Awards and Accolades - June to July 2020

Celebrating the achievements of our faculty, staff and students.

Kirsten Bauer - 15 July 2020

Leadership in transition

This month we recognize three accomplished leaders who are moving into the next phase of their careers. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to research and education in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.

Dr. Hanne Ostergaard, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology


Dr. Hanne Ostergaard completed her term as associate dean, graduate studies on June 30, 2020 after eight years of dedicated service overseeing 10 departmental and 12 independent MSc and PhD programs, while maintaining her own active research and teaching programs in the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology. Her leadership was instrumental in directing, evaluating and improving graduate programs within the faculty, as well as building a strong relationship with programs outside the faculty, including the University of Alberta's Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada.

Dr. Ostergaard also advanced the FoMD Undergraduate Summer Students' Research Program and implemented measures to streamline the student application process, while increasing awareness of the program and the value of undergraduate research for students and faculty members. She is widely recognized within the FoMD as a champion of trainees and their well-being.

Her experience, commitment and intelligence regarding the education of summer students, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows will be greatly missed.

Dr. Tracey Hillier, Department of Radiology & Diagnostic Imaging


June 30, 2020 marked the close of Dr. Tracey Hillier's term as associate dean, MD Program.

As a member of the Qalipu First Nation, Dr. Hillier was the first Indigenous associate dean of that program. Throughout her tenure, she facilitated significant, collaborative improvements to the curriculum, and has been a strong advocate for the Indigenous Medical and Dental Students' Association and the Black Medical Students' Association.

Her many accomplishments include leading the medical school through an external review that resulted in a full, unqualified eight-year accreditation approval, the implementation of a new learning management system (LMS), a programmatic assessment system, a portfolio system, an electronic OSCE system and an accreditation management system (AMS).

Dr. Hillier is a strong supporter of student research and increased basic science in the curriculum. The MD/PhD program thrived under her leadership, attracting an increased number of students interested in becoming clinician-scientists.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Hillier spearheaded program modifications to allow students unique learning opportunities while maintaining their program of study. Her compassion and support made a great difference in our learners' personal and professional lives, and we thank her for her contributions.

Dr. Barbara Ballermann, Department of Medicine

Dr. Barbara Ballermann's 10-year term as chair of the Department of Medicine came to an end in April 2020. She leaves her mark as a passionate researcher, administrator, mentor and role model to many who worked alongside her while she led one of the largest departments at the university. We wish her all the best in the next chapter of her career. Read more.

Distinguished achievements

Dr. Frances Harley, professor emerita, Department of Pediatrics, was selected to be inducted ino the 2020 Alberta Order of Excellence. Read about her groundbreaking career as Alberta's first pediatric nephrologist here.

Frances Harley, Department of Nephrology

Dr. Leonard Barry Smith, '68 DDS, was recently selected as Top Pediatric Dentist of the Decade by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP).


Dr. Francesco Mosaico, Department of Family Medicine, was named the inaugural winner of the Dr. Richard Fedorak Memorial Award in Professionalism. Watch him accept the award in the video below.


Dr. Stanley Read, '65 MD, was named U of A Distinguished Alumni for his leadership and advocacy in the field of pediatric infectious disease.


Dr. Keith Aronyk, '77 MD, Department of Surgery, is the recipient of a U of A Alumni Honour Award. Read more.

Research and innovation

Dr. Basil Hubbard, Department of Pharmacology, was awarded the 2019 Canadian Society for Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CSPT) Junior Investigator Award.


Dr. Mariusz Sapijaszko, Department of Medicine, received the Canadian Dermatology Association Award of Merit.

Faculty educators

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2020 FoMD Excellence in Mentoring Award:

  • Tier I Basic Science Award - Dr. Jason Acker, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology

  • Tier II Basic Science Award - Dr. Daniel Graf, School of Dentistry

  • Tier II Clinical Science Award - Dr. Georg Schmolzer, Department of Pediatrics

Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA)

The Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA) announced the following award winners:

  • Dr. David Ha, Department of Emergency Medicine - 2019/'20 PARA Clinical Teaching Award (Edmonton)

  • Dr. Joanne Baergen, Department of Family Medicine - 2019/'20 PARA Wellbeing Award

Honourable mention

Clinical teaching

  • Dr. Cecile Phan, Department of Medicine

  • Dr. Joseph Abraham, Department of Family Medicine

  • Dr. Karim Damji, Department of Ophthalmology

  • Dr. Ron Brisebois, Department of Surgery

  • Dr. Alim Hirji, Department of Medicine

  • Dr. Rahul Mehta, Department of Medicine

  • Dr. James Coe, Department of Pediatrics

  • Dr. Cameron Seaman, Department of Pediatrics

  • Dr. Konstantin Averin, Department of Pediatrics

  • Dr. Michael Seidler, Department of Radiology & Diagnostic Imaging

  • Dr. Nirupan Vipulananthan, Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine

  • Dr. Jaime Badilla, Department of Ophthalmology

  • Dr. Sandra Demaries, Department of Psychiatry

Well-being Award

  • Dr. Samantha Horvey, Department of Family Medicine

Department of Radiology

The Department of Radiology presented the following at their recent virtual awards presentation:

  • Dr. Mark Buller - Best Rounds

  • Dr. Sukhvinder Dhillon - Best Academic Half Day Teaching

  • Dr. Edward Wiebe - Best Junior Viewer-Side Teaching

  • Dr. James Barrie - Best Senior Viewer-Side Teaching

  • Dr. Adrienne Thompson - Best On Call Support

  • Dr. Erin Niven - Nuclear Medicine Teaching of the Year

  • Dr. Michael Seidler - Teacher of the Year

The Department of Radiology medical student elective educators of the year are as follows:

  • Attending radiologist: Dr. Ed Wiebe

  • Fellow: Dr. Mitch Wilson

  • Resident: Dr. Bashiar Thejeel

  • Administrator: Holly O'Kurly

Department of Pediatrics

The Department of Pediatrics faculty and staff celebration on June 24, 2020 gathered over 115 people virtually to recognize colleagues' accomplishments. Congratulations to all who were honoured. See a list of faculty awards here, and trainee awards here.

Department of Emergency Medicine

  • Dr. Brandy Stauffer - On-Service Outstanding Teacher Award 2019-'20

  • Dr. Tim Darsaut, Department of Surgery - Off-Service Outstanding Teacher Award 2019-'20

  • Stanley LaPorte, Alberta Health Services - Allied Health Professional Award 2020

  • Dr. Allan Walker - Dr. Garnet E. Cummings Lifetime Achievement Award 2020

  • Dr. Isabelle Gray, resident- Dr. Brian Holroyd Academic Leadership and Professionalism Award

  • Dr. Kristin Morch, resident - Trainee of the Year (Misericordia Hospital) 2019-'20

  • Dr. Bill Sevcik - Department of Pediatrics Top Ten Teachers Award for Undergraduate Teaching


School of Dentistry

Congratulations to all who participated and were recognized at the School of Dentistry Graduate Student Research Day. See the list of winners here.

Learners as leaders

Dr. Tamara Saez, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women and Children's Health Institute (WCHRI) member, received a 2019-'20 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Dr. Seyara Shwetz, pediatric emergency medicine resident, received the Dr. Marnie Hinton Award for Physician Wellness. (Photo below.)

Dr. Jonathan Chainey, resident in the Department of Surgery, earned second place in the 2020 Canadian Neurosurgical Society (CNSS) K.G. McKenzie Memorial Prize for Clinical Neuroscience Research competition.

Dr. Bianka Saravana-Bawan, resident in the Department of Surgery, received the Grey Nuns Hospital Marshall C. Hunting Award. (Photo below.)

Dr. Kristin Morch, resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine, was named trainee of the Year in Geriatrics at the Misericordia Hospital


Shima Shahbaz (supervisor Dr. Elahi Shokrollah) was awarded a highly prestigious 2020 American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Careers in Immunology Fellowship.

Prayash Katlariwala, MD student, received a Radiology Society of North America Medical Student Research Grant.

Graduate student research excellence

  • Angelle Britton, Department of Biochemistry - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Jeffrey McDonald, Department of Biochemistry - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Eric Zhang, Department of Cell Biology - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Meghan Ferguson, Department of Cell Biology - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Solomon Hussein, Department of Cell Biology - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Rowayna Shouib, Department of Cell Biology - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Faraz Tavoossi, School of Dentistry - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Pranidhi Baddam, School of Dentistry - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship 2020/'21

  • Harsimrat Kaur, School of Dentistry - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship 2020/'21

  • Leigh-Ann Thompson, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Jeffrey Tao, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship 2020/'21

  • Jagdeesh Uppal, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Yana Kibalnyk - Department of Medical Genetics - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Qi Feng Lin, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Gregory Vallee, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Reegan Willms, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship 2020/'21

  • David Li, Department of Medicine - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Reed Sutton, Department of Medicine - CIHR Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship 2020/'21

  • Nadia Daniel, Department of Medicine - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship 2020/'21

  • Timothy Friedman, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Brady Hammond - Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Alexandra Ouellette, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Sameera Zia, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (NSERC) 2020/'21

  • Aaron Purchase, Department of Oncology - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship 2020/'21

  • Simran Ghoman, Department of Pediatrics - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Simran Pherwani, Department of Pediatrics - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Carmen Tessier, Department of Pediatrics - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Theodore Dos Santos, Department of Pharmacology - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Midhat Rizvi, Department of Physiology - Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CIHR) 2020/'21

  • Valentin Mocanu, Department of Surgery - CIHR Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship 2020/'21