Dr. Ian Bowmer Award for Leadership in Social Accountability  

The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) is delighted to announce the Dr. Ian Bowmer Award for Leadership in Social Accountability in honour of Dr. Bowmer’s many years of service as the Executive Director and Registrar. This one-time award will be given to one medical student and one resident who have demonstrated leadership in social accountability within the Schools of Medicine in Canada.

Definition of socially accountable leadership

While leadership is the ability to envision new approaches and inspire teams to follow a conceived vision, socially accountable leadership is a different leadership paradigm; focusing on capacity to engage society with respect and forge a common vision and position.

Social accountability in medicine and medical education requires an appreciation of and fidelity to the needs of the population and society in which we provide care and service. Consequently, to be socially accountable, the design, the delivery and the evaluation of new initiatives and directions need to put clients at the centre, through consultations at all stages of the process. Planning and implementation of such initiatives also involve various appropriate health partners and a demonstrated knowledge of the cultural context.

Within this overall context, the successful medical student and resident will have demonstrated the qualities of leadership described above. In addition, they will have responded to a community or broader population need by consultatively/collaboratively having developed a relevant approach and vision with stakeholders. Through a given initiative, they have created an engaged team or partnership that is actively pursuing a socially accountable vision and managing its delivery.

Nomination process

In early May 2019, Schools of Medicine were invited to submit letters of nomination outlining why a medical student and a resident should be considered. Schools were able to submit nomination letters for both a medical student and a resident who had demonstrated socially accountable leadership during their training.

Award announcement

The successful medical student and resident recipients for the Dr. Ian Bowmer Award for Leadership in Social Accountability will be announced at the Annual Meeting dinner and will receive a $5000 prize.