Over 300 guests attended the fifth annual Lawson Impact Awards on Wednesday, April 18 at the London Convention Centre to honour research making a difference and to recognize the accomplishments of our scientists, staff, trainees and partners.
“There are many individuals, groups and partners at Lawson who regularly go above and beyond to drive innovative new discoveries. For the past five years, the Lawson Impact Awards have given us the opportunity to step back and reflect on the importance of the work we do here and how these contributions ultimately improve patient care,” says Dr. David Hill, Scientific Director, Lawson Health Research Institute.
This year’s Lawson Impact Award winners include:
- Dr. Robert Teasell – Scientist of the Year Award
- Dr. Mandar Jog – Innovation Award
- Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso – Dr. Joseph Gilbert Research Contribution of the Year Award
- London X-Ray Associates – Industry Partner of the Year Awards
- CAISA Fashion Show; London Run for Ovarian Cancer; and Kyle MacDonald and John Franklin – Community Partner of the Year Award
- Sarah Best – Staff Award of Excellence
- Sheila Fleming – Staff Award of Excellence
- Amanda McIntyre – Leadership Award for Fellows & Students
The recipients of Lawson’s 2018 Strategic Research Fund (SRF) were also revealed at the Lawson Impact Awards. The Lawson SRF is an annual competition that supports projects that will advance science in alignment with Lawson’s strategic research goals, as outlined in the Lawson Strategic Plan 2014-2018. This year’s competition was open to all areas of research. The following two projects were awarded $50,000 over a two-year period:
- “Mindfulness group intervention for newly diagnosed persons with Multiple Sclerosis: A pilot study” – Drs. Sarah A. Morrow and Arlene MacDougall
- “Extending routinely collected data research at Western: Does enhanced medical reconciliation improve care at London hospitals?” – Drs. Blayne Welk and Amit Garg
In addition to the Lawson Impact Award and SRF recipients, two Children’s Health Research Institute (CHRI) award recipients were recognized at the event. CHRI is a program of Lawson and awards a Scientist and Trainee of the Year annually. These awards are sponsored by the Children’s Health Foundation. CHRI’s 2017 award recipients were honoured at the Lawson Impact Awards: Dr. Lina Dagnino (CHRI Scientist of the Year) and Dr. Amer Youssef (CHRI Deb Comuzzi Trainee of the Year).
A highlight of the event was a keynote presentation from physician-scientist and 3D innovator, Dr. Julielynn Wong, titled “How Technology is Enhancing Our Future.” Dr. Wong delivered an engaging talk on how technology trends such as 3D printing and drones can improve health care accessibility. Her presentation included a 3D printing demonstration and guests were given the opportunity to examine samples of 3D printed medical supplies.
To view videos of each award winner, visit the Lawson YouTube page. To see more photos from the event, visit Lawson’s Facebook page.
