Lawson Impact Awards honours research excellence and innovation

On April 11, in a full room at the London Convention Centre, almost 350 guests celebrated the sixth annual Lawson Impact Awards. The event honours research that is making a difference both locally and globally, and recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of Lawson scientists, staff, trainees and partners.

“This event gives us the opportunity to reflect on the importance of the work we do here at Lawson, and how everyone’s contributions ultimately improve patient care,” says David Hill, Scientific Director, Lawson Health Research Institute. “Throughout the organization, individuals regularly go above and beyond to drive innovative new discoveries.”

This year’s Lawson Impact Award winners are:
•    Dr. Guido Filler – Scientist of the Year Award
•    Dr. Don Richardson – Innovation Award
•    Dr. Sarah Morrow – Dr. Joseph Gilbert Research Contribution of the Year Award
•    Saagar Walia – Staff Award of Excellence
•    Laura Craven – Leadership Award for Fellows and Students
•    Lawrence Yip – Leadership Award for Fellows and Students
•    GE Healthcare – Industry Partner of the Year
•    Breast Cancer Society of Canada – Community Partner of the Year Award (LHSF)
•    Legate Personal Injury Lawyers – Community Partner of the Year Award (CHF)
•    3M Canada – Community Partner of the Year Award (SJHCF)

Two Children’s Health Research Institute (CHRI) award recipients were also recognized at the event. As a program of Lawson, CHRI awards a Scientist and Trainee of the Year annually, sponsored by the Children’s Health Foundation. CHRI’s 2019 award recipients are: Dr. Craig Campbell (CHRI Scientist of the Year), and Dr. Mohamed Gatie (CHRI Deb Comuzzi Trainee of the Year).

An engaging keynote was delivered by Dr. Dorin Comaniciu, Senior Vice President for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation at Siemens Healthineers, titled “Artificial Intelligence for Health Care: The Road Ahead.” Dr. Comaniciu spoke about the wide application for artificial intelligence in health care, focusing on the fields of diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy and personalized medicine. Sharing his own digital avatar, guests were treated to a glimpse of what the future of care will look like with the advancement of this technology.

If you attended the event, you are encouraged to complete this short survey. Your feedback is important in helping make improvements for next year’s event.

Visit the Lawson YouTube channel to watch videos highlighting each of the award recipients. To see photos from the event, visit Lawson’s Facebook album.