The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry's Rhodes Scholar Peter Gill has been honoured with another major award to add to his collection.
Gill, who is currently working towards his PhD at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, won the highest award given out by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE), the $25,000 IODE War Memorial Scholarship Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee.
"Being selected for the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship is an absolute privilege and honour," said Gill. "IODE is a long-standing Canadian charitable organization. It is involved in numerous inspirational projects including educational support and community service, and it is humbling to be acknowledged by them."
"The fact that he is going to put this research to use for the good of Canadian children, that's what really sold us," said Marie Locke, a war memorial officer with IODE Canada. "He's going to do so much good, and his professors have every expectation that he'll do that. Their remarks about him [in the award application] were just outstanding. You couldn't ask for a finer man."
The award was given to Gill for his ongoing research in England. The focus of his work is on developing and identifying key indicators of high-quality patient care for children. The hope is that these key indicators will advance health promotion, the diagnosis of acute illnesses and the care of children with chronic diseases.
"The results of my research will not only improve the quality of care for children but should also reduce health-care system spending by focusing on high-quality, cost-effective care," said Gill. "The establishment of quality indicators will enable researchers, funding agencies, policy-makers and administrators to measure performance [of physicians], establish standards, and identify gaps in care where improvement is most needed."
Gill, who will be completing his doctor of philosophy (PhD) in primary care health sciences in the spring of 2013, has held an overseas travel grant from the U of A, an ASTech Foundation Leaders of Tomorrow Award, a Peter Lougheed Scholarship and a Rhodes Scholarship.
Gill will return to the University of Alberta upon completion of his PhD overseas. He'll complete his fourth year of medical school and plans to do his residency in pediatrics.
"My long-term career aspirations are to be an Alberta-based pediatrician, clinical scientist and medical educator," said Gill. "All while continuing to advocate for children and the medical profession."