Geoffrey C. Robinson Award
The Geoffrey C. Robinson Award recognizes outstanding contributions to child and youth health through research in the field of population health or health services research. The award also recognizes leadership, mentorship and innovative contributions for child and youth health.
Established in 2001, this award is funded by an endowment established by the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia and British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital Foundation, in recognition of Dr. Geoffrey C. Robinson’s outstanding contribution to improving the health of children and youth.
The award is presented during the CPS Annual Conference. The recipient is awarded a commemorative plaque, a gift of $1,000 and a complimentary CPS membership for one year.
Awarded every other year, the next award will be presented in 2027.
Current recipient(s): Dr. Catherine Birken
Dr. Catherine Birken is receiving this research award to recognize a brilliant career dedicated to addressing obesity in children and youth. Dr. Birken’s work has shaped preventive and treatment programs and practices profoundly, both in Canada and internationally, and advanced understanding of this complex health condition by leaps and bounds.
Dr. Birken is a true pioneer and a passionate advocate. She leads an applied, patient-oriented research program focused on understanding, treating and preventing obesity in young children. Collaborative above all, Dr. Birken has co-led TARGet Kids!, the largest practice-based research network in primary care for children in Canada, for almost 20 years. Her work has impacted the lives of countless children and families, and focuses on context as much as physiology, with physical activity, screen use, family behaviours, social determinants, and nutrition as key points for attention. She has published extensively, informed and shaped public health strategies here and abroad, and shared her work generously. Her research has informed local, provincial, and national guidelines and reports, and she is currently working on how health care settings can best support children and families experiencing financial and food insecurity.
An exceptional teacher and role model, Dr. Birken has shown unwavering commitment to training and mentoring the next generation of clinician investigators and researchers. She is a general paediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children, a clinician-scientist and professor in the department of paediatrics at Uof T, and a senior scientist at SickKids Research Institute in Toronto.
About Dr. Geoffrey C. Robinson
Vancouver paediatrician Dr. Geoffrey C. Robinson, whose distinguished career has spanned five decades, developed innovative programs such as care-by-parent wards, community outreach programs, province-wide developmental disabilities centres, and comprehensive paediatric care.
Nominations
Nominees should be researchers, at any stage of their career, active in population health and/or health services research involving the health of children or youth. The candidate must be a Canadian resident but need not be a CPS member and must hold an appointment at a Canadian university, hospital or institute.
The research should:
- inform policy and decision makers at a population rather than individual level
- demonstrate scalable population health solutions
- have led to equitable population health impacts
- have led to changes in policy or practice that have improved the health of children and/or youth
The Awards Committee will judge candidates based on:
- their eligibility as outlined above
- the impact of their research as outlined above
- clearly demonstrated leadership, mentorship and innovative contributions to child and youth health
- the quality of the information and details in the nomination letters. The letters are a critical component of the evaluation process and should clearly detail how the candidate meets the criteria.
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:
- A letter from the nominator (a CPS member) clearly describing the nominee’s research and how they meet the criteria. Please note that the committee relies heavily on the nomination letters to make their decision.
- Updated, condensed curriculum vitae (maximum 20 pages).
Submit your nominations using the Submit Nomination button.
Past recipients
Dr. Astrid Guttmann
Dr. Marni Brownell
Dr. Suzanne Tough
Dr. Sheila Innis
Dr. Reg Sauve
Dr. Clyde Hertzman
Dr. Gabrielle deVeber
Dr. K.S. Joseph
Dr. Charlene Robertson
Dr. James Emery Jan
Last updated: Nov 19, 2025