Posted by The IWK’s Dr. Noni MacDonald and Dr. Andrew Lynk have received the nod for two prestigious national awards. Dr. MacDonald is being recognized with a Trailblazer Award in Populations and Public Health Research by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Dr. Lynk is being awarded a Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) Life Membership Award.
“Drs. Lynk and MacDonald have both made a recognizably significant and lasting impact not only here in the Maritimes, but on the Canadian health system,” says Dr. Krista Jangaard, Interim President and CEO of the IWK. “We are incredibly proud they are being recognized on the national stage with these awards.”
Dr. Noni MacDonald has published over 380 peer-reviewed articles, editorials and commentaries and was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health for 20 years. She was recently appointed to SAGE (the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts) on immunization that provides advice to World Health Organization (WHO) on all aspects of vaccinology. She is also a founder and co-director of the Centre for MicroResearch International (www.microresearch-international.ca), an initiative that helps interdisciplinary health professionals find local solutions for local maternal child health problems.
“It is not often that you see honours like this given to someone like me who has not focused on one theme over a career,” says MacDonald. “After being told countless times to narrow my focus it’s wonderful to be recognized for a lifetime spent improving health outcomes in a number of areas, in clinics, in research and in education.”
Dr. Lynk receives the CPS Life Membership for his years of hard work, leadership and dedication to advancing the health of children by supporting the work of the CPS. He practiced as a community pediatrician in Cape Breton for over 25 years before accepting the position of Chief of Pediatrics at the IWK Health Centre. He has served as a CPS board member representing Nova Scotia, as a president of the Global Child and Youth Health Section, and in 2013 was the CPS President.
“The Canadian Paediatric Society is made up of friends and colleagues, from coast to coast, who are passionate about better futures for infants, children and youth everywhere,” says Dr. Lynk. “It has been a joy and privilege to belong and serve. And it’s always an honour to be recognized by your peers.”
Dr. MacDonald received her award Thursday, May 31 in Montreal at the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) Public Health 2018. Dr. Lynk will receive his on Friday, June 1 at the Canadian Paediatric Society annual conference in Quebec City.