Use your CME dollars! Deadline to use is March 31. Read more.

AMA Member Emeritus

AMA Member Emeritus is presented to members for contributions to the profession and the association.

The Member Emeritus award recognizes significant contributions to the goals and aims of the AMA, seniority and long-term membership. Further criteria is outlined below.

Awarded

Each year at Fall Representative Forum/Annual General Meeting

See recent recipients below

Criteria

Per the AMA Constitution and Bylaws, “A Member of the Association may be awarded the distinction of Member Emeritus, which shall recognize significant contributions to the goals and aims of the AMA, seniority and long-term membership based on criteria determined by the Board. Nominations will be made by the Nominating Committee or by a Full Member of the Association. The nominees shall be approved by a unanimous vote of the Board.”

A member must have 20 years (not necessarily consecutive) of involvement in AMA activities, including:

Committee work (internal AMA or appointment to external committees)
Representative Forum
Board of Directors
Section executive
Zone Medical Staff Association/Regional Medical Organization executive
Liaison with other medical organizations

Deadline for nominations

While nominations are made by the Nominating Committee, members are welcome to nominate an AMA member for Member Emeritus.

The deadline for nominations is February 15.

Download Nomination Form

For more information, contact:

Annette Ross
Executive Assistant, Governance
Alberta Medical Association
T 780.482.0312
Toll-free 1.800.272.9680 ext.3312
[email protected]

Recent recipients

2024

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.

2023