The 2024 Alumni Awards of Distinction ceremony took place during the welcome evening of Homecoming weekend and will highlight healthcare professionals and researchers who have made a significant impact in their field.
Their exceptional dedication and achievements were celebrated across three award categories:
- The Exceptional Leadership Award, honouring professional excellence, leadership and dedication to the community.
- The Rising Star Achievement Award, recognizing promising young talent in the medical field.
- The Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating the extraordinary careers of leading figures in medicine.
These award winners, embodying excellence in their respective fields, are inspirations for the future of medicine and healthcare. Their recognition encourages continued excellence across the medical community, and we’re proud to showcase their brilliant achievements.
Exceptional Leadership Award
Dr. Pardeep Nijhawan (MD 1994)
For more than two decades, Dr. Pardeep Nijhawan has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the fields of gastroenterology and pharmaceutical entrepreneurship.
Currently, he serves as the CEO of Edesa Biotech, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Previously, he founded Medical Futures Inc., which was sold to Tribute Pharmaceuticals in 2015, and the Digestive Health Clinic, now Canada’s largest private endoscopy service provider. Dr. Nijhawan also founded Exzell Pharma, a rapidly growing pharmaceutical company ranked #2 on The Globe and Mail’s list of fastest growing companies in 2019, before its sale to Biolab Pharma in 2022.
For his business contributions, Dr. Nijhawan has been inducted into the Canadian Healthcare Licensing Association BD Hall of Fame and received the 2017 Business Development Deal of the Year Award.
Dr. Pardeep Nijhawan is a practicing gastroenterologist in the Greater Toronto Area. He earned his MD from the University of Ottawa, followed by an internship at Yale and residency and fellowship training in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Phil Wells (MD 1984)
Dr. Phil Wells is a hematologist who has conducted world-leading research into the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and the development of predictive algorithms. The Wells' Models or Wells' Scores for DVT and for PE are taught in medical schools and used worldwide.
He was the chair and chief of the University of Ottawa Department of Medicine for 12 years, praised by colleagues for his extraordinary vision and bold leadership during his tenure. As a parting gift they created a Legacy fund in his name, befitting his incredible passion as well as his lasting academic influence. He currently works on research and clinical care in the world’s most comprehensive and research-intensive thrombosis unit at the University of Ottawa.
Dr Phil Wells has held both Canda Research Council and University of Ottawa distinguished research chairs in the area of venous thromboembolism. He has obtained well over $35 million in research funding from peer-reviewed agencies and has published over 450 peer-reviewed publications in a wide array of prestigious journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Circulation, Blood, Nature Genetics and Lancet.
Dr. Céline Larivière (PhD 1999)
Dr. Céline Larivière has over 22 years of experience as an administrative and educational leader in the higher education sector. Currently, she is honoured to be serving the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University as the inaugural provost and vice-president academic, a post she has held since February 1, 2023.
In this capacity, she is leading efforts to collaborate with medical and health sciences educators and experts to achieve health equity for rural, remote, Indigenous and Francophone communities in Northern Ontario and beyond.
Previously, Dr. Larivière has served in multiple leadership roles at Laurentian University including being the inaugural dean of the Faculty of Health (2017-2021) and the Faculty of Education and Health (2021-2022). A proud alumnus of the University of Ottawa, she completed her doctoral studies in cellular and molecular medicine in 1999.
Venkatesh Thiruganasambandamoorthy (M.Sc 2009)
Dr. Venkatesh Thiruganasambandamoorthy (‘Venk’) is renowned for leading research on syncope and the development of prediction tools that have shaped emergency care both in Canada and internationally. In addition to co-authoring national and international guidelines on syncope, his work focuses on emergency department chest pain management, health systems improvement, and artificial intelligence.
Dr. Venk has also secured numerous peer-reviewed grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the National Institutes of Health. His accolades include the Heart and Stroke National New Investigator Award, the PSI Foundation Mid-career Award, and the CIHR Mid-career Award for his exceptional contributions to emergency medicine.
Dr. Venk is a professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa, an emergency physician at The Ottawa Hospital, and a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He completed his medical degree at Chengalpattu Medical College in India, followed by an emergency medicine residency at Western University and an MSc in Epidemiology and research fellowship at the University of Ottawa.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Geneviève Moineau (MD 1984)
Dr. Geneviève Moineau has dedicated her life to exceptional work in pediatric emergency medicine and medical education.
She is a full professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa and has held various leadership roles, including associate dean of undergraduate medical education. During her tenure, she earned numerous accolades, including being named honorary class president five times and receiving the 2023 AAMC Special Recognition Award.
Dr. Moineau served as president and CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada until 2023. She is currently vice-president of the World Federation for Medical Education and was appointed chief medical workforce advisor for Health Canada in 2023, where she supports efforts to address the national health workforce crisis.
Recognized for her lifelong commitment to medical education, Dr. Moineau received the 2024 CMA Léo Paul Landry Medal of Service Award. She is a proud mother of three and grandmother of six.
Dr. Marc Ruel (MD 1994)
Dr. Marc Ruel has advanced patient outcomes globally with his contributions to medicine. As a professor of Surgery and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa, he pioneered the multiarterial minimally invasive coronary artery bypass surgery, has published 500 scientific works and leads key trials like the ODIN and MIST trials.
A past-president of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Dr. Ruel has been instrumental in public advocacy efforts during COVID-19 and on the topic of heart failure. He also serves on numerous international committees and is the Surgery Editor for Circulation. He currently holds the Endowed Chair of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at the Ottawa Heart Institute and led the Cardiac Surgery Division for 11 years, significantly expanding its national and international impact.
Dr. Ruel earned his MD from the University of Ottawa in 1994 and Royal College Board Certification in Cardiac Surgery in 2000. He trained at Harvard University, specializing in minimally invasive surgery and public health.
Dr. Adwoa D. Bentsi-Enchill (M.Sc 1994)
Dr. Adwoa Bentsi-Enchill has dedicated her career to leadership in public health, field epidemiology and immunization.
She recently retired from her post as a medical officer in the Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where she led efforts to review evidence for updating global typhoid vaccine policies and supported decision-making for the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines in endemic countries. Prior to this role, Dr. Bentsi-Enchill focused on immunization safety and providing technical support to immunization and public health programs across the WHO's six regions.
Before joining the WHO, Dr. Bentsi-Enchill worked as an epidemiologist at Health Canada from 1994 to 2000. During this time, she made key contributions in areas such as polio and acute flaccid paralysis surveillance, vaccine coverage monitoring, vaccine effectiveness studies, and immunization safety.
Dr. Ian Stiell (M.Sc 1991)
Throughout his career, Dr. Ian Stiell has made a significant contribution to the field of emergency medicine. His major research initiatives have been in two main areas: the development of clinical decision rules, and resuscitation clinical trials. He developed the Ottawa Ankle Rules and Canadian C-Spine Rule, which have improved diagnostic precision for patients, and he was the principal investigator for the landmark OPALS studies for prehospital care.
Dr. Stiell also leads a productive team of emergency medicine researchers and chairs an internationally recognized emergency medicine research fellowship. He has been granted millions of dollars of peer-reviewed funding and has published 490 peer-reviewed papers including 30 as first author in very high impact journals. His current research interests include acute atrial fibrillation and acute heart failure.
Dr. Stiell has received many honours and awards at the local and international levels, including being elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine’s Institute of Medicine. A distinguished professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa and senior scientist of the Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, he is also the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, the leading EM journal in Canada.
Rising Star Achievement Award
Dr. Sarah Khan (MD 2009)
Dr. Sarah Khan is a rising leader in the fields of pediatric medicine and infectious diseases. She is currently an infectious disease specialist and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University and division head/head of service for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. She is the associate medical director for Infection, Prevention and Control with Hamilton Health Sciences and lead infection control physician for all COVID-19 related matters at McMaster Children’s Hospital. She is also the lead of antimicrobial stewardship initiatives for McMaster Children’s Hospital. She is the secretary for the Canadian Pediatric HIV/AIDS Research Group.
Dr. Khan completed her undergraduate training in biology at Western University, medical school at the University of Ottawa, a pediatrics residency at McMaster, and studied infectious diseases at the University of Toronto. She completed a CIHR Clinical Trials Network Postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric HIV, where she led community-based research projects for her master’s thesis on infant feeding in the Canadian HIV context. During this time she was completing the Clinician Investigator Program and Master’s in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University. This work has greatly informed her interest in community-based research, equity, diversity and inclusion and the intersection of infectious disease with vulnerable populations.
Dr. Kona Williams (MD 2009)
Dr. Kona Williams, a forensic pathologist and coroner with the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, is an emerging leader in her field. Both Cree (Peguis First Nation) and Mohawk (Kahnawake), she is the director of the Northeastern Regional Forensic Pathology Unit and the Laboratory Medical Director for Health Sciences North. She is appointed as the First Nations Liaison for the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, contributing a valuable cultural perspective and knowledge.
She is the co-chair of the Indigenous Health Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Williams teaches a fourth-year undergraduate course in Forensic Pathology at Laurentian University, and is an assistant professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). She serves on the Senate at the NOSM and has recently been appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools, Missing Children and Unmarked Burials.
Dr. Caroline Breitbach (PhD 2009)
For over 15 years, Dr. Caroline Breitbach has shown leadership in oncology drug development, from preclinical research to clinical approval. She is the senior vice president of asset & portfolio leadership at Mariana Oncology, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing radioligand therapies for cancers with high unmet needs. In May 2024, Mariana announced its acquisition by Novartis for $1 billion.
Before joining Mariana, she served as Senior Vice President and Global Disease Area Lead at SpringWorks Therapeutics, where she contributed to the approval of OGSIVEO™, a targeted therapy for desmoid tumors. She also held leadership roles at Turnstone Biologics, where she led oncolytic immunotherapy programs, and SillaJen Biotherapeutics, where she designed clinical studies for immunotherapies, with results published in major scientific journals.
Dr. Breitbach holds a PhD in biochemistry, microbiology, and immunology from the University of Ottawa and completed postdoctoral research on oncolytic viruses. She has received multiple awards, including the Dr. Ronald G. Worton Researcher in Training Award, and is fluent in English, French, and German.
Dr. Katey Rayner (PhD 2009)
Dr. Katey Rayner is globally recognized for her groundbreaking research on inflammation's role in atherosclerosis and cholesterol metabolism. Her work explores how inflammation and RNA biology intersect with energy metabolism in cardiometabolic diseases, aiming to develop new therapeutic strategies using microRNAs.
In 2024, she was appointed chief scientific officer and vice-president of research of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI). She holds a University Research Chair and is the director of the Vascular Inflammation and Metabolism Laboratory in addition to being a full professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa. She also leads the Ottawa Region Strategic Research Innovation cluster on vascular inflammation and metabolism and, from 2022 to 2023, was the assistant dean of research in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Rayner has received numerous prestigious awards, including the 2023 Mid-Career Excellence Award in Blood and Blood Vessel Research, the American Heart Association’s Joseph A. Vita and Daniel Steinberg Awards, and membership in the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars.
While there is a special focus on alumni commemorating milestone anniversaries, if you know a remarkable alum deserving of recognition, we want to hear from you!
Submit your nomination through the online form.
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