Each year, WCH proudly hosts the Day of Excellence in Academics – a celebration of innovation, research, professional practice, quality improvement, collaboration, teaching, and mentorship. On April 10, 2025, #TeamWCH came together to recognize the remarkable academic contributions across our organization.
From April 7 to 10, we displayed 67 interprofessional posters both throughout the hospital and in our virtual gallery, showcasing the breadth and depth of academic work at WCH.
Jim Ruderman Lecture
This year’s Jim Ruderman lecture was delivered by Dr. Sarah Funnell, Associate Dean and Chair of Indigenous Health at Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) and Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Queen’s University. Her presentation, Imagining Primary Care from an Indigenous Lens: Culture as Healing, explored the root causes of Indigenous health inequity and identified Indigenous culture and healing as sources of strength to reimagine a primary care system.
Top 5 Posters
The top 5 poster submissions, chosen by a WCH adjudication committee, presented their projects including the methodology and key findings. Congratulations to the top 5!
| Presenter(s) | Project Title | Project Type |
| Laura Oliva, Rachel Baran (Celia Laur) | Engaging People with Lived/Living Experience in Implementation Science | Education |
| Negar Sayrafitzadeh, Louloua Ashikhusein Waliji (Dr. Dana C. Ross) | Randomized Controlled Trial of a Virtual Blended Psychoeducational Treatment for Adults with a History of Childhood Interpersonal Trauma: Primary Outcome | Research |
| Sae Hoon (Dave) Gwun | Barriers and Facilitators to Advancing Gender-Affirming Surgery (GAS) Medicare Policies in Canada: A Qualitative Description Study | Research |
| Gitta Anakomah | Osteoporosis 101: You Asked, We Answered | Quality Improvement |
| Emily Simmonds | The Coping Well Project: A Model for Integrating Indigenous Data Sovereignty in Quality Improvement Initiatives | Quality Improvement |
People’s Choice Award for Best Poster
During the Day of Excellence in Academics, #TeamWCH voted for the best poster. With an impressive number of submissions across Research and Quality Improvement, it was a standout entry in the Education category that captured the most votes – congratulations to Sabrina Schaefer, Eva Grunfeld, Joyce Nyhof-Young, and Cameron Moser!
| Recipient | Poster | Project Type |
| Sabrina Schaefer, Eva Grunfeld, Joyce Nyhof-Young, Cameron Moser | Evaluating HELP (Health English Language Pro.): A Volunteer-Based Program for Enhancing Medical English Fluency and Professional Integration of Newcomer Physicians in Canada | Education |
We celebrate the outstanding work and meaningful contributions of this year’s award winners across the following categories: Research Awards, Education Awards, Quality Excellence Awards, and Collaborative & Professional Practice Awards. Congratulations!
Research Awards
| Award | Recipient | Publication |
| Best Paper Award (Researcher) | Vasily Giannakeas, PhD, MPH | Bilateral Mastectomy and Breast Cancer Mortality |
| Best Paper Award (Trainee) | Kim Devotta, PhD | Important and Feasible Actions to Address Cervical Screening Participation amongst South Asian Women in Ontario: A Concept Mapping Study with Service Users and Service Providers |
| “ | Dave Gwun, BSc | The landscape of Medicare policies for gender‑affirming surgeries in Canada: An environmental scan |
| Education Scholarship Publication Award | Leora Branfield Day, MD, MMEd, FRCPC | (Mis)Alignment in resident and advisor co-regulated learning in competency-based training |
| Research Mentor Award | Aaron Drucker, MD, ScM, FRCPC Scientist, Women’s College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute and Dermatologist, Women’s College Hospital |
Education Awards
| Award | Recipient | Department |
| Education Coordinator/Program Administrator Award | Mireille Landry, RPT, BScPT, MSc, RISPT, CDE | Cardiac Rehabilitation |
| Education Innovation Award | Bridgette Lord, Elaine Gouldbourne, Aisha Lofters, Luana Pereira, Angelina Tryon, Melinda Wu, Marria Madden, Camille Williams | The Peter Gilgan Centre for Women’s Cancers |
| “ | Dr. Renu Gupta, Dr. Tatiana Valverde de Conceicao, Dr. Jovana Martinovic | Department of Psychiatry |
| Learner/Student as Teacher Award | Dr. Anastasia Kalantarova | |
| “ | Braeden Page | |
| Interprofessional Education/Care Award | Sara Rahmani-Azad | |
| “ | WCH Social Work Group | |
| Patient Education Award | Semhar Musael, Krissha Fortuna, Ellen Tang, Shazmah Hussein, Sihat Monserrate | Crossroads Clinic |
| Teacher-Education/Clinical Instructor/Preceptor Award | Dr. Alexandra Millman | |
| “ | LaThea Barret, Katherine Bernard, Rachelle Elevazo, Michelle Vanderlans | Preoperative Nurses |
| “ | Gillian Sonley, Olivia Drodge, Samantha Joubert | TAPMI |
| “ | Dr. Suvendrini Lena | |
| “ | Panorea Dimopoulos | |
| “ | Dr. Sam Park |
Quality Excellence Awards
| Award | Recipient | Project |
| Joan Lesmond Quality Excellence Award | Gitta Ankomah, Natasha Gakhal Crystal Brain, Anita Colquhoun, Sonia Bibershtein, Helen Emanoilidis, Aveline Tung, Clara Korenvain | Osteoporosis 101: You Asked, We Answered |
| WCH Quality Improvement Patient Engagement Award | Emily Simmonds, Maxine Brown Miki Peer, Anna Lomanowska, Health Systems Transformation Team, Grand Council Treaty #3, Dr. Hance Clarke, Dr. Lisa Richardson | The Coping Well Project: A model for integrating Indigenous data sovereignty in quality improvement initiatives |
Collaborative & Professional Practice Awards
| Award | Recipient | Department |
| Excellence in Collaborative Ambulatory Care Focused on Sex and Gender Award | Tania Di Renna, Nucelio Lemos, Olivia Drodge, Wendy Carter, Samantha Joubert, Brittany Rosenbloom, Adriano Nella, Rachael Bosma | TAPMI Chronic Pelvic Pain Team |
| Excellence in Collaborative Leadership Award | Ramandeep Kaur, MHS, BMRSc, DMS | Ultrasound Education & Practice Leader |
| Excellence in Collaborative Mentorship Award | Anderson Bemian, RPN | Peri-operative Services |
| Excellence in Health Equity and Community Partnerships Award | Melodie Lumague, Mary Arman, Dr. Sejal Doshi, Dr. Jesse Myers, Dr. Dominik Nowak, Dr. Nikita Patel, Dr. Laura Stratton, Bibi Khan | Home Visiting Program Team |
| Excellence in Enabling the Intersection of Research, Care Innovation and Education (Learning Health System) | Mireille Landry, RPT, BScPT, MSc, RISPT, CDE | Cardiac Rehabilitation |
Check out more photos from the event:
