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Innovation and Impact Awards

Evolution of Excellence: Introducing the Children's Healthcare Canada Innovation & Impact Awards

We believe that the health and wellbeing of children and youth rely on the dedication, expertise, and innovation of individuals and organizations who share our passion for improving healthcare systems for children and youths. To recognize and celebrate these outstanding leaders, we are proud to launch the Children's Healthcare Canada Innovation & Impact Awards.

Our awards are designed to honour those who demonstrate exceptional leadership, collaboration, and commitment to improving healthcare outcomes for young patients and their families. Join us in recognizing their achievements and celebrating their commitment.

Award Categories

Child Health Systems Impact Award

Award Description

Past Winners

EDI Excellence
Award

Award Description

This award recognizes an individual, team, network, or organization that has demonstrated exceptional commitment and leadership in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within the healthcare sector for children and youth. Through their initiatives and actions, they have significantly contributed to creating more inclusive, equitable, and accessible healthcare environments for children and youth. Their efforts have fostered a culture of respect, and understanding, resulting in tangible outcomes that benefit marginalized and underrepresented communities.

View full award criteria.

Past Winners

Truth & Reconciliation Advancement Award

Award Description

This award honours an individual, team, network, or organization that has shown outstanding dedication and innovation in advancing Truth and Reconciliation efforts within the healthcare sector for children and youth. Through their initiatives, they have contributed significantly to acknowledging historical injustices, fostering understanding, and promoting reconciliation. Their actions have led to tangible outcomes that contribute to healing and building stronger relationships with Indigenous communities, ultimately making a lasting impact on the journey towards reconciliation in Canadian healthcare.

View full award criteria.

Past Winners

Emerging Leader
Award

Award Description

Past Winners

Child Health Leadership Legacy Award

Award Description

Past Winners

Health Communications Award

Award Description

This award recognizes a media outlet, journalist, or organization that has demonstrated excellence in effectively communicating and raising awareness of child health priorities. They have played a crucial role in shedding light on challenges, debunking myths, and ensuring accurate and impactful information reaches the public. Through their reporting, they have contributed to building awareness, advocating for change, and promoting the health and well-being of children and youth.

View full award criteria.

Past Winners

Youth/Family Partner Leadership Award

Award Description

This award recognizes exceptional leadership and dedication by a patient (current or former), parent, or caregiver who has worked tirelessly to improve the patient and family experience in pediatric healthcare in Canada. This award honours individuals, whether adult or youth, who have demonstrated courage, commitment, and resilience in advocating for systemic change at the local, regional, and/or national levels. Their efforts have significantly impacted and elevated the voices and perspectives of patients and families within the healthcare system.

View full award criteria.

Past Winners

Family- and Person-Centred Care Award

Award Description

The Children's Healthcare Canada Award for Family and Person-Centred Care recognizes teams or programs that have implemented innovative practices to enhance the human experience in healthcare. This prestigious award showcases initiatives that embody the principles of family-centred care, including:

Dignity and Respect
Information Sharing
Participation
Collaboration

Programs and services eligible for this award must demonstrate measurable success in improving patient experience, enhancing staff training and development, and fostering satisfaction and engagement among staff and clinicians.

View full award criteria.

Past Winners

Why should I nominate someone?

It’s a great way to recognize the value of someone’s contributions to their community or workplace.
It’s good to sing about the unsung heroes.
It’s a fantastic way to show your gratitude for someone’s efforts and dedication.
Recognition is FREE.

Key Dates

Launch Call for Nominations: October 29, 2024
Nomination Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM ET on December 10, 2024
Winners Notified: January 2025
Awards Presented: At the conference on April 14, 2025 (in person in Ottawa, ON)

2009 - 2023 Leadership Award Winner Archive

Our past winners have been trailblazers in their respective fields, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in child & youth healthcare. Their achievements serve as a testament to the power of innovation, collaboration, and dedication to improving the lives of children and youth. We are proud to have recognized their outstanding contributions and look forward to continuing this tradition of excellence.

Individual Leadership

The Children's Healthcare Canada Award for Individual Leadership was created to recognize outstanding leadership by an individual who has dedicated their career to improving the health and well-being of children and youth in Canada through healthcare delivery, health promotion, policy initiatives and/or increased public awareness.

This award has been presented to an individual who has exemplified leadership, creativity, and initiative to promote positive change and long-term improvement for the health and well-being of children and youth.

Past Winners:

2023 - Alex Munter, President & CEO, CHEO; Dr. David Johnson, Senior Medical Director, AHS Maternal Newborn Child & Youth Strategic Clinical Network
2022 - Dr. Verónica Schiariti, Developmental Pediatrician, Adjunct Associate Professor – Division of Medical Sciences- University of Victoria
2021 - Dr. Steven Miller, Head of the Garry Hurvitz Centre for Brain and Mental Health at SickKids; Co-lead of the CHILD-BRIGHT Network
2020 - Brynn Boback-Lane, President and CEO of Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation
2019 - Dr. Jean-Yves Frappier; Director, Department of Paediatrics, University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte-Justine
2018 - Dr. Samina Ali, Emergency Physician, Stollery Children’s Hospital
2017 - Dr. Christine Chambers; Research Chair (Tier 1) in Children’s Pain and Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology & Neuroscience, Dalhousie University
2017 - Dr. Peter Rosenbaum; Professor of Paediatrics at McMaster University, Co-Founder of CanChild
2016 - Dr. Shoo Lee; Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health
2015 - Dr. Denis Daneman, Paediatrician-in-Chief at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto
2014 - Sheila Jarvis, President & CEO, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
2013 - Anne McGuire, Former President & CEO, IWK Health Centre
2012 - Tracy Wrong & Darlene Boliver
2011 - Dr. Rick Cooper
2010 - Dr. Gerarda Cronin

Organizational Leadership

The Children's Healthcare Canada Award for Organizational Leadership recognizes the leadership of an organization, a foundation, or a corporation to enable the best health and well-being for Canada's children and youth. The recipient organization has demonstrated leadership to inspire change and innovation that is sustainable with significant and lasting impact on the pediatric healthcare system(s), and/or populations served.

This award recognizes the value an organization places on partnerships and collaboration within the healthcare community.

Past Winners:

2023 - Canuck Place Children's Hospice & The Kids Come First Health Team
2022 - Muslim Advisory Council of Canada
2021 - The Safehaven Project for Community Living
2020 - Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada
2019 - CanREACH
2018 - Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
2017 - Child Health BC
2016 - Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation
2015 - UNICEF Canada
2014 - Accreditation Canada
2012 - Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
2011 - Stollery Children’s Hospital
2010 - SickKids Foundation
2009 - Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI)

Patient and Family Leadership Award

The Children's Healthcare Canada Award for Patient & Family Leadership was created to recognize outstanding leadership by a patient (current or former), parent or caregiver who has served to improve the patient and family experience for those accessing pediatric health care in Canada.

This award has been presented to an individual who has exemplified courage, commitment, and resilience by donating their time and emotional energy to promote systemic change at a local, regional and/or national level.

Past Winners:

2023 - Nathaniel Hudson
2022 - Gunjan Seth
2021 - Rachel Martens
2020 - Katie Griffin
2019 - Beth Dangerfield
2018 - Frank Gavin

Leadership in Media Award

We consume information from many sources. The Children's Healthcare Canada Award for Leadership in Media was created to recognize all outstanding journalism, reporting, editorial or blogging that increases awareness of Canadian pediatric health issues, or the role Children's Healthcare Canada members play to enable the best healthcare for Canada's children and youth. In addition to mainstream media, this award was open to stories, posts, and campaigns run on social media platforms that have made a difference, bringing reliable child health issues to the attention of the public in more novel ways.

Past Winners:

2023 - Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen
2022 - Dr. Ripudaman Singh Minhas, OurKidsHealth
2021 - Mr. Harold Gagné, TVA Nouvelles
2020 - Andre Picard, Globe and Mail
2019 - Danny Lemieux, RadioCanada
2018 - Su-Ling Goh, Global News

Family and Person-Centred Care Leadership Award

The Children's Healthcare Canada Award for Family and Person-Centred Care was created to honour teams or programs who have set in place innovations that improve the human experience in healthcare. This award highlights and recognizes innovations that include the four (4) concepts of family-centred care:

Dignity and Respect
Information Sharing
Participation
Collaboration

Programs and services demonstrate success through patient experience, staff training & development, and satisfaction & engagement of staff & clinicians.

Past Winners: