When COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic and our daily lives met a sudden upheaval, Faculty of Medicine learners, staff and faculty members sprang into action.
Some helped health care facilities prepare for the unknown; some offered support to health care providers, coworkers, and others around them; some made quick changes to organizational operations, and we all learned new ways of performing our roles.
These outstanding efforts led to extraordinary results.
To recognize the heroism, selflessness, dedication, and productivity of individuals and teams across the Faculty, the COVID-19 Recognition Program was launched in the summer. It invited members of the Faculty of Medicine community to share stories of those who went above and beyond. Over 70 nominations were submitted—truly outstanding given the continued demands at that time; thank you to everyone who took the time to share these remarkable stories.
The efforts and accomplishments of some of the nominated teams and individuals were highlighted for special recognition during the Faculty of Medicine Virtual Awards of Excellence Ceremony on December 15. These nominees overcame particularly challenging obstacles, developed instrumental solutions to urgent problems, and helped innumerable individuals through tireless humanitarian efforts. Their efforts and impacts, as well as those of all other nominees, are described on the Faculty of Medicine Recognition Program web page.
There are countless others who have worked tirelessly and made important contributions to both the Faculty and the broader community during the pandemic. Everyone’s efforts have been seen and felt and remain important as the pandemic continues on its unpredictable course. As we face ongoing and new challenges and as we continue to support those around us, let’s also remember to recognize each other’s efforts—it can be as simple as sharing a few kind words.
The Faculty would like to highlight the efforts of the following COVID-19 Recognition Program nominees:
Stream 1: Exceptional achievements in productivity/operations
Objective: to recognize individuals and/or teams that produced significant results while facing roadblocks and unknowns.
- Dr. Jennifer Hughes-Large (learner)
- Dr. Louise Sun (faculty member)
- The Undergraduate Medical Education Office (support staff) : Lisa Abel, Kelsea Anstey, Caroline Awada, Sybille Berger, Vanessa Blais, Tammy Bélanger, Linda Chenard (Director), Julie Clavelle, Sylvie Critch, Debra Dufresne, France Ferraira, Renée Gagnée, Catherine Godbout-Picard, Lynne Holman, Darquise Lacroix, Roselyne Lampron, Eric Larouche, Nina Lebel, Katie Lemay, Léa Levert-Gagnon, Véronique Livermore, Josée Lortie, Isabelle Lussier, Bradley MacCosham, Julia Moussa, Diane Parent, Nathalie Pellerin-Tessier, Chantal Poirier, Christiane Raymond, Chantal Renaud, Philippe Rousseau, Kimberly Séguin, Tanya Simard, Justine Smyth, Jennifer Therrien, Maryse Thibeault, Martine Trudeau, Denis Vadeboncoeur and Darlene Vail.
- The building operations teams who helped to maintain safe and effective operations across the Faculty (support staff):
- The Common Equipment and Technical Service’s Technical Support Team:Donna Clary, Bingbing Han, Sylvain Huard, Yi Huo, Hui Li, Dr. Laura Trinkle-Mulchay (Director) and Zi Zhang
- The Facility Management Office (MedFaci): Nicolas Campbell, Marie-France English (Manager) and Sam Fisher
- The Health, Safety and Risk Management Office (MedSafety): Chantal Lemieux and Charles Mulcahy (Manager)
- The Procurement and Logistics team (MedPurch): Maxime Arcand, Richard Bédard, Josianne Bougie, Gilles Coupal, Celina Demers, Daniel Emard, Thierry Gibeault, Simon Henry, Hughes Leclair, Jason Lemieux, Anne-Marie Maheu (Manager), Marie-Pier Poirier, Eric Prendergast. Co-op students: Kenza Benzekri and Martinez Graciella
Stream 2: Outstanding humanitarian efforts
Objective: to recognize the competencies most valued during a crisis, such as commitment, resiliency, compassion, integrity and resolve; to honour individuals and/or teams who have positively impacted the lives of their co-workers during the isolation period of COVID-19.
- Farhan Mahmood (learner)
- The medical student personal protective equipment sourcing team leaders (learners): Kameela Alibhai, Cristina Andronic, Ethan Lin and Jonathan Whelan
- The health care provider outreach team leaders (learners): Simran Aggarwal and Heidi Li
- The Ride to Connect Team (learners): Nathan Chiarlitti, Brendan Cotter, Mitchell Crozier, Sonia Dancey, Francesco Fazzari, Raphael Lessard, Adriano Petrangelo, Simon Pupulin, Karine Riad, Joelle Soriano and Amy Yu
- The Monarch C19 Clinic team (faculty members): Dr. Tiffany Chow, Dr. Vanessa Murley, Dr. Jessica Strike and Dr. Gail Webber
