Nominating peers for AMA Achievement Awards

January 14, 2021

Dear Members,

The Alberta Medical Association has launched the annual call for nominations for its Achievement Awards. At this time for our profession, it is particularly important that we continue to recognize our colleagues in various ways, including through the awards. They honor individuals, but they also provide a message to our profession and to the public we serve. The awards remind everyone of physicians’ commitment, expertise, accomplishments, leadership and service.

The Medal for Distinguished Service celebrates Alberta physicians who exemplify the best of the characteristics, service and achievements that our colleagues are known for. The Medal of Honor recognizes the outstanding impact on healthcare provided by a non-physician individual or group. The AMA Award for Compassionate Service honors a physician who is an AMA member and, during their career, has demonstrated outstanding compassion, philanthropy and/or volunteerism to improve the state of the community in which they are giving back.

As Chair of the Achievement Awards Committee, along with the committee members, we are privileged to learn about a cohort of physicians and citizens providing outstanding service and accomplishments. We deliberate about all those who have been nominated and recommend award recipients to the Board, for their final approval. Every meeting’s deliberation brings acknowledgement from our committee of the truly remarkable work of all the nominees, whether or not they are chosen as final recipients.

This year and the one just completed are challenging for the profession. Physicians and colleagues have been so committed in managing the COVID-19 pandemic while also caring for all patients, teaching, leading and researching. We are mindful of that focus and also of the effort required for nominators to prepare the documentation required for nominations.

Last year we chose to forego the nomination and adjudication process so as not to divert efforts away from preparing for the uncertain circumstances the pandemic created. Instead, we recommended to the Board of Directors that it would be most appropriate to collectively recognize the extraordinary leadership and commitment of all our Public Health and Preventive Medicine physician colleagues. We were happy to learn that the Board accepted this recommendation for the 2020 year, as we continue to be thankful to these outstanding Public Health and Preventive Medicine experts within Alberta Health Services and Alberta Health. These colleagues steer us through uncharted territory during the pandemic and perform often unsung duties every year that help keep our populations safe and flourishing.

I invite you to go to the AMA website and read through the various Award categories, the nomination criteria and the nominating process. Look through the lists of prior winners as a way to be reminded of the record of service of AMA members and members of the public. The award recipients represent the accomplishments and service that is so broadly prevalent in our profession and our society. Hopefully you will be motivated to nominate a colleague.

With appreciation,

Eric Wasylenko MD
Chair, AMA Achievement Awards Committee