam has dedicated time to serving both his academic and local community. He founded an innovative peer-to-peer clinical skills mentorship project called PULSE (Peers United in Leadership and Skills Enhancement) – created to inspire and connect medical students, promote collaborative learning and teaching, and improve downstream patient care. He also participated in the Family Medicine Club, and the PEERSiM mentorship program, and was recently awarded the 2018 College of Medicine Mentor of the Year Award. Adam has conducted research in medical education, which he describes as, “a perfect marriage between medicine and psychology” and is in the process of disseminating his findings on student motivation, well-being, and resilience in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. He has run his own fitness classes at the YMCA and has volunteered at Saskatoon’s SWITCH clinic. The impact of Adam’s outreach work was recently recognized in the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) Digest. He looks forward to a blended practice of family medicine, and to being a father.
Inspired by all Laureates of the CMHF
Linda Lam
Linda Lam is a medical student at the University of Manitoba. At the core of her motivation for advocacy and political action is the desire to strengthen communities and amplify their voices. Prior to medical school, she worked with a diverse group of volunteer organizers as part of 13 Fires Winnipeg to host a monthly conversation series on racial inclusion using facilitated discussions and relationship building activities. As a medical student, she was a co-chair for the Winnipeg Interprofessional Student-run Health (WISH) Clinic, directing an interdisciplinary team that addresses the health and social needs of the Point Douglas community and facilitating an interprofessional learning environment for students. Additionally, she is a member of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s (WRHA) Local Health Involvement Groups, providing feedback and ideas to the WRHA on strategies to deliver healthcare services across the Winnipeg Health Region. Over the last two years, she has co-led the Student Advocacy Committee. Alongside her peers, she developed campaigns that set the stage for 50 medical students to speak with provincial politicians about health policy. From these experiences, Linda believes in the use of creative and innovative approaches to promote a shared vision in health equity.
Inspired by 2018 Laureate Dr. Philip Berger
Niharika Shahi
Niharika is a third-year medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) in Thunder Bay. Prior to beginning her journey at NOSM, she completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. Growing up in Northern Ontario and working in the healthcare field in various capacities, Niharika has seen the challenges faced by people from rural and remote communities on a firsthand basis. She advocates for the health and wellbeing of underserviced populations by making every effort to reduce the barriers they face to proper healthcare services. Niharika has a passion for serving marginalized populations and a vision for advancement of knowledge in medicine through evidence-based research. She also holds positions in various Canadian and international organizations to help create opportunities for marginalized populations. Along with many other initiatives to improve health in Northern Ontario, Niharika has helped initiate the HARMS (High-yield Approach to Risk Mitigation and Safety) program to detect and manage opioid misuse in rural and remote communities. She has shared this program with family physicians from across the country through presentations at local and national conferences. She hopes to eventually implement the HARMS program at clinics across the country.
Inspired by 2018 Laureate Dr. Philip Berger
Logan Van Nynatten
Logan was raised on a small family farm near Stratford, Ontario with many lessons learned from his rural upbringing, and family-instilled values of honesty, altruism, respect and integrity. Logan earned a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) at Western University, prior to enrollment at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. His work with research supervisor and mentor Dr. J.D. Dikeakos inspired a passion for bridging the worlds of laboratory research and clinical medicine. Logan’s research focus is elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) accessory protein Nef facilitates viral pathogenesis, particularly from those subtypes which preferentially afflict the developing world. Logan is also working to characterize determinants of HIV-1 disease progression and to identify a biomarker of HIV-1 disease progression. He has received a wide variety of awards for academic and research excellence including a University of Western Ontario Gold Medal, the Kimberly-Clark Research Award, a Helen Atfield White Scholarship, the Governor General of Canada Academic Medallion, and a number research fellowship awards. He serves on a variety of committees within his medical school community and looks forward to continued involvement in healthcare leadership and innovation.
Inspired by 2011 Laureate Dr. D. Lorne Tyrrell and 2016 Laureate Dr. Mark Wainberg
Branavan Manoranjan
Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Toronto, Branavan's longstanding interest in academic medicine stems from a high school co-operative education placement during which he explored factors that contributed to the neurosurgical management and quality-of-life of brain tumour patients. Upon completion of his Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) degree at McMaster University, he enrolled in McMaster’s combined MD/PhD program. His doctoral research, completed under the supervision of Dr. Sheila Singh, identified an innovative treatment paradigm with high clinical utility for the most malignant pediatric brain tumor, medulloblastoma. Branavan's thesis provided evidence for a context-specific tumour suppressive function in signaling pathways that have traditionally been considered oncogenic. He was appreciatively supported by several scholarships including the CIHR Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Branavan's current interest is in expanding his neuro-oncology research within a global context through studying genetic differences in brain tumours based on geographical settings of patients in high-income and low-middle income countries. He hopes to combine his clinical interest in neurosurgery with an active neuro-oncology research program focussed on low-middle income countries.
Inspired by 2012 Laureate Terry Fox
Victoria Reedman
A third year medical student at the University of Toronto, Victoria Reedman is passionate about politics, policy and people, and is concurrently pursuing an MSc in Systems Leadership and Innovation at the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation. As part of these studies, Victoria gained an in depth understanding of the mechanics of provincial governance and its relation to health while working as a policy analyst for the Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Bob Bell. Recently, she completed a team project investigating ways to slow the ever-rising number of Alternative Level of Care patients at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Her team ultimately recommended improving geriatric preventative care in the hospital and community outreach as integral to this end. Ardent about working towards a society that is fairer, healthier and happier, especially for the next generation, Victoria believes in the importance of good governance as a tool to achieve this. Victoria plans to spend her professional life balancing bedside care, potentially as a psychiatrist, and health systems change. She is open to any and all book recommendations, respectful discourse on just about any topic, and hearing people’s stories.
Inspired by 2016 Laureate Sir Charles Tupper
Hissan Butt
Hissan began at the Queen’s School of Medicine in 2016 after studying liberal arts with an interest in bridging the humanistic and medical disciplines. Most of his energies in his pre-clerkship years were devoted to this end. With his classmates, Hissan helped establish The What Happened in Medicine (WHIM) Historical Society to support history of medicine student research and activity at Queen’s. He also co-founded The Jacalyn Duffin Health Humanities Conferences that bring together students and faculties from the humanities and health professional disciplines to collaborate and learn from each other. Justice Emmett Hall inspired his application whom he learnt about during his research on the relation between current medical education and the Ontario physicians strike of 86’. Hissan’s current projects include finding the elusive link between the invention of the electrocardiogram and the cubist art movement at the turn of the 20th century for which he was awarded a Hannah Summer Studentship; and creating a digital public archive that collects stories from Canadian patients and caregivers before the time of universal health care. The project is supported by a History of Medicine Project Grant from the Associated Medical Services.
Inspired by 2017 Laureate Justice Emmett Hall
“I am incredibly grateful to Queen’s School of Medicine for the nomination and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and the donors for the award. The acknowledgment is a testament to the support and guidance of the wonderful mentors and teachers I’ve been fortunate to have at Queen’s and beyond.”
Marc-Olivier Deguise
Marc-Olivier Deguise, an MD/PhD student at the University of Ottawa, has always had an interest in helping children afflicted by disease. His research focuses on a fatal neurological disorder called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). He has successfully identified this disease as a multi-system disorder, an idea that questions the current dogma. The significance of his paradigm-shifting research was recognized by the Award of Excellence in Graduate Studies at uOttawa, the Dr. Ronald G. Worton Researcher in Training Award of the Ottawa Hospital, and the Audrey J. Boyce MD/PhD Fellowship. Changing the way SMA is defined may lead to new standards of patient care for children with this disease. Marc-Olivier is also actively involved in fundraising efforts, leading a team who raised $33,760 for pediatric cancer research. In an effort to bridge the gap between clinical and research training in medical school, he established an annual event in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario to introduce medical students to prospective research supervisors in a speed-networking model. As well, he has served as a student mentor with the faculties of medicine and science and in graduate studies. Marc-Olivier seeks to combine his passion in research, medicine and healthcare throughout his career.
Inspired by 2013 Laureate Dr. Antoine Hakim
“I am absolutely beyond grateful to have been selected to be the recipient of The Jim Glionna | University of Ottawa Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award. I can’t say thank you enough to the donors, my incredible mentors, most notably my thesis supervisor Rashmi Kothary, and my extremely supportive family. All the laureates of the CMHF are true role models for Canadian medical students, as they are/were critical in shaping the future of the medicine. This award is truly humbling and motivating as I continue my training as a clinician scientist, with the hope to one day have a similar impact.”
Olivia Monton
Olivia Monton is a third-year medical student at McGill University where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Agricultural and Environmental Science degrees. Olivia’s experiences fundraising and volunteering led to the creation of the Live for the Cause Foundation (LFTC) in 2014. This community-oriented foundation supports local and grassroots charitable organizations in Montreal to engage, empower and educate people of all ages on the important and rewarding aspects of becoming involved in philanthropy, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the Montreal community at large. Through several student-led committees, Olivia contributes to the improvement of medical education and simulation-based training for medical students, while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between various healthcare professions. Olivia’s philanthropic achievements have been recognized nationally with the Senate of Canada 150 Medal, presented by the Honourable Judith Seidman, and the Governor General of Canada’s Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers. In 2018, she was also awarded the CaRMS Sandra Banner Student Award for Leadership and the Canadian Federation of Medical Students and MD Financial Leadership Award.
Inspired by 2018 Laureate Dr. Philip Berger
Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée
Prior to beginning medical school and upon completion of his Honours Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences at Université de Montréal, Mathieu moved directly into a PhD program to study preterm birth under the supervision of Dr. Sylvain Chemtob, CHU Sainte-Justine. While completing his PhD, Mathieu earned more than 30 honours and awards, including the prestigious President’s Presenter’s Award from the Society for Reproductive Investigation, and CIHR’s Vanier bursary. His doctoral work revealed the significant role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in preterm birth and fetal injury, leading to his co-invention of a novel, pharmacological compound to improve obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. With more than 10 articles now published in major journals (seven as first author), Mathieu’s work was recognized as one of the 10 best discoveries in 2015 by Quebec Science and earned him the award for the best scientific contribution from the Department of Pharmacology at Université de Montréal. He has presented his results at more than 20 local, national and international conferences and has published more than a dozen conference articles. Passionate about advanced science training in medical education, Mathieu trained more than 10 undergraduate and medical students in applied basic science and consistently volunteered for numerous activities including Projet SEUR and Sanofi Expo-Science during his studies.
Inspired by 1994 Laureate Dr. Wilder Penfield and 2006 Laureate Dr. Hans Selye
"I am tremendously grateful to receive this award from The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and profoundly indebted to the donors. This recognition reflects the extraordinary mentors who have guided me."
Dax Bourcier
Dax Bourcier is currently an MD/MSc candidate studying at Université de Sherbrooke. Following the completion of his undergraduate degree with first class honours in microbiology and immunology and a minor in business, he worked as the employability and entrepreneurship advisor in Dakar, Senegal for eight months. Not only has this experience helped develop his business side, it also sparked his motivation of promoting advancement in his community. This willingness was transcribed into his role as president of his medical school in Moncton, and in his active implications regarding population health in the New Brunswick Medical Society, the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, and the Fédération Médicale Étudiante du Québec. Dax has created and led three recurring annual activities in partnership with MindTheHeart promoting men’s mental health throughout the month of November. He was also his faculty’s Movember team captain raising individually over two thousand dollars. Over the past year and a half, he has led a research project on the characterisation of a newly discovered limb-girdle muscular dystrophy in New Brunswick. Dax is an avid rugby player and has also traveled to 19 different countries. Finally, he always looks forward to meeting new people, creating memories.
Inspired by 2018 Laureate Dr. Vladimir Hachinski
Mathieu Allard
Mathieu had a clear goal: to become not just a competent physician, but a socially responsible one as well. That’s what led him to found Partenariat Santé, a community organization dedicated to the prevention of cardiovascular disease which contributes to 30% of deaths worldwide. After just three years, the project’s numbers speak for themselves: 20 screening sessions, 220 health sciences students mobilized, and 800 participants examined and monitored to help improve their health. Mathieu is also editor-in-chief of a medical handbook, Petit Guide des Habiletés Cliniques 2e édition. The handbook covers the physical exams students need to know to obtain licensure, involving 200 students and 40 physicians in writing and reviewing the book’s contents. It sold more than 500 copies in four months at bookstores across Quebec. He also initiated ultrasound training with pilot project results so impressive that the training will be continued. Two additional ultrasound machines (a $75,000 investment) have been purchased to meet demand.
Inspired by 1994 Laureate Sir William Osler
Todd Dow
Todd Dow is a medical student at Dalhousie University and is passionate about medical education. Todd earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in biology at Acadia University, and also the Student of the Year and prestigious Golden “A” Awards. Actively engaged in Dalhousie’s medical learning experience, Todd served as the junior and then senior director of the Surgical Exploration and Discovery (SEAD) program, a structured elective program designed to build student’s interest in surgery. He was elected as the student representative for Professional Competencies II and the Surgery Block of clerkship where he advocated for student’s concerns while engaging in discussions on medical education. More recently, Todd founded the Pre-clerkship Residency Exploration Program (PREP), the largest program of its kind in Canada. Aimed at improving student’s ability to make career-decisions, PREP provides exposure to a broad spectrum of medical specialties, specifically those that are underexposed in the formal curriculum. A committed life-long learner, Todd aspires to be a leader in health care.
Inspired by 1994 Laureate Sir William Osler
A. Travis Pickett
Travis Pickett grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a passion for both scientific knowledge and music. He completed his Honours in Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) prior to entering MUN’s MD program. Throughout medical school, Travis has sought to engage colleagues and peers in opportunities for both the arts as well as technology in medicine. Travis was the founder and curator of the Faculty of Medicine’s inaugural live art gallery, show-casing nearly 50 works of art from medical students, graduate students, faculty, and staff over three days. Travis was also an integral member in the sustainability and expansion of NL’s first biomedical three-dimensional (3D) printing facility, which has now expanded into Med 3D Network, a multi-centre rural 3D printing network with four current locations across NL. Travis was this year’s recipient of the Dr. J. H. King Memorial Scholarship and has presented research at multiple conferences across the nation regarding arts in medicine, as well as 3D printing medical technologies. By creating and embracing opportunities in arts and technological science, Travis hopes to spearhead changes that prove the value of both disciplines in advancing medical practice.
Inspired by 2018 Laureate Dr. Balfour Mount
About the CMHF
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.
This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON
