AMA Member Emeritus

AMA Achievement Awards

AMA Member Emeritus Award 2025

Dr. Padraic Carr
Psychiatry, Edmonton

REFLECTIONS ON SERVICE
I began my service with the AMA in 1992 as the PAIRA representative to the AMA Committee on Constitution and Bylaws. From there, I have spent over 30 years holding various positions such as AMA RF delegate, Section of Psychiatry president and AMA board member. I held the honour of serving as AMA president from 2016-2017. Working together with colleagues at the AMA has been both gratifying and fulfilling for me.

During my term as president of the AMA, I was privileged to be a part of key initiatives that prepared the organization for the future. A major endeavour was to modify and update the AMA’s mission and vision. Completing the vote and implementation of the Amending Agreement increased the rights and representation of doctors, and improved working relationships with the government and Alberta Health Services. The Income Equity Initiative was also launched during my tenure.  At the time, it was an innovation in Canada and an example of a new approach for other provinces to achieve equity.

When president of the Section of Psychiatry, I oversaw the creation of new AMA traditions and ceremonies with our executive. These customs are still being observed and they include the President’s Medal and recognition of 25-year past presidents at the Annual Meeting.

Serving as president of PAIRA and AMA Board observer, I supported the advocacy and coordination of the successful campaign to lobby against a proposal to limit new billing numbers in the province. On the PAIRA negotiating team and executive, we proudly championed the formation and establishment of the 28-hour work rule limit, which was a first in Canada. To this day, this principle provides necessary safeguards for resident physicians and patient care.

Providing patient care has always been at the heart of my calling as a doctor. Teaching as a Clinical Professor has bolstered this purpose.  I am grateful for a career which has given me the opportunity to represent physicians in many organizations including Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, the University of Alberta and the Canadian and American Psychiatric Associations among others. I have always been especially proud of the AMA as the representative body of doctors in Alberta. Serving with the AMA has been one of the highlights of my lifework. I am humbled by this recognition.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
I enjoy fly-fishing in the mountains near Banff/Canmore, fossil hunting along the North Saskatchewan River and exploring art auctions anywhere!

Dr. Walter Hader 
Neurosurgery AMHSP, Calgary

REFLECTIONS ON SERVICE
I spent over a decade actively involved in the Section of Neurosurgery including vice president and president of the section. In these roles, I was instrumental in creating advances in the Schedule of Medical benefits and developed regular province-wide academic and clinical collaborations during the annual Alberta Neurosurgery Meeting.

Presently, as co-chair of the Academic Medicine Council, I strongly advocate for Alberta’s academic physicians, their unique contributions and for a greater role of the AMA in strategic academic medicine planning. 

AMA is a reflection of the great work that we can do together. It is up to all physicians to contribute to its ongoing well-being.  It remains one of the greatest privileges to participate and support my amazing physician colleagues in Alberta.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
Presently, I am an active participant in pickleball with my wife and I enjoy golfing with my family and friends.

Dr. Craig Hodgson
Family Medicine, Edmonton

REFLECTIONS ON SERVICE 
I began my involvement with AMA in 2003 at my first Representative Forum, representing Region 7 and later North Zone until 2022. I then came back in 2025 as an Edmonton Zone rep.

Throughout these years, I served on various AMA billing, compensation and nomination committees, including ARP working groups, after-hours and peer review.  I also served on the Section of Family Medicine executive team as fees rep and became president of SFM during the COVID surge between 2020-2022. I brought a clear perspective of a comprehensive rural family physician to my AMA work due to my years of experience in clinic work, inpatient care, ER shifts and ten years in obstetrics. In most of my AMA financial roles, I really strived for equity, as with most of my colleagues, we tried to improve the stewardship of the funds we receive from our publicly funded system.

I am so grateful for the opportunities to take part in stewardship and advocacy in our health care system through the AMA and the wonderful colleagues across specialties I met along the way.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
When I am not working, most of my free time is spent with my wife, Jen. We enjoy lots of activities, both indoors and outdoors and love to travel. On my own, I continue to enjoy beer league hockey all year round, sometimes on more than one team.

Dr. Dennis Kunimoto
Infectious Diseases, Edmonton

REFLECTIONS ON SERVICE
My work with the AMA has spanned many years, including as a President and Representative Forum delegate for the AMA Section of Infectious Diseases and as Dean's RF Delegate for the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine.

I was instrumental in establishing the Section of Infectious Diseases and served as the first president and representative, ensuring the section had a robust voice within the AMA.  In addition, I actively worked to foster mutual recognition between the AMA and academic medicine and solidifying this relationship in my seven-year term as the Edmonton Academic Leader in the Academic Medicine Health Service Program.  

The AMA is the face and voice of the profession to government and the public. My work with the AMA contributed to my professional development, networking and gave me a voice in decisions that affect me and those around me. The AMA cannot function without the involvement of physicians. As physicians, your involvement is an opportunity and a mechanism to make things better.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
I think I'm a born fixer. It's why I went into medicine – I enjoy a good challenge. I am also a wine enthusiast, but there’s a cardinal rule and it's non-negotiable: wine and fixing do not mix. My palate is refined, my repair skills… less so, though better with a little help from YouTube.

Dr. Jacquie McCubbin 
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Edmonton

REFLECTION ON SERVICE
My first involvement with the AMA was as Fees Representative for the Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology during the job action in 1997. I learned a tremendous amount about how fees are interconnected among sections and how changes can come about. Since then, I have been on many committees for the AMA, such as the Income Equity Initiative, including all of the working groups related to that, the After-Hours Working Group, AMACC and FAC.  I have had a chance to meet and to work with some incredible people, both physicians and AMA staff who have put a tremendous amount of work into improving the profession.

Working on the Income Equity Initiative and 1997 rule changes, I witnessed a product that makes a genuine attempt to address the challenges faced across the different specialties while recognizing the structural and functional differences between specialties. Stepping into my first role with the AMA while I was in residency, I felt the enthusiasm and sense of camaraderie that was similar to medical school, when everyone was working together. Sometimes when we go into our residences, we lose that connection with other members of the profession and conflicts become “us against them” rather than focusing on how to improve the whole profession. Working with the AMA helped me to stay involved and feel like I am part of a powerful force for change in our profession in Alberta. We are much stronger as a group than we are as individuals. 

PERSONAL INTERESTS
When I am not working, I am most likely listening to music, reading, walking my dogs and hanging out with my family. I am lucky to have a family that understands that I love my work and as a working mother, I could not have accomplished what I have done without their constant support.

Dr. Ann Vaidya
Family Medicine, Calgary

REFLECTION ON SERVICE
Reflecting on my work with the AMA, it feels as if I have served on almost every committee, totaling over 25 different groups, boards, councils and forums. Some of these include the Board of Directors, Committee on Awards, Primary Care Networks, General Practice Compensation Models Committee Chair and the list goes on.

Some of my most notable works are in primary care and advocacy. I created the Primary Care Alliance, restructured the Section of General Practice and built relationships with Primary Care networks.

In my first year of medical school, I began to embark on strong advocacy for my colleagues, gaining the CMA Young Leaders Early Career Physician award and became one of the youngest recipients of the AMA long service award. This passion for advocacy only grew when working with the AMA. My roles on the various committees taught me leadership and business skills while also broadening my career into the various aspects of medicine and advocacy.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
My leisure time is often taken up by juggling a two-physician household with 11-year-old twins. However, I also feed more passion through my advocacy for special needs families and am currently working on neuroplasticity practitioner training.

Dr. Brian Wirzba
General Internal Medicine, Edmonton

REFLECTION ON SERVICE
I began active work within the AMA in 2001 as part of the Section of Internal Medicine, taking on various roles, including section President. I have been a part of multiple short and long-term fee-related committees and working groups, including negotiations, compensation, fee advisory and I am currently the AMA President for the 2025/26 year.

I initially joined the AMA due to frustration with physician compensation. Over the years, we have made progress in recognizing time as a key component of compensation, evaluating overhead and basing macro-allocations on a transparent model. While ongoing work is needed for income equity and fee-schedule modernization, it has been a privilege to help move this work forward on behalf of those who tirelessly provide patient care despite system inequities.

Interacting with and learning from physician leaders across the province over the last 20+ years has been inspiring. Active service within the AMA has broadened my relationships with physicians across specialties and granted me a better understanding of the unique challenges each of us faces in our work. AMA has given me an outlet to actively participate in decision-making to advance Alberta physicians' interests and make a better health care system for patients and physicians.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
I love being outdoors, especially with my wife, Taunya and our adult children. We enjoy downhill, backcountry and cross-country skiing, hiking, biking, fishing or simply reading a book at a campsite.  Since 2009, I have also been program curriculum coordinator in an internal medicine residency training program in Cameroon, West Africa. I provide weekly online exams and yearly oral/bedside examinations. Over 50 trainees have graduated to date. As of 2024, the on-site faculty for the program are all graduates of our program.

AMA Achievement Awards

AMA Member Emeritus Award 2024

Dr. Alison Clarke
Rural Family Medicine, Strathmore

REFLECTIONS ON SERVICE
I have been involved in the AMA throughout my career. From Representative Forum to Board of Directors to President! That feels like a lot of years now. So much has happened––POSP, PCNs, income equity, challenges with government, creatively managing the current health care crisis.

Despite challenging times, I have been impressed with how the AMA has been able to unify our profession. It allows us to speak with one voice, to advocate for the physicians of Alberta, for our patients, and for the health care system in general.  Clearly, the decisions of the Board and the activities of the President are undertaken with the guidance of physicians.

The AMA is constantly moving forward. When our contract was revoked in 2019, it sent a lot of things into chaos, but physicians stuck together, we advocated for each other, and the AMA showed itself to be more important than ever.

Being a physician means we are health care leaders and patient advocates. We see how decisions affect the person sitting in front of us. Every physician's voice matters. Follow your interests and get involved!

PERSONAL INTERESTS
My time with the AMA has allowed me to connect and work with some amazing people. I am continually impressed with the thoughtfulness and abilities of my colleagues and the staff at the AMA. The AMA has been a family affair. My elder son and I were the poster people for Negotiations 2002, and my younger son came to his first RF at 3 months! In my free time, you will find me travelling or spending time “forest bathing” in the foothills with my dog, Fly.

Dr. Robin Gray Cox
Pediatric Anesthesia, Calgary

REFLECTIONS ON SERVICE
My first involvement with the AMA was through participation on my Section’s Economics Committee. I came to realise that the specifics of physicians’ remuneration can influence the productivity and wellbeing of our members and the quality of care that we provide. I then sought a position on the Fees Advisory Committee (FAC) and sat on that committee for a decade, including five years as Chair. I came to appreciate the value that all our specialties bring to Albertans, particularly those in primary care practices. I also became aware of inequities in physician compensation that we made some effort to address. Following my time on the FAC, I was elected to the AMA Board of Directors for two terms, ending in 2018. I was appointed as the Board representative on the AMA Compensation Committee from 2016 to 2020, and I have been elected to the Representative Forum by my Calgary Zone colleagues for four terms.

With my interest in health system improvement, I have brought to the AMA perspectives from the Alberta College, the Royal College, and the Health Quality Council of Alberta, having sat on the councils of all these bodies. Although there are obvious differences in the mandates of these organizations, they share the vision of excellence in health care. The AMA promotes this goal by supporting and advocating for physicians in their various practices, and it has been a privilege for me to be involved with the AMA to this end. The central role of a physician is in the provision of care to the individual patient and family. However, we are in a position, as physicians, to influence the quality of health care for many more patients through our leadership roles, such as involvement with the AMA. I encourage younger colleagues to participate in the broader aspects of our honourable profession.

I have been fortunate to have had a challenging yet highly rewarding career in medicine. This has been made possible with the support and guidance of my colleagues and mentors. I believe that mentorship is particularly valuable, and I have benefitted over the years from the wisdom of many such outstanding individuals from London (UK), Toronto, and Calgary.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
Having recently retired from clinical practice, I have found time to enjoy reading, walks, tai chi, and attending live theatre and classical music concerts. I have become involved with my local community association and attended a variety of lectures at the University of Calgary. I enjoy checking out different restaurants with friends and binge-watching British murder mysteries. I look forward to resuming travel, which I put on hold with the pandemic.

Dr. Scott J. G. Paterson
Anesthesiology, Edmonton

REFLECTIONS ON SERVICE
Over 25 years, I have served in many roles with the AMA, including on the Section of Anesthesia executive, as Section Fees representative, and on many committees and working groups. As Fees representative, I was able to develop intra-sectional relativity by crafting 2ANES, chairing intra-sectional relativity meetings, and advocating for other modifiers (BMI, after hours) that have benefited physicians in many specialties.

Many of the positive changes that have resulted for our Section and the medical profession in this province have happened because of a strong AMA. My involvement with the AMA was triggered by the development of the RV Atkinson Report. In 1998 I heard John Atkinson describe what seemed to me a flawed process. As a result of physicians’ resistance, the Atkinson Report was never adopted. This report triggered my involvement in my Section, as well, when Alberta Health and Wellness and the Alberta Medical Association agreed to establish a new Alberta Relative Value Guide Commission. That report and other attempts at relative value (RV) all failed. Since 2018, I have attended many working groups for the latest version of an RV (the IEI), and I truly believe that real change will finally be made with the data and methods of the IEI to move toward fee equity. That initiative has occupied my entire tenure at the AMA. Work with the AMA also inspired me to engage with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta as an NHSF inspector and NHSF advisor on regulatory guidelines.

It is an honour to be recognized for my long commitment and many contributions to the AMA. I encourage all young members of the AMA to become engaged in your section and to participate in AMA committees when given the opportunity. You will feel more engaged in your medical profession and will be able to work to promote positive changes.

PERSONAL INTERESTS
Outside of my very busy anesthesia practice, work for the AMA and my section, I enjoy spending time with my family, working out, road biking, skiing, and wake surfing. Through many home renovation projects, I have become a quasi renovations expert. However, my true passion in life is my love of lakes, oceans, kayaks, canoes, and boats. Wherever there is water, you will find me close by.

Read the 2023 awards booklet

• Dr. Peter Grundy
• Dr. Jacques Romney

Read the 2022 awards program

• Dr. Peter Grundy
• Dr. Jacques Romney

Read the 2021 awards program

• Dr. Peter C. Jamieson

Read the 2020 awards program

• Dr. David B. Hogan
• Dr. Charlotte A. Foulston
• Dr. Duncan J. McCubbin
• Dr. Paul L. Toye
• Dr. Michael E. Ashenhurst