2023 Alumni Award Recipients
University of Alberta alumni around the globe use their education to make the world a better place through their professional achievements, community service and innovation. The Alumni Awards recognize these contributions and tell the stories of our exceptional alumni, inspiring us all to lead with purpose.
Join us at the Citadel Theatre on Wednesday, October 25 as we honour this incredible group and celebrate the change makers our world needs.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the Alumni Association's highest honour. The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding lifetime accomplishments of alumni who have earned national or international regard or have had significant local impact as a result of their outstanding professional achievements and/or service to society.
Robert G. Bertram, ’71 MBA
When Robert Bertram became the chief investment officer of the newly created Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in 1990, he had no staff, $19 billion in assets and a mission to secure the retirement incomes of 300,000 teachers. But the fledgling plan flourished as Bertram followed his instincts to rewrite the rules around how pension funds invest, introducing swap markets and hedge funds, creating an in-house equity group, and purchasing the real estate company Cadillac Fairview to manage OTPP’s real estate exposure. By his retirement in 2008, the OTPP was worth $108 billion and was ranked among Canada’s top-performing funds. More significantly, his revolutionary methods — famously dubbed “the Canadian Model” — were adopted around the world. Bertram’s other passion was governance and he was a leader in changing how Canadian corporations and organizations operate. His 2012 induction as an officer of the Order of Canada cited his work as a founding member of the Canadian Public Accountability Board and the Canadian Foundation for Governance Research. His influence stretched into the boardroom, both in his participation on dozens of boards and his work toward establishing the Institute of Corporate Directors, which has pioneered education for board directors. Throughout his career, including his 18 years at Telus, Bertram mentored many young professionals, and on his retirement, his OTPP colleagues ensured that would continue with an endowed scholarship to support Canadian students researching governance issues.
Deena Hinshaw, ’97 BSc, ’04 MD, ’08 MPH
As COVID-19 spun into a public health crisis, Deena Hinshaw became the soft voice at the eye of the storm, delivering evidence-based guidance with her trademark calm and compassion. As Alberta’s chief medical officer of health since January 2019, Hinshaw was responsible for protecting public health and the health-care system; her leadership is credited with saving lives and avoiding a collapse of the province’s overtaxed hospitals. In daily news updates, Hinshaw made honesty her policy as she ensured Albertans understood the science behind measures like hand hygiene and masks, closing schools and businesses, and getting vaccinated. Despite the criticism and threats from some, Hinshaw stayed true to her core values and ethics as the expert adviser to Alberta’s COVID-19 emergency operations centre, where she navigated the line between public health and political decision-making. Even as she mobilized new tools to get ahead of the virus, Hinshaw was simultaneously looking for ways to mitigate the growing toll of other public health crises such as deaths from opioids and increasing syphilis cases. With clinical professorship roles at Alberta’s two largest universities, Hinshaw uses her experiences and expertise to shape a new generation of community health professionals. But the manner in which she did her job through COVID-19 taught all Albertans how to lead through challenging times by staying composed, communicating with empathy, seeking information, and acting decisively.
Bruce Ritchie, ’76 BMedSc, ’78 MD
Bruce Ritchie works to improve the lives of Canadians with rare blood disorders. Over three decades, the hematologist, professor and patient advocate has led research and clinical trials seeking treatments where none historically existed. He created Canada’s largest program for angioedema and immunodeficiency patients to treat themselves with blood products at home rather than in hospitals, saving the Alberta health system about $3 million annually. He developed Canada’s largest red-cell exchange program and supervised the first Canadian adult stem cell transplant for sickle cell disease in 2017. That clinic has now done 10 transplants and remains the only centre in Canada doing them. Ritchie is well-known to patients as the medical director of a specialized U of A clinic staffed by an array of health professionals — including physicians, dentists, nurses, social workers and physiotherapists — who understand the complexities of bleeding problems and other rare blood defects. Nationally, Ritchie was instrumental in safeguarding supplies with a surveillance program for blood-borne pathogens, a tracking program for blood products used in patient homes, and co-founding the Network of Rare Blood Disorder Organisations. Growing out of this work, Ritchie built the Canadian BioSample Repository, a U of A-based bio-bank used globally in clinical studies. A supervisor of 80-plus research students, Ritchie is proud of his mentees who continue to advance knowledge and improve care in the field.
Gordon H. Wilkes, ’73 BSc(Med), ’75 MD
As a doctor and innovator, Gordon Wilkes is known for changing the face of plastic surgery and improving the lives of people with facial disfigurement from trauma, infection, cancer or congenital causes. When he began practising in 1982, Wilkes specialized in cleft lip and palate repairs, the surgery he has performed for countless infants and children, and even a few animals, both in Canada and abroad. But it’s his work in the area of microtia — reconstructing underdeveloped or missing ears — that garnered him international respect. He is among very few surgeons skilled in using a patient’s rib cartilage to construct a new ear, and he pioneered the use of bone-anchored titanium implants to attach prosthetic eyes, ears and noses. Many of these advances were developed at the Craniofacial Osseointegration and Maxillofacial Prosthetic Rehabilitation Unit (COMPRU), co-founded in 1993 at the Misericordia Hospital by Wilkes and dentistry professor Johan Wolfaardt. With a team of experts including doctors, dentists and engineers, the renamed Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine (iRSM) became a world leader in using digital technologies to plan surgical procedures and create 3D surgical models and templates. As a U of A clinical professor for 28 years, Wilkes was a mentor to many medical students, residents and fellows, teaching surgical principles alongside lessons about keeping the patient’s quality of life at the centre of all decision-making.
Alumni Honour Award
Recognizes the significant achievements and contributions over a number of years by University of Alberta alumni to their profession and/or their community.
Reagan Mary Bartel, ’04 BScN, ’19 MPH, ’19GradCert(ComDiseases)
Reagan Bartel had been a critical care nurse for 15 years when she returned to school to study public health. The decision proved prescient when, six months after graduation, the new director of health for the Métis Nation of Alberta found herself leading its more than 56,000 members through COVID-19. Drawing on her experience and education, Bartel launched initiatives like Canada’s first Métis-led vaccination clinic and online social programming to foster mental well-being. Her skill in creating partnerships helped co-create a community dental clinic — staffed by U of A students — and an award-winning program that provides online opioid and naloxone training. Bartel’s ability to listen to community voices makes her an effective advocate with governments and organizations.
Mona Lisa Bourque Bearskin, ’95 BScN, ’07 MN, ’14 PhD
Mona Lisa Bourque Bearskin, a trailblazing Cree/Métis nurse researcher from amiskosâkahikan nêhiyaw peyakôskân, ostêsimâwoyasiwêwin nikotwâsik Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Treaty 6, is co-leading the design of Indigenous nursing education in Canada. Upholding Indigenous sovereignty, she draws on traditional ways of nursing learned from her Cree/Métis family and mentors and practical skills learned while working as a community health nurse. The University of Victoria associate professor holds one of the inaugural Indigenous Research Chairs in Nursing from the Canadian Institute of Health Research. From her classrooms to her research, Bourque Bearskin remains focused on communities while leading a national charge for change that emphasizes the importance of building relationships and creating partnerships with local distinct communities when advancing Indigenous knowledge into the nursing profession.
Norma Dunning, ’12 BA(NativeStu), ’12 Cert(IndigGov/Ptnshp), ’14 MA, ’19 PhD
Inuk writer Norma Dunning uses personal stories to preserve Inuit culture while building understanding about Inuit history. An academic latecomer who started university at age 50, Dunning’s master’s thesis explored Canada’s little-known Eskimo identification system — a government law replacing Inuit people’s names with numbered discs, which became a book that is part Inuit Canadian history and memoir. Speaking her truth is part of how Dunning erases stereotypes and inspires students in the U of A classrooms where she is a professor. Dunning’s personal story speaks to following dreams. In the 14 years since arriving on campus, Dunning has earned three degrees, published numerous works of poetry, fiction and academic research, and earned dozens of accolades including a Governor General’s literary award.
Dianna MacDonald, ’75 Dip(RM)
Laughing until you pee sounds funny but it’s actually a sign of a physical problem that Dianna MacDonald took seriously. After about 20 years working as a physical therapist, MacDonald helped start a pelvic floor clinic at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to provide assessment, treatment and educational tools for people with issues like incontinence. Then she set out to share her knowledge, developing and teaching courses on pelvic floor health to students and active physiotherapists at the hospital and the U of A. She has mentored health care professionals, delivered countless presentations, and taken part in global projects in Bangladesh and Ghana. Today, pelvic floor health is an established part of women’s health care thanks to MacDonald’s pioneering work as an innovator and educator.
Michael B MacDonald, ’10 PhD
For Michael MacDonald, the study of music includes a digital camera, building relationships with music-makers, and listening to both their songs and their stories. The ethnomusicologist, award-winning filmmaker and MacEwan University associate professor broke ground with an early course that challenged students to study how Edmonton’s political and social climate was reflected in its hip-hop scene. Since then, MacDonald has continued to innovate inside classrooms and within the music community. As a researcher-filmmaker, he is known for amplifying local artists’ stories in Canada and Portugal. MacDonald also co-founded a free media school, Justice4Reel, to teach those skills to activist filmmakers. His mentorship to students and artists has opened the door to films that underscore the challenges faced by people from diverse communities.
Temitope Oriola, ’11 PhD
Temitope Oriola was expected to follow his father’s footsteps into the Nigerian military. Instead, he found himself enthralled by the academic study of criminology: policing, terrorism and human rights. Today, Oriola is renowned globally for his field-defining sociological research. It includes groundbreaking studies into terrorism and insurgencies and his investigations into the use of lethal force by North American police against Black and other ethnic minority people. But Oriola goes the extra mile as a public intellectual, translating his research into information that is understandable and relatable to ordinary people. From U of A classrooms to academic journals, local and international media engagement to think tanks, Oriola’s voice and passion for human rights are stirring public debate, changing preconceived notions and influencing government policies.
Patricia Marie Paradis, ’75 BA, ’76 Dip(Ed), ’83 MEd, ’88 LLB
As a legal professional and educator, Patricia Paradis created opportunities for Canadians to understand the fundamental nature of their Constitution and how it impacts their lives. During 12 years as executive director of the U of A’s Centre for Constitutional Studies, Paradis encouraged diverse academic perspectives on constitutional issues — especially from Quebec scholars — in the two academic journals she edited, and in the national conferences and webinars she organized. Her commitment to educating the public about their Constitution manifested in a Charter of Rights series, interactive grade-6 student workshops, and a National Film Board project. Paradis taught human rights law at the U of A for 23 years and served on several boards, notably as national chair of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund.
Darrel Robertson, ’92 BPE, ’94 BEd
As the school superintendent for Edmonton Public Schools, Darrel Robertson’s responsibilities include a billion-dollar budget, 10,000 employees and tens of thousands of students whose success is at the heart of every decision. Robertson believes in empowering division leaders, creating environments where staff and students thrive, and seeking creative solutions to unique issues. After becoming the division’s superintendent, Robertson helped create a set of cornerstone values based on integrity, accountability, collaboration and equity that have guided and anchored the division’s work. These four principles have positioned the division to tackle old problems like school closures and infrastructure, as well as evolving issues — a global pandemic, systemic racism, and Truth and Reconciliation — without ever losing sight of the best interests of students.
Thomas Trofimuk, ’87 BA
The joy of writing has propelled Thomas Trofimuk to international success as a novelist and poet, but his achievements in helping others find that joy have made Trofimuk a spark that keeps Alberta’s literary lights shining. Trofimuk worked as a journalist and government writer before publishing his first of five award-winning books in 2002. By then, he was already well known as a literary leader in Edmonton, who had co-founded the Raving Poets collective and launched community arts events including the annual Stroll of Poets. In 1996, he became involved with the YouthWrite Society of Canada, a non-profit that hosts summer writing camps for all ages. Today, he helps guide the organization as its president while still inspiring camp attendees as an instructor.
Alumni Horizon Award
Recognizes the outstanding professional achievements and/or contributions to community of recent graduates. Nominees must be 40 years of age or younger at nomination deadline.
Cara Bablitz, ’07 BSc(Spec), ’11 MD, ’16 PostgradCert(MedEd)
Cara Bablitz is a Métis physician and ardent advocate for Indigenous peoples and vulnerable citizens. When she saw the absence of end-of-life care for those that are structurally vulnerable, Bablitz created a team to ensure all terminally ill citizens can access compassionate, dignified palliative care. The Palliative Care Outreach and Advocacy Team is in addition to her busy practice at Edmonton’s Indigenous Wellness Clinic. Bablitz also hopes to influence systemic change as a U of A clinical lecturer and as a member of committees working toward improved Indigenous health. Bablitz has won numerous awards for her work; she has also earned the respect of colleagues, who use words like hero, inspiring and extraordinary about her ability to be a champion for change.
Leslie Cove, ’04 BA
Helping racialized women prepare for interviews and promotion. Showcasing Indigenous ingenuity in science. Designing inclusive policies. Leslie Cove’s path is littered with initiatives, big and small, that make the world more equitable. Examples of Cove’s leadership in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are found in lasting changes adopted by previous and current employers. These include Alberta government policies to improve the safety of children in care; the first national Pride week celebrations by the U.K.’s National Health Service; and the University of Waterloo “learning library” and resource hub containing materials designed to help research leaders with EDI strategies and conversations. In her actions and words, Cove is a steadfast ally, coach and collaborator who directly acknowledges her privilege as a white professional in the EDI space.
Lana Cuthbertson, ’10 BA
Lana Cuthbertson was troubled by growing hostility on the internet and its real-world impacts, from toxic workplaces to entrenched stereotypes to a lack of female politicians. With her expertise in digital communications and a deeply ingrained pursuit of purpose, Cuthbertson co-founded Areto Labs, a thriving social enterprise that uses artificial intelligence technology to create a safer online world. Areto was the extension of her two other initiatives — ParityYEG, an organization established in 2017 to help females running for Edmonton city council, and ParityBOT, an AI-platform that detected abusive Twitter posts directed at women running for office and parried with a positive one. With curiosity and creativity, Cuthbertson looks for real issues in the world and finds ways to make a difference.
Alice Lam, ’11 BA
Alice Lam is using social enterprise to solve social issues in Calgary. A passionate front-line volunteer, Lam is the creative force behind spaces, events and projects that help needy populations while drawing new people into the volunteer sector. The range of projects she has launched includes the Calgary Community Fridge, offering round-the-clock access to free food; the Good Neighbour pay-what-you-want thrift store; and initiatives that spark joy among older people, like the pandemic flowers-for-seniors project and a pop-up art program. Her current endeavour is Volly, a website and planned mobile app that connects willing people to volunteer opportunities. With her entrepreneurial spirit and social consciousness, Lam is bringing people together to help them see their place in society and their unique ability to contribute.
Cameron Linke, ’07 BCom, ’21 MSc
Strategic thinking was one of Cam Linke’s strengths as a Golden Bears’ quarterback. Now he’s using it to make Edmonton a global force in artificial intelligence. When Linke became CEO of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) in 2019, he was already an established leader in the tech ecosystem as the co-founder of Startup Edmonton, founder of a venture capital fund and recent graduate of a master's degree in AI research. His accomplishments at Amii are similarly impressive: he has secured over $110 million in government funding, tripled its AI researchers, and increased industry partnerships from 10 a year to more than 100. A team player through-and-through, Linke pursues his vision for Amii by supporting the people who help make it happen.
Hannah M. O'Rourke, ’08 BScN(Hons), ’15 PhD
While volunteering at a long-term care home, Hannah O’Rourke witnessed the power of social connections as she played her violin for people living with dementia; as a PhD student, her thesis revealed how much social connectedness matters to residents of care homes and their families. Now O’Rourke is a nurse-scientist whose research program, Connecting for Quality of Life Across the Lifespan, aims to reduce loneliness and social isolation in care homes. Her program develops evidence-based strategies to connect the person living with dementia with the people who matter most to them. In addition to her quality of life research, O’Rourke is guiding a new generation of research-oriented nurse leaders as a U of A assistant professor and co-ordinator of the nursing honors program.
Morẹ́nikẹ́ Ẹniọlá Ọláòṣebìkan, ’09 BSc(Pharm)
Born in Nigeria during the height of the HIV epidemic, Morẹ́nikẹ́ Ẹniọlá Ọláòṣebìkan grew up with an awareness of health inequities in African countries. The Ribbon Rouge event she organized as an undergraduate to raise funds for HIV efforts has become an international organization that works for health equity in Canada and has special consultative status with the United Nations. In 2021, the pharmacist and business owner founded Kemet Group, a startup that aims to boost drug-manufacturing capacity in Africa. In 2022, Ọláòṣebìkan built a software platform that tackled an immediate crisis in children’s pain medication as part of its larger work to reformulate drugs to improve patient experiences. With compassion and strategic thinking, Ọláòṣebìkan is making a difference around the corner and the world.
Andrew Gersham Parker , ’08 BA, ’14 BEd
Creating community is a point of pride for Andrew Gersham Parker; it’s even in the name of the basketball tournament he started 15 years ago to get kids out playing the game he loves. Pride of the Northside has grown into a weekend celebration of streetball, while Parker has grown into a role model, mentor and anti-racism leader. An educator with Edmonton Public Schools, Parker teaches social studies and physical education alongside lessons about Black history and being good citizens. In June 2020, Parker spoke to 15,000 people at a Black Lives Matter protest. Before the month had ended, he’d co-founded the Black Teachers Association of Alberta, creating another community that supports colleagues while continuing his efforts to advocate for racial justice.
Alumni Innovation Award
Recognizes an innovative program, process or product created, implemented or discovered by a University of Alberta alumnus or group of alumni. The program, process or product has significantly impacted their profession, community, society at large or the U of A.
Karla Buffalo, ’00 BA(NativeStu)
Barely six weeks into the pandemic, first-of-their-kind Indigenous isolation care centres opened in Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan. Guided by Karla Buffalo, CEO of the Athabasca Tribal Council, the centres provided safe places for ATC's Cree and Dene First Nation members — particularly for multi-generational households — to recover from COVID-19. Buffalo's hands-on style and proficiency in building alliances make her effective in finding culturally led solutions impacting education, social services and health care. Buffalo led another groundbreaking initiative with ATC and Alberta Health Services’ signing of an agreement to establish an Indigenous health clinic at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in Fort McMurray. The clinic will address the Indigenous community's barriers to accessing health care with culturally informed providers and services.
Suliman Ali Gargoum, ’15 MSc, ’19 PhD
During his PhD, Suliman Gargoum found a way to use remote sensing and artificial intelligence to improve safety and road infrastructure management. By the end of his degree, Gargoum had co-founded Nektar3D Consulting to put his research to work. His machine-learning algorithms were trained to automatically extract roadside and design features from data gathered using light detection and ranging technology. This included information on signposts, grades and side slopes. Besides extracting the features, he analyzed their impact on factors like safe stopping distances. Nektar3D Consulting has done work for many organizations, including Alberta Transportation and the City of Edmonton. Now an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, Gargoum is continuing his award-winning research into using technology to build safe, sustainable infrastructure.
Michael Zouhri, ’09 BSc
When a drunk driver struck Michael Zouhri, his injuries were serious and painful. When Zouhri sought justice, he discovered a new round of pain from the legal process. Drawing on his long experience in social justice initiatives and software successes, Zouhri founded PainWorth, which helps accident victims seek injury settlements even if they can’t find or afford a lawyer. PainWorth automatically scans thousands of legal data points and precedents to estimate what an injured person’s pain is worth, then guides them on obtaining justice. Since 2019, PainWorth has helped more than 2,000 Canadians get settlements while proving there's room to reimagine the legal system. He dedicates this award to his brother, Jordan, who always acted in service to others.
Alumni Service Award
Recognizes alumni who have demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment, dedication and volunteer service to the U of A.
Mary Pat Barry, ’04 MA
Mary Pat Barry is known as the Alumni Association president who wore green and gold to every meeting, but wearing the colours is only one way she showed her U of A pride. Her decade of volunteer service to the university also included stints on the alumni council, senate and board of governors — occasionally serving several at once. Despite the workload of boards and committees, Barry made time to connect with students past and present: volunteering with a student mental health team, helping at campus events and attending convocation ceremonies. Barry, who retired in 2015 from a career in corporate communications, also served high profile roles with other non-profits, including Chrysalis, an organization that supports individuals with disabilities, and the Mental Health Foundation.
Gerald Lloyd Moysa, ’70 BA, ’74 MD
The U of A has played an important role in Gerry Moysa’s life; in turn, he has found ways to make it a better place. Now retired, Moysa started his U of A plastic surgery career in 1981, eventually becoming a clinical professor and chair of the plastic surgeon residency training program. When the university needs a set of helping hands, Moysa doesn’t hesitate to dive in, from serving on alumni council to organizing class reunions. In 2017, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry asked him to chair an Alumni Advisory Council (AAC). Despite setbacks and complications, Moysa earned the faculty’s deep gratitude for leveraging his considerable leadership skills and knack for bringing people together to turn the vision into a well-functioning, engaged and thoughtful group.
Sports Wall of Fame
Recognizes the contributions of alumni as athletes and builders of University of Alberta sport.
Chris Bowie, ’92 BA
From 1988-91, Chris Bowie was an unstoppable force in the pool for the Bears. A tremendous freestyle swimmer, Bowie elevated the level of the entire U of A swim program during his time in the West Pool, bringing the team to heights they hadn’t seen in two decades. Over his four years on campus, Bowie captured 14 individual Canada West medals, nine CIAU medals and the 1991 Beaumont Swimming Award. Now a successful corporate commercial and wills and estates lawyer in Edmonton, Bowie represented Canada on the international stage numerous times, including at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1990 Commonwealth Games and multiple Pan Pacific Championships.
Dale Henwood, ’74 BPE, ’76 MA, ’76 Dip(Ed)
An accomplished athlete, administrator and advocate, Dale Henwood dedicated his life to the development of sport. A man who seemed to have the Midas touch at every stage of his career, Henwood was a trailblazer for the advancement of hockey for athletes, coaches, referees and staff across North America. Learning under the tutelage of coach Clare Drake, Henwood was an integral member of a championship-caliber Golden Bears hockey team, highlighted by winning the 1975 University Cup. Using the core principles of Coach Drake and the Bears, Henwood established a successful career in coaching and administration, which saw him coach in three winter Olympic Games, craft a women’s hockey development program and coaching certification programs with Hockey Alberta, and become the first-ever President & CEO of the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary.
Sarah Joly, ’99 BSc(PT), ’05 MD
All Sports Wall of Fame inductees were tremendous athletes, students, leaders and role models. Very few displayed the sheer brilliance that Sarah Joly did in both athletics and academics during her time at the U of A. A star with the championship-winning Pandas Soccer teams of the late ’90s, Joly was known for her talent, passion and intelligence – both on the pitch and in the classroom. She was the catalyst for a team that captured three Canada West banners and one national title between 1995-99. The only Panda to ever be named the top Female Academic All-Canadian three times, Joly was also named the national Player of the Year in 1998. Now an anesthesiologist and assistant clinical professor at the U of A, Joly also competed for Canada at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Heather Parrish, ’99 BSc(Spec), ’03 BEd, ’03 MEd
Few U of A student-athletes have accomplished as much as Heather Parrish did during her time with Pandas Rugby. A tremendous athlete, leader, role model and student, Parrish checked every box as one of the faces of the newest Pandas program. Parrish and the Pandas won four consecutive Canada West and CIS titles from 1999-2002, losing just once in 30 matches across four seasons. Displaying finesse, speed and strength at the flanker position, Parrish was the pinnacle of the Pandas success, named national player of the year twice, Bakewell trophy recipient, four-time Academic All-Canadian and team captain. A high school teacher and coach in Edmonton, Parrish is still a familiar face with the U of A, having supported the varsity program since graduating.