Department of Medicine Prizes & Awards

Each year, the Department of Medicine honours faculty members who have made significant and meaningful contributions to education, teaching, research, quality and innovation, humanism, mentorship and clinical practice. These prizes and awards celebrate our faculty members and recognize the local and global impact of the Department of Medicine.

These prizes and awards are presented at the Department of Medicine’s Annual Day each year.

Department of Medicine Academy of Master Clinicians (Past Recipients)

The Department of Medicine’s overriding mission is to ensure the delivery of excellent clinical care in its associated hospitals, and the preparation of future physician leaders that will help carry this mission forward throughout Canada and the World. Within the Department, certain faculty members serve as exemplars of this mission, providing leadership in patient care that elevates and enlarges the profession. The Academy of Master Clinicians honours those clinicians who have demonstrated consistent outstanding clinical performance and the highest standard of patient care.

The Academy of Master Clinicians reflects those clinicians who are recognized by colleagues and the medical community for setting an example in high quality patient care, diagnostic acumen, and ability to confront challenging cases, while demonstrating humility, respect and civility for patients and colleagues.

Eaton Scholar Researcher of the Year Award (Past Recipients)

The Department of Medicine Research Award, established in 1989, recognizes a member of the Department of Medicine who has demonstrated sustained excellence as a scientist and role model over several years. The award, consisting of a commemorative certificate, is presented at the Department of Medicine Annual Day.

The Eaton Scholars program, generously supported by the Eaton family, is intended to recognize and reward excellence among clinician-scientists in the department – an aim shared by the Researcher of the Year Award. The Eaton Scholars program was aligned with the Researcher of the Year Award in 2015.

Beginning in 2018, the Department of Medicine will award two Eaton Researcher of the Year Awards; one for basic science research and one for clinical research, which can encompass a variety of types of research including, but not restricted to, education research, clinical trials, outcomes, clinical epidemiology and health services research.

The awardees are selected via a nomination process that involves asking Departmental Division Directors, Physicians in Chief and Vice Presidents from the Research Institutes for candidates from their respective divisions, hospitals and institutes, and then reviewed and ranking by the DoM Research Awards Committee.

Department of Medicine Teacher of the Year Award (Past Recipients)

The Department of Medicine Teaching Award, established in 1989, recognizes a member of the Department of Medicine who has demonstrated sustained excellence as a teacher and role model over several years. The award, consisting of a commemorative certificate, is presented at the Department of Medicine Annual Day.

Robert Hyland Award for Excellence in Mentorship (Past Recipients)

Introduced in 2007, this award is designed to recognize a late career faculty member (21+ years of appointment) who have shown sustained excellence (as a mentor) in mentoring other faculty members within the Department of Medicine. Effective mentorship includes (but not limited to) helping faculty members to develop their professional careers while balancing the competing demands of their personal lives, navigating the university culture, further development of self-reflection skills, networking and sponsorship. Commemorative certificates will be presented at the Department of Medicine Annual Day. In 2010 this award was re-named the Robert Hyland Award for Excellence in Mentorship.

Department of Medicine Award in Quality and Innovation (Past Recipients)

The Department of Medicine first started recognizing contributions to the related fields of healthcare quality, patient safety, and innovation in 2007. The award recognizes outstanding leadership or academic contributions that aim to improve the quality of healthcare. Examples might include efforts to improve the degree to which patients receive proven aspects of care (eg, increasing guideline concordant care), reducing harms to patients from medical care (patient safety), as well as innovations in health services delivery—new models of care that improve outcomes, the patient experience, or healthcare value.

Michael Gordon Award for Humanism in Medicine (Past Recipients)

The Department of Medicine’s top priority is to ensure patients and their families, and their experiences, drive our work. The fundamental principles of "person-centeredness" are open communication, mutual respect, and emotional connection between physicians and their patients.

As an indication of our commitment to the principle of person-centered care, we are delighted to announce the establishment of a new departmental award for Humanism in Medicine. This new award aims to recognize faculty members who exemplify a deep and abiding commitment to humanism in health care. Humanism is understood to be an acknowledgment of other human beings as individuals with autonomy, unique backgrounds, values, and perspectives, and a commitment to address issues of inclusion, equity, and social justice.

In 2019, the Department of Medicine announced that the Award for Humanism in Medicine will be known as the Michael Gordon Award for Humanism in Medicine. Renaming this award is a recognition of Dr. Gordon’s exceptional leadership in bridging physician and family roles in the development of best care practice for patients, and the profound impact he has had on how medicine is practiced.

The William Goldie Prize and Travel Award (Past Recipients)

The William Goldie Prize and Travel Award was established in 1945 by an anonymous donor to honour the late Dr. William Goldie, who held a faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine. The prize - consisting of a commemorative certificate and travel grant - is awarded annually to a member of the department who is within 10 years of appointment to the department and who has made a contribution of notable merit to the advancement of sound knowledge in internal medicine through research, teaching, education or quality & innovation. In recent years, four prizes have been awarded each year, one for research contributions, one for teaching contributions, one for education contributions and one for quality & innovation contributions.

New for this Year!

Mid-Career Teaching Award:

The Mid-Career Teaching Award will be inaugurated in 2024 for mid-career faculty members within the Department of Medicine. This will be awarded annually to a member of the department who is within 11-20 years of appointment to the department, and who has made a contribution of notable merit to the advancement of sound knowledge in medicine through teaching and education. Commemorative certificates will be presented at the Department of Medicine Annual Day.

Robert Hyland Awards for Excellence in Mentorship (Mid-Career):

Starting in 2024, we will be recognizing a mid-career faculty member (11 -20 years of appointment) who have shown sustained excellence (as a mentor) in mentoring other faculty members within the Department of Medicine. Effective mentorship includes (but not limited to) helping faculty members to develop their professional careers while balancing the competing demands of their personal lives, navigating the university culture, further development of self-reflection skills, networking and sponsorship. Commemorative certificates will be presented at the Department of Medicine Annual Day.

Past Award Recipients