Alan Ross Award
Established in 1976, the Alan Ross Award is the most prestigious honour given by the Canadian Paediatric Society. The award recognizes lifelong excellence in the fields of paediatric research, education, healthcare and advocacy.
The award is presented during the CPS Annual Conference. The recipient is awarded a commemorative plaque and a gift of $2,000 and complimentary CPS membership for one year.
Current recipient(s): Dr. Robin Williams
Dr. Robin Williams is receiving the Alan Ross Award to recognize her long and impactful career as a paediatrician and child health advocate. Her journey began with receiving a BSc and MD from the University of Toronto and completing her paediatric residency at McMaster and the Hospital for Sick Children. Early practice was in Niagara Falls, where Dr. Williams was a consultant paediatrician and advocate for children and youth while also working in medical education at McMaster University, where she became a full professor of paediatrics in 2002.
Dr. Williams retired from clinical practice in 1995 to work as the Medical Officer of Health for the Niagara Region, a position she held for 16 years. Her lifelong interest in child development led to work with Dr. Fraser Mustard on a series of reports that contributed to establishing parental leave and Early Years Centres in Ontario. During the SARS epidemic she participated on the Ontario Scientific SARS Panel whose report and recommendations eventually led to establishing Public Health Ontario. As a founding member of Ontario's Provincial Paediatric Coroners Review committee, she was involved in reviewing unusual child deaths and developing recommendations to improve systems and safety for children for more than 20 years. For her role in conceptualizing and implementing the “18-month well-child strategy” in Ontario, she received the Order of Canada in 2013.
Dr. Williams also championed child health causes as an Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health and Special Advisor for the Ministry of Health, focusing on Ontario’s vaccine strategy during the pandemic, working with SickKids (HSC) to support a public information campaign, and building collaboration with the Ontario College of Family Physicians and HSC to educate physicians on COVID-19 and vaccines.
Dr. Williams was president of the CPS in 2015 and has chaired the Early Years Task Force since 2008. Her passion for early child development found expression in recent CPS statements on positive parenting, adverse childhood experiences and early relational health, and early literacy. She has been a helpful, welcoming, and inspiring role model and mentor on preventive and public health issues for a generation.
About Dr. Alan Ross
Alan Ross was a distinguished and recognized leader in Montreal paediatrics for over 40 years. As Physician-in-Chief for 15 years at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at McGill University, Dr. Ross earned an international reputation for his work in child health. His very special qualities along with his many talents made him an outstanding and well-respected physician, leader and teacher.
In 1968, Dr. Ross became the founding Professor of Paediatrics at the University College Medical School in Nairobi, Kenya. There, he encouraged a new approach to medical education, encouraging paediatricians from the western world to come to Africa and share their knowledge. As a result, many African paediatricians have stayed in their homeland to provide desperately needed medical care rather than move to more developed countries. To this day, many paediatricians inspired by Dr. Ross continue his important work the world over.
Nominations
Nominees should be individuals who have made outstanding lifetime contributions in the field of child and youth health throughout their careers. The recipient must be a Canadian resident but need not be a member of the CPS.
The Awards Committee will evaluate candidates based on:
- The extent of the candidate’s contribution to child and youth health.
- The significance of the candidate’s contribution to the welfare of children and youth.
- The candidate’s local, national and/or international influence on child and youth health matters.
- The candidate’s sustained contribution to child and youth health through involvement in research, education, clinical care and advocacy (in at least three of the four areas) over a period of time.
Nominations must be formally resubmitted each year to be reconsidered. Current CPS board and Awards Committee members are not eligible for nomination and cannot nominate candidates while serving their terms.
Submissions
Submissions must include:
- Letters from both the nominator and seconder, both of whom are CPS members, describing the candidate’s contribution to paediatrics and its significance to the welfare of children and youth. Maximum three pages.
- Updated curriculum vitae for the candidate.
Submit your nominations using the Submit Nomination button.
Sponsored by an unrestricted grant from Abbott.
Past recipients
Dr. Denis Leduc
Dr. Joanne Embree
Dr. Ian Mitchell
Dr. Michael Moffatt
Dr. Jean-Yves Frappier
Dr. Denis Daneman
Dr. Heather Dean
Dr. Brent Scott
Dr. Marie Gauthier
Dr. Danielle Grenier
Dr. Jacques Lacroix
Dr. Peter Dent
Dr. Noni MacDonald
Dr. Roger Tonkin
Dr. Victor Blanchette
Dr. Harvey Guyda
Dr. David Scheifele
Dr. Robert Usher
Dr. Graham Chance
Dr. Frederick Andermann
Dr. Robert Haslam
Dr. Judith Hall
Dr. Barry Pless
Dr. Peter Rosenbaum
Dr. Dan Offord
Dr. Geoffrey Robinson
Dr. Richard Goldbloom
Dr. John Bowman
Dr. Claude C. Roy
Dr. Ross E. Petty
Dr. Jack Sinclair
Dr. Robert Salter
Dr. André L’Archevêque
Dr. Charles R. Scriver
Drs. Donald & Elizabeth Hillman
Dr. Henry G. Dunn
Dr. Donald Fraser
Dr. Alvin Zipursky
Dr. John Gerrard
Dr. Victor Marchessault
Dr. Harry W. Bain
Dr. Jessie Boyd Scriver
Dr. Albert Royer
Dr. Harry Medovy
Dr. Bruce Chown
Dr. Henri J. Breault
Dr. Alan S. Ross
Dr. John F. McCreary
Last updated: May 24, 2024