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Anna Jarvis Paediatric Emergency Medicine Teaching Award

The Paediatric Emergency Medicine Section established the Anna Jarvis Paediatric Emergency Medicine Teaching Award in 2010 to recognize an individual in the field of paediatric emergency medicine who has been identified as an exceptional educator at all levels - undergraduate, postgraduate, continuing education.

The award is presented during the CPS Annual Conference during the section’s programming and the recipient receives a commemorative plaque and a cash award of $500.

Awarded every other year, the next award will be presented in 2026.

Current recipient(s): Dr. Savithiri Ratnapalan

Dr. Savithiri Ratnapalan

Dr. Savithiri Ratnapalan is a paediatric emergency physician at the Hospital for Sick Children and a professor of paediatrics and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She is also Director of the Health Systems Leadership and Innovation Program at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, UofT.

Dr. Ratnapalan earned her Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, and  completed a PhD in Leadership in Higher and Adult Education at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include paediatric emergency care, medical education, and organizational change, and Dr. Ratnapalan has published and presented extensively in these areas. She teaches and mentors both students and faculty in multiple settings, and has received numerous awards for teaching and service. 

Dr. Ratnapalan’s career has been defined by her unwavering dedication to paediatric health care, innovative contributions to medical education, and compassionate approaches to patient care. She co-developed the first paediatric sedation program in Canada and implemented similar programs in Gambia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Qatar, and the U.K. She has implemented a ‘train the trainer’ program at Laval University, Quebec, a continuing education program for family physicians in Saudi Arabia (where she also developed palliative care programming),  and helped improve paediatric emergency care at Oxford’s University Hospitals.

Her work has not only advanced paediatric emergency medicine generally but also improved standards of care for countless children and medical education and training, both in Canada and internationally.

About Dr. Anna Jarvis

Dr. Anna Jarvis has trained and worked across Ontario for most of her career. She has held a succession of academic appointments at the University of Toronto over more than 30 years, and clinical positions at hospitals including The Hospital for Sick Children and Credit Valley Hospital. In the last ten years, she has begun assuming a more active role in student development at the Faculty of Medicine, where she has been associate dean since 2006. She was an active member of the national task force that led to the accreditation of paediatric emergency medicine (PEM) at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; she also took part in the development of PEM as an independent subspecialty.

Dr. Jarvis has received a host of teaching awards, with trainees now working on all continents as leaders in their departments, divisions or research fields.

Nominations

The candidate must:

  • Be recognized by trainees of all levels (medical student, residents and fellows) to be an excellent educator.
  • Be recognized by colleagues as an excellent educator.
  • Have taught in a spectrum of different learning environments (e.g. divisional lectures, conference based workshops, simulation, outreach PALS/APLS courses, plenary lectures at large conferences, etc.).
  • Have shown excellence in education at the local, provincial and national level by being a sought after speaker for conferences and CME events.
  • Have shown excellence in education at the international level by speaking at multiple international conferences/meetings.

Current section executives are not eligible for nomination and cannot nominate candidates while serving their terms.

Submissions

Submissions must include:

  • Three letters of support (Maximum 2 pages each) from:
    • A current paediatric emergency medicine colleague who is a CPS member.
    • A current non-paediatric emergency medicine colleague (e.g. family physician, adult emergency physician).
    • Former trainees – medical students, resident, fellows.
  • A copy of the nominee’s updated curriculum vitae. Maximum 3 pages.

Submit your nominations using the Submit Nomination button.

This award is sponsored by the Paediatric Emergency Medicine Section.

Past recipients

2022

Dr. Ilana Bank

2020

Dr. Jonathan Pirie

2018

Dr. Marilyn Li

2016

Dr. Vincent Grant

2014

Dr. Gina Neto

2012

Dr. David McGillivray

Last updated: Jun 14, 2024