Junior Faculty Research Award – Non-Clinical
DR. DESAI SHAN

Dr. Shan is a dedicated researcher in occupational health and safety (OHS), she has published more than 40 research articles, book chapters and research reports on Canadian and international seafarers’ rights to occupational health and safety. She has been awarded/co-awarded 17 research grants from international and Canadian funding agencies.

She contributes her knowledge to the Canadian National Seafarer’s Welfare Board as a maritime health and law expert. Between 2022 and 2023, she was appointed as the research expert by Transport Canada to draft a federal government report, Fatigue in the Maritime Sector 2023, which contains the first baseline study of workplace fatigue levels among Canadian seafarers. In 2022, she was appointed as an international labour law expert by the International Labour Organization to draft a flagship report: Occupational Safety and Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Legal Analysis of China.

Senior Faculty Research Award – Non-Clinical
DR. PETER WANG

Dr. Peter Wang is an internationally recognized epidemiologist with significant contributions to cancer research, immigrant health, and chronic disease studies. With a distinguished career spanning over two decades at Memorial University, Dr. Wang has made notable contributions to understanding the epidemiology of colorectal cancers. His innovative studies on lifestyle and dietary risk factors have influenced public health strategies, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his research on the impact of the virus on Asian immigrants and vaccine hesitancy garnered significant attention. Dr. Wang has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles, reflecting his substantial impact in the field. Beyond academia, Dr. Wang is the founder and president of the Centre for New Immigrant Well-Being and the CNIW Foundation and has served as a public health commentator for multiple media outlets. Dr. Wang’s leadership and commitment to research excellence and community service have earned him multiple awards, including the DLSPH Public Health Service Award and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award for Outstanding Community Contribution.

Junior Faculty Research Award – Clinical
DR. JOANNIE NEVEU

Dr. Neveu completed her medical degree at Sherbrooke University and her OB/GYN training at Memorial University. She further honed her surgical skills with a MIGS fellowship in Calgary prior to graduating from a two-year fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Montreal University. Currently finishing a Masters in Health Economics at the London School of Economics, Dr. Neveu focuses on system changes and cost-effectiveness analysis. Since 2019, she has served at the H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre in Newfoundland as a Gynecologic Oncologist and at Memorial University as the Resident Research Director for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and oversees the minimally invasive surgical curriculum. She sits on the board of CanSAGE and the business unit of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada. Her work includes development of a HIPEC program for ovarian cancer, evaluating the impact of virtual care on cancer diagnosis, and she is currently piloting a project on the long-term outcomes and health expenditures for obese endometrial cancer patients undergoing combined bariatric and oncologic surgery.

Junior Faculty Teaching Award
DR. JANNA ANDRONOWSKI

Dr. Janna M. Andronowski is an Assistant Professor of BioMedical Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Clinical Anatomy Curriculum Content Lead for MUN’s Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) program, and the Forensic Anthropologist for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (Office of the Chief Medical Examiner). She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and completed a Post-doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Andronowski’ s research focuses on the high-resolution 3D imaging of bone microstructure and the study of bone adaptation, quality, and fragility associated with substance use. She has secured approximately $2M CAD in research funding in Canada and the United States and is currently supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the National Institutes of Health. In her role with UGME in the Faculty of Medicine, Andronowski has made significant pedagogical contributions in terms of curriculum development by restructuring all anatomy-specific lecture and laboratory content and assessments and hired and trained recruited faculty members and Graduate Teaching Assistants to deliver the curriculum. Andronowski further has over fourteen years of experience working and teaching in forensic science-based laboratories (e.g., the Forensic Anthropology Unit at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City, Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Forensic Research, and the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville), and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Senior Faculty Teaching Award
DR. GILLIAN SHEPPARD

Dr. Gillian Sheppard is an emergency physician at Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Memorial University who is cross appointed to the Discipline of Pediatrics. She is a Diplomate of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada with an area of focused competence in point of care ultrasound. She is the current education lead for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians Emergency Ultrasound Committee. Dr. Sheppard is passionate about teaching point of care ultrasound to medical students, residents and practicing physicians.

Community Member Health Champion Award
BELLES WITH BALLS NL

In 2014, four years after Bonnie was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, she recognized a need to bring awareness of this disease to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, as she knew nothing about Ovarian Cancer before her own diagnosis. With a desire to help those on a similar journey, the Ovarian Cancer Research Education (OCRE) fund at Memorial University was established.

Alana’s beautiful Mom was vibrant and passionate, and by all accounts a very healthy woman. In 2001, at the age of 64, two months after being given a clean bill of health while preparing for her retirement, she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, and, after only 12 weeks of her diagnosis, she lost her battle with this disease. Because of what happened to her mom, Alana’s passion to expose Ovarian Cancer united her with Bonnie to co-chair OCRE in 2017.

Early 2018, to increase fundraising efforts, the OCRE team realized they needed to set up a fundraising arm, and Belles with Balls NL was created. This dedicated and voluntary group of eight women work tirelessly every day to continue to raise monies for Ovarian Cancer research and education, and for other projects that relate to Ovarian Cancer in our Province. In addition to hosting annual Symposiums which educate both the general public and medical personnel with the most up-to-date information about Ovarian Cancer, to date, Belles with Balls NL has raised over $560,000, all of which monies stay in Newfoundland and Labrador. Among the Belles’ donations, they have funded annual MRF Grants at MUN, Masters/PhD students projects involving Ovarian Cancer, and have provided 2 dry labs where medical students/residents can practice their minimally invasive surgery skills. The Belles most recent donation was $100,000 to the Health Care Foundation to purchase a Perfusion Pump for performing HIPEC surgery, another first for our Province.

Belles with Balls NL Team includes: Bonnie Morgan and Alana Walsh-Giovannini (Co-Chairs), Kaitlyn Jarvis, Barbi King, Janice Ryan, Victoria Ryan, Karen Stapleton, Hayley Wilson.

Service Award – Managerial
CARLA PEDDLE

Carla Peddle manages the Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) portfolio, leading the exceptional team of professionals who are responsible for the delivery of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Linguistics (Child Language Acquisition), a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and she has focused her recent professional learning around inclusive leadership and project management. Carla began her career with Memorial University in 2006, managing the Speech Sciences and Language Acquisition Laboratory at the Department of Linguistics. Carla has been working with the Faculty of Medicine in varying capacities since 2011, leading projects to support the MD program accreditation and the implementation of a new MD curriculum, before taking on a leadership role within the UGME. She is passionate about continuous quality improvement and ensuring that faculty, staff and learners have everything they need to achieve success in their respective piece of the medical educational puzzle.

Service Award – Administrative
BLAIR BRUSH

Ms. Blair Brush is from Green’s Harbour, Newfoundland. She has a diploma in Office Administration from Keyin College. Blair’s journey as an employee of Memorial University began in 2009. She started with the Discipline of Pediatrics as the Academic Program Assistant in 2011 where she provided administrative support to the 3rd year medical students. In 2022 she transitioned to the role of Academic Program Administrator. In this current position she provides administrative support to 25 pediatric resident physicians. Blair’s contributions to the Discipline of Pediatrics over many years exemplify the qualities of organization, efficiency, and a genuine commitment to service excellence. Blair’s impact on the pediatric residency program is immeasurable.