2021 Alumni Award Recipients
University of Alberta alumni around the globe uphold the promise to use their education "for the public good" 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 Do Great Things.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the Alumni Association's highest honour. It 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.
Janaki Alavalapati, ’90 MSc, ’95 PhD
One could say that Janaki Alavalapati sees both the forest and the trees. Since earning his forest economics doctorate in 1995, Alavalapati's big-picture thinking as an academic leader, researcher and public servant has brought richer layers of environmental consciousness to both public policy and education. As dean at Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences in Alabama since 2015, Alavalapati has introduced contemporary programs focused on sustainable biomaterials, wildlife enterprise management and environmental informatics. Similarly, during his seven years at Virginia Tech, Alavalapati reimagined the curriculum to include water and environmental conservation. The result in both schools has been resounding increases in enrolment and funding. Alavalapati is an influential researcher with more than 200 published articles and applications of his work can be seen in areas such as multiple-use forestland management, agroforestry, bioenergy, and climate. In 2007, Alavalapati won the prestigious Jefferson Science Fellowship, a one-year position advising the U.S. State Department on international energy affairs, including contributing to high-level meetings on food security, climate change and renewable energy. It also opened the door for future public service including five years with the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas. Admirers say the genius of Alavalapati’s leadership skills go hand-in-hand with his abilities to seek advice, build bridges and collaborate with others. Alavalapati’s work in forest economics and energy affairs is helping create a new generation of leaders in natural resources.
Brian William Corrigan, ’89 BSc(Pharm), ’96 PhD
In 2020, the world became interested like never before in clinical pharmacology—the study of how medicines have their effect and are broken down in the body. It's a field Brian William Corrigan has helped evolve since earning his PhD in pharmacokinetics. As a graduate student, Corrigan held down a part-time job as a pharmacist while he pursued an idea about using mathematical approaches to predict drug concentrations and drug effects. Today, these models are routinely used to aid in drug development. Corrigan joined Pfizer in 1999 and has worked all over the world in a variety of leadership roles, including his current position as Pfizer's global head of clinical pharmacology. He has developed models to analyze clinical trials and to identify correct doses, and continues to supervise early-stage trials of compounds being developed for maladies ranging from neuropathic pain and Alzheimer’s to COVID-19. Corrigan is internationally known for his cutting-edge work in pharmacokinetics (what the body does to a drug) and the emerging field of pharmacometrics (the quantitative arm of clinical pharmacology, focused on understanding relationships between drug concentrations and effects). He helped found and has been president of the International Society of Pharmacometrics. Corrigan is described as a pioneer of methods that have become the gold standard in quickly moving medications from research to clinics where they save countless lives.
Liz Ingram, ’76 MVA
Liz Ingram’s art reflects on the fragility of life, our relationship to the environment and our connections to each other. The latter is also a strong theme in Ingram’s career as an award-winning educator, an internationally renowned printmaker, and a cherished mentor and friend. For 40 years, Ingram helped U of A printmaking students connect with their creativity and push their artistic boundaries, resulting in graduates who have become leading visual artists throughout North America and a printmaking program recognized as one of the best in the world for graphic art research. Ingram’s strength as an educator grew out of her near-constant exploration of her own art and belief that art can build empathy in people. Her work has been exhibited in hundreds of solo, duo and group exhibitions around the world. Water is an important theme in her work, capturing the world's natural beauty and difficult issues like water shortages and quality. An innovator among her peers, Ingram has produced everything from small-scale prints to massive permanent pieces in Alberta's public buildings. In 2020, the combination of a personal health journey and the worldwide pandemic inspired intensely personal works using MRI scans of her own brain. Numerous awards, including the prestigious University Cup in 2011 and the Order of Canada in 2016, have recognized Ingram’s role as a builder of Canadian printmaking.
Richard W. Sherbaniuk, '48 BSc, '52 MD, '56 MSc
In 1960, when Richard W. Sherbaniuk completed his Detroit residency in internal medicine and gastroenterology, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada did not certify various medicine subspecialties. Gastroenterology, specializing in the digestive system and its disorders, was poorly understood and inadequately taught; this is where Sherbaniuk would make a difference when he returned to Alberta as its first trained gastroenterologist. While building his busy clinical practice, Sherbaniuk became a spirited volunteer teacher with a heavy course load at the U of A's medical school, and an enthusiastic builder of the subspecialty within the Canadian medical profession. In 1961, he signed on as a founding member of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology. Within a few years, the U of A hospital had created specialized divisions for patient care, followed in 1967 by the Department of Medicine’s creation of the Division of Gastroenterology, with Sherbaniuk as its acting head. In 1970, when the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons recognized gastroenterology as a field of medicine, Sherbaniuk was named to its first examinations committee. Passionate about new tools and ideas, Sherbaniuk is known as an early adopter of the endoscope, an ardent supporter of research activities and co-founder of a gastroenterology fellowship for postgraduate MDs. For many of today's gastroenterologists, Sherbaniuk taught them the art and science of being a doctor, a legacy that continues in the everyday care of patients.
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.
Cheryl E. Cable, ’92 BSc, ’97 DDS, ’04 MBA
Cheryl E. Cable is a trailblazer of the Alberta dental profession. In 2001, Cable became Alberta’s first female prosthodontist and maxillofacial prosthodontist, joining a small group of specialists trained in complex dental rehabilitation resulting from trauma, surgery or congenital anomalies. At the U of A, she has co-developed innovative programs to improve implant dentistry education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Cable has been a role model for women in the profession—while pregnant with triplets, she became the first female dentist to obtain tenure at the U of A in 2006 and established the Canadian Association of Women Dentists in 2020. Today, Cable maintains her private practice serving Alberta and northern Canada, and she prides herself on timely, compassionate care that puts her patients first.
C. Adèle Kent, ’77 LLB
When C. Adèle Kent was placed in charge of educating Canada’s judiciary, she introduced changes to help judges be more ethical, empathetic and free of unconscious stereotyping. An Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench justice for two decades, Kent was appointed in 2014 to lead the National Judicial Institute, a judge-led non-profit that develops educational programming for the judiciary in Canada and beyond. Under her guidance, compulsory training was expanded to include training on issues such as race, gender and unconscious bias, particularly in sexual assault cases. Kent is an acknowledged expert in judicial ethics, who for five years co-chaired a committee that provides ethical advice to federal judges. Combined with her work at the institute, Kent helped build a better-educated judiciary that inspires more confidence in the justice system.
Seung-Ryul Lee, ’11 PhD
Seung-Ryul Lee was intrigued by the foreigners who taught English at the Korean university where he was a professor. That curiosity grew into his 2011 (and second) doctoral thesis and it still underpins his efforts to improve connections between South Korea and Canada. A four-year president of the Korean Association for Canadian Studies, Lee scheduled regular meetings and conferences, revived its academic journal and revitalized an organization that is dedicated to research and exchange between Koreans and Canadians. In 2016, he founded the Korean Association for English for Specific Purposes, working to improve a 50-year tradition of teaching English in Korea’s higher-education institutions. A believer in communities, Lee is an active alumnus whose newsletters and chat rooms are building new green-and-gold bridges among U of A grads in Korea.
Linda Jean MacDonald, ’88 BSc(PT), ’94 BA
For three decades, Linda Jean MacDonald has lived with the debilitating pain of the post-infectious neuro-immune disease, myalgic encephalomyelitis, formerly chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Despite the cost to her health, MacDonald advocates for over 600,000 Canadians coping with the hidden disabilities and stigma of ME/CFS, chemical sensitivities and fibromyalgia, while monitoring research linking ME/CFS and long COVID. Her volunteer efforts have led to improved fragrance-free protocols for clinics and care providers, the development of the first ME clinical practice guidelines for Alberta doctors, and an online “ME/CFS mythbusting” science quiz to challenge misconceptions. While her networking has laid the groundwork for many professional collaborations, MacDonald still seeks social inclusion, disability accommodation and equitable, accessible health care for citizens with ME/CFS.
Albert D. Murtha, ’85 BMedSc, ’87 MD
In 2002, Albert Murtha wondered if an emerging computer science discipline called “machine learning” could help his work as a radiation oncologist and brain cancer specialist. For the next two decades, the ensuing collaboration between Murtha and renowned computer scientist Russell Greiner proved that it can. Their Brain Tumour Analysis Project brought together physicians, mathematicians, bioengineers and computer scientists to find data-driven solutions to challenging medical problems. Their work resulted in software that analyzes medical images to automatically locate tumours, reducing the time it takes to do it by hand, and a tool called Flipbook that turns multiple brain scans into a movie that helps clinicians interpret brain tumour images. Most importantly, it shows that collaborating with experts in other fields can lead to innovative new solutions.
M. Anne Naeth, ’76 BSc, ’85 MSc, ’88 PhD
Over four decades, M. Anne Naeth has followed her fascination with nature to become a groundbreaking researcher, inspirational teacher, wise counsel to government and industry, and global leader in land reclamation. She influenced tangible changes, including Parks Canada’s use of native plant species for restoration, and industry’s shift from burning woody debris to using it for land reclamation. Naeth developed a soil taxonomy order, anthroposols, for human-made soils. Her curriculum’s emphasis on real-world challenges prepares graduates to address issues like land degradation, climate change and food security. Today, Naeth is director of the U of A’s Future Energy Systems research program, its Energy Systems signature area and the Land Reclamation International Graduate School, all of which flourish under her considerable leadership ability and desire to change the world.
Erasmus Okine, ’90 PhD
Erasmus Okine is an agriculture scientist whose career has touched many fields. His research has led to the development of CowBytes, a tool that helps beef cattle producers design nutritionally sound, cost-effective feeding programs, and shows promise in helping reduce methane emissions. He has also been an award-winning U of A instructor and a senior leader at the University of Lethbridge. Since joining the U of L in 2015, he has secured seven additional research chairs and helped more than double its research funding, contributing to a steady rise in the university’s ranking among Canadian post-secondary institutions. Okine has been a pioneer in collaborative partnerships with industry and government, showing his strength both as a team player and leader.
John Ramsey, '62 BSc(ChemEng)
Boards and committees form the backbone of a vibrant community, and John Ramsey has been the backbone of countless organizations supporting education, health, community sports and more. In the mid-1970s, he led the Kinsmen Club of Edmonton through construction of aquatic facilities for the Commonwealth Games; in decades since, he provided support for the city’s professional football and hockey teams, as well as the Golden Bears football program during a funding crisis in the early 1990s. Over five decades, Ramsey helped shape Edmonton through his long service with organizations such as Edmonton Northlands, the Edmonton Community Foundation, Capital Health and Grant MacEwan Community College (now MacEwan University). Ramsey is inspired by MacEwan’s advice to “leave the vineyard better than you found it,” but Ramsey’s lifetime of service is an inspiration to us all.
Kathy Reid, ’08 MN
As a pediatric nurse, Kathy Reid has seen how a child’s pain affects a whole family and she has used her trademark perseverance to make it better. Her ongoing involvement in patient- and family-centered care started early in her almost 40-year nursing career and has led to changes such as authorizing Stollery nurses to offer topical analgesics when giving injections, and a “faces behind the mask” initiative during the pandemic. A believer in the power of knowledge, Reid helped design an ebook about child pain for families, and she shares her expertise as a clinical lecturer in the Faculty of Nursing. For teen patients who are struggling in school, Reid created Chronic Pain 35, a first-of-its-kind high school course that earns students credits toward graduation while learning to self-manage pain.
Melynnie Rizvi, ’95 BCom, ’99 LLB
Melynnie Rizvi is guided by fairness and equity in her dual roles as an award-winning Silicon Valley employment lawyer and a corporate leader of diversity, inclusion and social responsibility. Campaigns she has steered over the past decade have fed thousands of Bay Area families, provided tech products to non-profits, and raised $15 million to help fight social issues like racial and gender inequality, homelessness and climate change. SurveyMonkey for Good, a program she launched in 2018, integrates social impact into company operations, while policies she has introduced are supporting working parents and teaching managers to be actively anti-racist. Rizvi's determination to build a better world isn't confined to the workplace; she volunteers with organizations doing groundbreaking work for women’s rights, at-risk youth, immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.
Alison Schneider, ’11 MBA
In 2011, new MBA graduate Alison Schneider was hired by Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) to build its responsible investment program. Today, Schneider is a globally acknowledged champion of sustainable finance, advocating for such issues as climate change, human rights and gender diversity. The program she developed focuses on integrating environmental, social and governance considerations into AIMCo’s investment processes and stewardship activities. Schneider is co-founder of GRESB Infrastructure, a global sustainability assessment tool for infrastructure assets and funds. Knowing that change is a long road, Schneider is working hard to shape the sustainability leaders of tomorrow by contributing to the development of courses for the Alberta School of Business and as an active mentor who inspires confidence and encourages innovation.
Shelley Jane Spaner, ’94 BMedSc, ’96 MD
Shelley Jane Spaner, a diagnostic radiologist in Calgary, has mobilized the power of women to tackle a sobering reality: that men, on average, die four to five years earlier than women. In 2016, Spaner launched an organization called Women for Men’s Health, which began fundraising with the Prostate Cancer Centre where she is a board member. The organization has raised more than $1.5 million through private donations and gala events like the annual Big Ball. In turn, those funds helped the centre’s 2018 launch of a men’s health clinic that, in concert with its Man Van program, provides services ranging from cancer screening to mental health assistance. Whether in the clinic, the boardroom or the ballroom, Spaner is working toward reducing gender inequities in men’s health in Alberta.
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.
Terri-Leigh Aldred, ’10 BMedSc, ’11 MD
Terri-Leigh Aldred, a member of the Tl’azt’en Nation, knows the distinct health challenges experienced by Indigenous Peoples. As a family physician, Aldred is a passionate advocate who provides compassionate, holistic health care in British Columbia. In the decade since graduation, Aldred has become the first medical director for the First Nations Health Authority, and established outreach clinician work for Carrier Sekani Family Services. She’s especially proud to have become site director for University of British Columbia’s Indigenous Family Medicine program just two years after completing her own residency. Her leadership in improving medical education was honoured with a 2021 Resident Doctors of Canada award. With her willingness to share personal stories, her desire to create change and her bridging of western and Indigenous values, Aldred is an inspiring example of perseverance and achievement.
Billy-Ray Belcourt, ’16 BA, ’20 PhD
Drawing inspiration from his own life and the world around him, Billy-Ray Belcourt shows that the pen is mighty indeed, as his stellar academic career demonstrates. He became Canada’s first First Nations Rhodes Scholar in 2015, won the Trudeau Foundation Scholarship in 2018, and earned both his PhD and the Governor General’s Gold Medal at age 25 in 2020. Even more remarkable, Belcourt accomplished all this while pouring his heart into two books of poetry and a highly regarded memoir. These, too, have earned numerous prestigious honours—including the 2019 Indspire Award—establishing the writer from northern Alberta’s Driftpile Cree First Nation as the fresh, urgent voice of his generation and proving that the creative imagination has the power to envision and enable a better world.
Victor Do, ’19 BMedSc, ’20 MD
As medical students prepare for a career of caring for others, Victor Do has ensured they’re also taking care of themselves. The National Wellness Program, developed by Do for the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS), was designed to offer tools for self-care in addition to tackling the root causes of wellness issues. The program itself was born when Do, who had volunteered for the U of A’s Healthy University working group, witnessed widespread burnout among his med school classmates. His visionary problem-solving skills were up to the task during his CFMS presidency in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic required drastic changes to medical education. Do’s colleagues know him as genuinely supportive and always willing to offer an empathetic ear.
Sumantra Monty Ghosh, ’16 PostgradCert(MedEd)
As a doctor, Sumantra Monty Ghosh is a careful listener. As an advocate for society’s vulnerable citizens, he makes a point of listening to those who are rarely heard. Between his busy schedule as a physician, addictions specialist and clinical professor, Ghosh has worked directly with police services, technology experts, politicians and more, figuring out gaps in the health-care system and ways to close them. At Calgary's Drop-In Centre, Ghosh helped co-create respite beds for people needing medical recovery time. He was key to the launch of the National Overdose Response Service, a hotline inspired by one of Ghosh’s clients, who would Facetime a friend when injecting opioids, so the friend could call EMS in case of overdose. And during COVID-19, Ghosh helped homeless agencies create screening and isolation strategies, ensuring the well-being of clients and staff.
Eva Glancy, ’10 BA(Hons), ’18 MBA
Eva Glancy’s colleagues in the Faculty of Arts call her their Faculty’s heart and soul, but her heart extends well beyond the office. Glancy is a powerhouse administrator and systematic problem-solver who brings daily joy with small acts of positivity. She is forever looking for opportunities to improve her skills, from taking suicide intervention training to earning her master’s in business. Social care agencies—such as Hope Mission, Elizabeth Fry Society and the Campus Food Bank—benefit from her formidable energy, and she’s particularly proud to be a third-generation member of an international philanthropic organization that helps women pursue higher education. But Glancy’s heart shines brightest when she leads her colleagues in light-hearted events like “reverse trick-or-treating,” in which she enlists them to help brighten the lives of others.
Chris Henderson, ’05 BA
Chris Henderson is a behind-the-scenes player whose innate optimism fuels his work to build a better society. As a political campaign manager, Henderson led the team that got an unknown Don Iveson elected to council by earning crucial early support among Edmonton voters for a fresh, hopeful vision of the city. As a professional communications strategist—first for Calder Bateman and now at Y Station, the company he co-founded mid-pandemic—Henderson’s commitment to truth has been tapped by some of Alberta's most influential people. He cares deeply about civil society and spends his free time working on initiatives that seek equitable representation in government or that showcase Canada's diversity. With his words and in his actions, Henderson is a quintessential booster—and that makes him the best kind of leader.
Alumni Service Award
Recognizes alumni who have demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment, dedication and volunteer service to the University of Alberta.
Kristina Milke, ’94 BCom
They say time is money, but when it’s Kristina Milke’s time—freely given to Edmonton’s entrepreneurial community—it’s even more valuable. Milke is one of 20 founding mentors of the U of A's ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service (VMS). A long-serving VMS board member who recently took over as its chair, Milke has helped the program grow to 120 volunteer mentors who have collectively helped more than 95 alumni ventures. Her expertise comes from a professional and volunteer career that has included leadership roles at Intuit Canada, Investopedia and Valhalla Angels; she is now a partner at Sprout Fund, which she co-founded in 2018 to support early-stage technology companies. Milke’s commitment to coaching comes from her first-hand knowledge that every road to success is built with help from others.
Kairi Pawlick, ’05 BSc(CivEng)
Kairi Pawlick’s civil engineering degree means she knows how to build neighbourhoods, but her skill in engaging smart, talented young people means she's a builder of communities, too. Pawlick’s busy volunteer schedule with community, professional and academic associations started in 2013 when she took on a senior volunteer role with NextGen, eventually becoming co-chair of the Edmonton initiative, which is committed to giving the next generation a voice in the city’s future. In 2017, Pawlick channelled what she learned from NextGen into starting a new volunteer-powered organization—the Faculty of Engineering's Young Alumni Council (EnggYAC)—to help the faculty connect with its ever-growing cohort of new graduates. Whether she’s organizing professional development events or networking nights at a brewpub, Pawlick inspires fellow alumni and other young Edmontonians to become great leaders.
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.
Xudong (Terry) Song, ’10 MSc
Xudong (Sheldon) Zhang, ’12 BSc(ElecEng)
In 2015, the frustration of hiring someone to shovel sidewalks inspired Xudong Song and Xudong Zhang to found Yardly, an Edmonton-based lawn care and snow removal service that has revolutionized the property service industry. After years of trials and errors, they developed processes to facilitate online ordering, price estimates based on satellite imaging and speedy customer support. By continually assessing customer needs and available technology, they've expanded Yardly into three provinces. Both had young families when they gave up their engineering careers and were keen participants of the ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service as they got established. Today, Song and Zhang are generous in sharing their experiences and offering support to others on the entrepreneurial trail.
Sports Wall of Fame
Recognizes the contributions of alumni as athletes and builders of University of Alberta sport.
Pascal Cardinal, ’03 BSc
During five years as a Golden Bears volleyball player, Pascal Cardinal set a new standard for power hitters, establishing team records for kills, points and attack attempts that still stand. The star athlete from Quebec joined the team in 1998, then promptly swept up Rookie of the Year awards at all levels. The Bears made four trips to the national championships during his time, winning gold in 2002. In his final year, the chemistry and biological sciences double-major won Canada West and Canadian Interuniversity Sport Player of the Year awards, and was named the university’s Male Athlete of the Year. Cardinal's volleyball career included time with Team Canada and playing professionally in Europe. As a pharmaceutical scientist, he’s part of a team involved in treatments for cancer, hepatitis C and COVID-19.
Kristen Danielle Hagg, ’05 BSc(Kinesiology), ’12 JD
In Kristen Hagg’s first season as a Pandas hockey player, the team won the national championship and she was Canada West’s Rookie of the Year. Four years and three more national titles later, she was team captain and MVP, Canada West scoring leader and Player of the Year, and recipient of the U of A's Bakewell Trophy for top female athlete and the Kathlene Yetman Memorial Trophy for top Female Academic All-Canadian. After playing elite women’s hockey in Canada and internationally, Hagg returned to law school. Today, she is a partner at a Calgary law firm and still involved in women's hockey: she was general manager of a professional team from 2016 to 2019, offers legal services to the national team and assists a foundation that helps young women without means to play.
Mark Korthuis, ’07 BA(RecSpoTourism)
As a Golden Bears soccer midfielder, Mark Korthuis was known as a strong player and energetic leader who excelled equally in sports and academia. After joining the Bears in 2002, the Saskatchewan native helped the team win the 2003 national title, its first in 24 years, plus a second national championship in 2006. He was Rookie of the Year in 2002, Canada West MVP in 2005 and a five-time Canada West All-Star. A model student-athlete, Korthuis used his capping project to design a business plan for a youth soccer program that became today’s Green and Gold Soccer Academy. In 2020, Korthuis took over as president and CEO of the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, following five years in a similar role with the Alberta Mental Health Foundation.
Heather Murray, ’98 BA(RecAdmin)
Heather Murray is goal-oriented, both in scoring them and achieving them. A Pandas soccer forward from 1993 to 1998, the striker was known for their accuracy at the net and still holds the Pandas’ all-time goal-scoring record. Murray’s steely resolve and work ethic helped the team's steady improvement in the standings, including back-to-back trips to the conference championships. The Pandas’ 1996 loss was followed by gold in 1997 when Murray scored the winner on an overtime penalty kick. Murray is proud to have been among the few openly queer soccer athletes at the time. Today, Murray is reaching new professional goals as a hospital clinical engineer for Covenant Health.
Deborah Younger, ’93 BCom, ’98 BEd
Deborah Younger is a competitive swimmer whose favourite pastime has brought her both personal and professional fulfilment. Younger was already a top-ranked swimmer in 1988 when she joined the Pandas and became one of the most prolific medalists in the team’s history. During five years of university competition, Younger won 45 medals, including 24 gold, and helped the team win four Canada West titles. She was also a five-year member of the Canadian swim team. Younger was equally high-achieving out of the water, as a three-time Academic All-Canadian and co-winner of the 1992-93 Bakewell Trophy recognizing the U of A’s top female student-athlete. An Edmonton high school teacher since 1998, Younger is still a familiar face at the pool, either coaching youth or competing with the masters swimming community.