An advocate and champion for health equity and access for Indigenous Peoples, Dr. Marcia Anderson has made immeasurable impacts on the health and well-being in these communities. She holds many important roles in Manitoba’s health care and medical education systems and was recently named Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism. She continues as the Executive Director, Indigenous Academic Affairs, Ongomiizwin.

Her collaborative work to develop a process to stratify and report data separately for First Nations people became one of the foundations for influencing how the government and health system responded to the needs of First Nations people and communities during the pandemic. Dr. Anderson’s leadership in implementing a process to collect Racial, Ethnic, and Indigenous (REI) identifiers on COVID case forms provided hard evidence showing the disproportionate impact COVID-19 was having on Black, Indigenous, and Peoples of Colour (BIPOC). This data was used in planning and program decisions to make testing and vaccines more equitable accessible to diverse communities.

Expanding the collection of REI identifiers to the vaccine consent forms helped to prove how these early interventions had an important and positive impact. Many members of diverse BIPOC communities chose to get vaccinated when vaccines were accessible, resulting in less disproportionate outcomes in the Fall 2021 wave of the pandemic, something described as a major public health success story. 

Through the pandemic Dr. Anderson found herself in the national spotlight for her work supporting public health for Manitoba First Nations on the Pandemic Response Coordination Team. Grounded by her collaborative approach and support for community empowerment, she has expertly navigated the complex medical and jurisdictional contexts, using her skills in epidemiology, logistics, advocacy, and diplomacy.

Watch Dr. Anderson’s award video.

Dr. Brian Postl is nationally renowned for his distinguished work as a clinician, researcher and health system leader. As a pediatrician he has delivered clinical care in Winnipeg and in Northern remote communities. This first-hand experience guided his efforts to champion equity as the first CEO of the WRHA, a founding member of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council, and most recently as Dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

As Dean, he has used his more than 4 decades of experience in Indigenous child health, circumpolar health, and human resource planning to create a student body that more closely reflects the demographics of Manitoba’s population. He has developed admissions processes and guidelines aimed at advantaging historically under-represented individuals related to socio-economic, sexual orientation and socio-cultural conditions. He has also championed Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion across the Rady Faculty and in 2020, he supported the passage of the country’s first Disruptions of all Forms of Racism policy at a post-secondary institution.

His advocacy for equitable and comprehensive health care for Indigenous communities is reflected in the work he has done to establish the Rady Faculty’s Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing – Ongomiizwin and its Truth and Reconciliation Commission action plan. Even with his many roles in leadership and administration, Dr. Postl continues to maintain his pediatric practice, which includes flying to Northern communities to provide care. In fact, Dr. Postl participated in the First Nations COVID immunization efforts, visiting Cross Lake First Nation to ensure vaccines reached community members.

Watch Dr. Postl’s award video.

A household name during the pandemic, Dr. Joss Reimer has become the most trusted and reliable source of information about COVID-19 vaccines with her calm and reassuring regular updates to Manitobans. 

As Medical Lead of the Manitoba Vaccine Task Force, Dr. Reimer has constantly weighed emerging evidence and sought medical advice from physician colleagues to make the best possible decisions to protect Manitobans from COVID-19 through vaccination. 

Her honest and empathetic approach led to a noteworthy level of vaccine uptake in Manitoba, avoiding severe illness and death for many. Dr. Reimer’s selfless leadership over the last year to inform and protect the people of Manitoba is the very definition of medical humanitarianism. 

She is recognized by her peers as an exceptional physician and medical communicator, putting Manitobans at ease with her authenticity and empathy in a high-profile, high-pressure public role. Through it all, Dr. Reimer has continued to provide clinical care to patients at Women’s Hospital.

Watch Dr. Reimer’s award video.

Anyone who has worked with Dr. Dorothy Yu will tell you she is a natural leader who exceeds expectations in every aspect of her work, whether it’s through her community service, patient advocacy, academic achievement, or her clinical work as the Chief Resident of Psychiatry.

Dr. Yu has a clinical interest in crisis and emergency room psychiatry. She has spearheaded innovative projects that aim to reduce waiting times for psychiatric consultation for patients and led the Psychiatry Residents Association of Manitoba through significant changes over the last few years. She has collaborated on national research projects, led peer-reviewed publications and coauthored multiple publications during residency and pre-residency. She developed a process for connecting virtually with interested students nationwide, significantly increasing the Department of Psychiatry residency program’s success in recruiting talented medical students from across Canada. As Chief Resident she has made the support and health of her resident colleagues a focus for her term.

Dr. Yu has won numerous awards for her research, mentorship, and leadership. She was previously the Chair of the Psychiatry Residents’ Association of Manitoba and is currently the University of Manitoba Resident Representative for the Coordinators of Psychiatric Education, a member of the Social Advocacy Section for the Manitoba Psychiatric Association, and a mentor in the Doctors Manitoba Mentorship Program. She was recognized for her collegiality and teamwork abilities with the Department of Psychiatry Fernando Pino Gonzalez Prize in 2020.

Those who have had the pleasure to work with Dr. Yu admire her enthusiasm and commitment to excellence. Lissa Foster, Executive Director of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, attests that Dr. Yu is ​“one of those very special people who does everything she says she is going to do — and does it well – and who manages to make time in a very busy schedule for active participation in the community.”

Watch Dr. Yu’s award video.

Indigenous patients and their stories are at the heart of patient care for Dr. Barry Lavallee. Throughout his career his various roles as educator, researcher, administrator, advocate, mentor, and clinician have always been centered around the self determination of Indigenous communities and his commitment to transforming the health care system to better serve them. Among the first cohort of Indigenous physicians to graduate from the University of Manitoba in 1988, he has been firm and steadfast in highlighting the impact that racism has on access and quality of care for Indigenous communities.

Dr. Lavallee has incorporated his expertise in the determinants of health to help develop the nationally recognized Diabetes Integration Project (DIP), which provides mobile diabetes care and treatment to 19 First Nation communities throughout the province. During the pandemic, Dr. Lavallee has worked tirelessly to develop interventions in support of vaccination for rural and urban Indigenous communities, personally providing vaccine outreach to Winnipeg’s homeless community. 

His dedication to providing and advocating for culturally centered care, with dignity and respect, has made an immeasurable impact on the practice of medicine in Manitoba. This experience and track record are important assets as Dr. Lavallee now leads Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin, an initiative to transform health and wellness services so that they are reflective of the needs and priorities of First Nations people in Manitoba’s north.

Watch Dr. Lavallee’s award video.

Being a well-rounded rural physician means wearing many hats and seeing patients in all stages of their lives. Dr. Trina Mathison has dedicated her career serving the Parkland community for over 20 years. An active member of the region’s physician leadership group, she is described as a team player by her colleagues and medical learners, is well-loved by her patients and has found time to volunteer her time in the community, coaching all four of her children’s hockey teams.

Currently the site CMO of the Dauphin Regional Hospital, Dr. Mathison has practiced as a general practitioner in oncology, acute inpatient care, emergency medicine, surgical assist, respiratory clinic care and personal care home medicine as well as working at the Dauphin Medical Clinic. She is the medical lead for the CancerCare community program in Dauphin, with palliative care and care for the elderly being her areas of special interest. She has been known to do home visits for palliative patients and elderly patients. Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Mathison has contributed to Shared Health provincial meetings concerning COVID-19 and the impact on long-term care facilities as well as a working group for palliative care. Dr. Mathison gives her time to the Parkland medicine residency program, conducting CaRMs interviews and teaching residents on academic days.

Watch Dr. Mathison’s award video.

An accomplished and respected clinician, scholar, mentor, researcher and educator, Dr. Jai Shankar’s innovative work has been transformative for neurovascular care in Manitoba in the few short years he has been here. In his work as an Interventional Neuroradiologist he optimized the imaging protocol for patients with acute ischemic stroke and introduced several new neuro-interventional devices to improve patient care. He has been influential in the creation of the province’s first Stroke Unit, set to open in spring of 2022. 

Widely cited as a researcher, he is globally recognized as a leader in stroke education and treatment. His connections in the Canadian stroke research community and his work to improve neurovascular care since arriving in Manitoba has been transformative in putting Manitoba on the map for stroke care. 

As a clinical leader, he has embraced team-based care, including residents, nurses, technicians and other staff. This collaborative approach is evident in weekly stroke rounds, an opportunity for a wide variety of clinicians to discuss acute stroke cases together.

Watch Dr. Shankar’s award video.

Dr. Benson Yip’s is a leader in colorectal surgery, medical education and mentorship. As Service Chief of Colorectal Surgery Service for 12 years at St. Boniface Hospital, he focused on improving patient care while also developing training opportunities in this important subspecialized area. He founded the University of Manitoba’s first clinical colorectal fellowship training program, which has grown to be one of a select few programs accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Through his many years of practice, Dr. Yip has maintained an outstanding academic practice, garnering countless teaching awards. 

His leadership style is one of respect and transparency, working together with his colleagues through changes to clinical services at St. Boniface Hospital. By sharing regular updates, seeking input, and tackling challenges collaboratively, Dr. Yip’s engaging approach offered colleagues and students reassurance during challenging times. 

While he is well-known for his excellent clinical and administrative procedures, his colleagues speak of his eagerness to support and mentor medical learners and newer physicians. His deep level of engagement with patients, peers and learners ensures all who work with him or receive care from him feel like a friend. 

Dr. Yip has made an incredible mark in the surgical community in Manitoba.

Watch Dr. Yip’s award video.