Faculty of Health Sciences 2024: The year in awards

Catherine Hayward is pictured on stage behind a row of personalized glass award plaques. To her right is Paul O’Byrne, pictured at a podium.

By Chantall Van Raay

Posted on December 10, 2024

From six new Royal Society of Canada inductees to one new Order of Canada member, an induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, and several prestigious disciplinary awards, 2024 was a successful year for Faculty of Health Sciences members, who received important recognition for their contributions, work, and impact.

“These wonderful recognitions truly exemplify the creativity, hard work and impact that our Faculty members have on our community, our country and our world,” says Dina Brooks, Executive Vice-Dean and Associate Vice-President, Academic of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and co-chair of the Faculty’s Nominations and Awards Committee. “Recognizing excellence is an important mandate of the Faculty of Health Sciences’ mission, so I would like to also thank those who take the time to nominate deserving individuals for their outstanding efforts.”

Here is a selection of prestigious awards that recognized our faculty members in 2024:

Ronnie Barr, Martin Kolb, Margo Mountjoy, Gerry Wright: Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Among the highest recognitions of excellence in Canadian academic health sciences, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences is a distinguished and esteemed institution dedicated to advancing health research, knowledge and policy in Canada.

Deborah Cook: Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Laureates are Canadian citizens whose outstanding leadership and contributions to medicine and the health sciences, in Canada or abroad, have led to extraordinary improvements in human health.

Deborah Cook, professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, will join the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF). CMHF laureates are Canadian citizens whose outstanding leadership and contributions to medicine and the health sciences, in Canada or abroad, have led to extraordinary improvements in human health.

Jillian Halladay: CIHR Embedded Early Career Researcher Award

Co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), McMaster and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, this award provides $400,000 over four years to support research on substance use disorders and concurrent mental health among youth.

Kathleen Houlahan: Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award

This competition invites promising Canadian researchers to submit an application to present their research as part of Gairdner Science Week events.

Sonia Anand: Health Research Foundation Diversity & Equity in Research Award

This award honours individuals who have significantly advanced diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in health research.

Sonia Anand stands on a stage with Michael Hill — Sonia Anand is pictured with Michael Hill, who accepted their awards at the Health Research Foundation awards presentation.

Gordon Guyatt: Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research

The Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research is awarded to individuals who demonstrate exceptional innovation and leadership in health research.

Gerry Wright: Killam Prize in Health Sciences

The Killam Prizes are awarded to active Canadian scholars who have distinguished themselves through sustained research excellence, making a significant impact in their respective fields in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering.

Paul O’Byrne: Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is the country’s highest civilian honour, recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary achievements and demonstrated outstanding dedication to their respective fields.

Paul O’Byrne smiles at a podium with a Canadian flag to his left. — Paul O’Byrne, dean and vice-president of McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Sheila Singh: Robert L. Noble Prize from the Canadian Cancer Society

This award is given for outstanding basic biomedical cancer research achievements. It is named in honour of Dr. Noble, an esteemed Canadian investigator whose research in the 1950s led to the discovery of vinblastine, a widely used anticancer drug.

Judah Denburg, Hendrik Poinar, Michelle Kho, Matthew Miller, Hsein Seow and Deborah Cook: Royal Society of Canada

The Royal Society of Canada recognizes leaders to help them build a better future in Canada and around the world. Two Health Sciences faculty members were elected new Fellows, three were welcomed to the incoming class of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, and one received the Royal Society of Canada’s prestigious McLaughlin Medal.