(L - R) Karima Bapoo-Mohamed, Thomas Alexander McPherson, Kathryn Dong, Jeeshan Chowdhury, Andrew Tang
The annual Alumni Awards remain the jewel in the crown of Reunion Weekend.
This year five alumni from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry were honoured for their contributions to health care during a ceremony that took place on Sept. 18 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
Alumni Honour Award
Karima Bapoo-Mohamed ('86 Dip (DentHyg), '11 MBA) and Thomas Alexander McPherson ('62 MD) are recipients of the Alumni Honour Award, which recognizes the impact alumni have made in their communities over the course of their careers.
McPherson served as a professor at the university from 1969 to 1994; during this time he also served as the director of medicine and medical oncology (1972-1985). He worked passionately to build Alberta's health-care standard through leadership roles, such as the president of the Alberta Medical Association (1982-1983) and the president of the Canadian Medical Association (1984-1985) and the deputy minister of health in Alberta (1985). From 1991 until his retirement in 2006, McPherson led Biomira Inc, a private biotechnology firm.
Bapoo-Mohamed, an associate clinical professor of dental hygiene, has spent the last two decades advocating for improved dental hygiene training and oral health around the world. The work she completed as an MBA student, which focused on improving oral health education in Kenya, also resulted in new program opportunities Southeast Asia.
"As an alumnus of two faculties from the U of A, I feel very fortunate to be the recipient of very high quality educations in dental hygiene and business administration. These educational experiences made me think differently, which made me stretch out and increase my wing span, a trait I still apply unconscionably in my daily life," she said. "One person from Edmonton with a U of A education can make a difference to communities beyond Canada's borders."
Alumni Horizon Award
Kathryn Dong ('07 Msc) is one of eight recipients of the Alumni Horizon Award, which honours accomplishments by alumni in the early stages of their careers.
Dong is the co-founder and director of the Inner City Health and Wellness Program and the co-director of the Edmonton Inner City Health Research and Education Network, two programs at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton that aim to improve health care delivery to inner city and at-risk patients.
"I wanted to see the acute care system have more to offer patients in regards to substance use issues, struggles with poverty and homelessness and other social determinants of health," she says. "It's been really exciting to watch people stabilize and give them a different path after their interaction with our team."
Honourable Dr. Lois E. Hole Student Spirit Award
Jeeshan Chowdhury ('05 BMedSc, '14 MD) and Andrew Tang ('13 BMedSc, '14 MD) are the sole recipients of the Honourable Dr. Lois E. Hole Student Spirit Award, which celebrates undergraduate students who exemplify caring and community service.
Jeeshan Chowdhury, an adjunct professor of computer sciences, is a Rhodes Scholar with a strong interest in innovative uses of technology. He is the founder of Hacking Health, an international organization that connects health care professionals with technology pioneers to address priority health care issues. He also launched listrunnerapp.com, a point-of-care tool that manages patient lists to improve care.
Andrew Tang has played an active role within the faculty, beginning with his leading efforts to improve interdisciplinary co-operation between faculties. He organized teamwork teaching sessions as the president of the Health Sciences Students' Association, assisted in the development of simulation training sessions as a representative of the Health Sciences Education and Research Commons, and evaluated the MD program for areas of improvement as a member of the accreditation committee. He has also participated in global health initiatives relating to HIV.