Dr. M. Ian Bowmer Award for Leadership in Social Accountability
Recognizing one medical student and one resident who have demonstrated leadership in social accountability within the schools of medicine in Canada.
About the award
The Dr. M. Ian Bowmer Award for Leadership in Social Accountability was named in recognition of Dr. Bowmer’s many years of service as the executive director and registrar.
It is awarded annually to one medical student and one resident who have demonstrated leadership in social accountability within the schools of medicine in Canada. Each recipient will be awarded $5,000 to be used for studies, books, or e-learning tools, and/or conference attendance.
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, delivery, and 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, to qualify for the Dr. M. Ian Bowmer Award for Leadership in Social Accountability, a nominee should demonstrate the qualities of leadership described above. In addition, they should have responded to a community or broader population need by consultatively/ collaboratively developing a relevant approach and vision with interested parties. 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
Each school of medicine is asked to submit formal letters of nomination outlining how a trainee has demonstrated socially accountable leadership during their training and why they should be considered.
Each school can only nominate one medical student and one resident for this award, for a total of two nominations. As such, we encourage each school to discuss the nominations internally.
The letter of nomination can come from the dean, associate/vice-deans of undergraduate or postgraduate Medical Education, program director and/or faculty member. Please note, nominee curriculum vitae will not be accepted as part of the nomination process.
Deadline: The formal letters of nomination must be submitted electronically to [email protected] no later than April 30 of the current year.
2024 recipients
Aditi Sivakumar
Student Award
Ms. Aditi Sivakumar is an incoming obstetrics and gynecology resident, a philanthropist, and a women’s rights advocate. She created My Empowerment Platform, a website offering a wide range of tools and information on gender-based violence that includes medical, legal, and safety-planning resources. This digital portal is primarily designed for women and children facing violence. Other initiatives include My Empowerment Packs, wellness kits, and resource booklets that are distributed to unhoused youth and individuals fleeing violence. Through Ms. Sivakumar’s efforts, over $30,000 worth of items have been provided to domestic violence shelters across Canada.
Ms. Sivakumar received the Diana Award, the most prestigious accolade a young person can receive for their social action work. She was the only Canadian recipient to receive the Legacy Award, which celebrates the achievements of 20 young leaders, visionaries, and role models from around the world who have inspired and mobilized new generations to serve their communities.
Ms. Sivakumar also developed a patient-centered handout on smoking cessation that identifies free and low-cost options to help people quit. The handout is available on the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s website. In addition, she developed an animated video on women’s health that is available in multiple languages. Her work provides an example of an innovative care model that can be used in any clinic.
Ms. Sivakumar is the youngest individual in the world to be appointed Board Vice Chair to the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Ms. Sivakumar has shown an incredible capacity to pair her medical training with advocacy and volunteer work. An inspiring, passionate, and empathetic individual, she no doubt has the potential to be an outstanding future world health leader.
Betel Yibrehu, MD
Resident Award
University of Toronto
Dr. Betel (Betty) Yibrehu is a general surgery resident at the University of Toronto. She obtained her MD in the Community and Urban Health Track from the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. Prior to this achievement, she studied global health at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Yibrehu has taken a year away from clinical residency to work in Nigeria as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Stern Fellow in Global Oncology Research. In this role, she spends time both as a surgical resident at a local teaching hospital and as a research assistant working with the African Research Group for Oncology.
Since beginning her residency, Dr. Yibrehu has co-founded UpSurge, a diversity-in-surgery initiative within the University of Toronto’s Department of Surgery. This initiative supports and encourages students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue surgical specialties. The program has organized nationwide mentorship programs, scholarships, and surgical simulation events with students from elementary schools, high schools, and more.
Past recipients
Year
Recipient
2023
Owen Luo, MD
Student award
, McGill University
2022
Sukhmeet Singh Sachal, MD, MPH, BSc
Student award
, University of British Columbia
2023
Wolf Thyma, MD
Resident award
, Université de Montréal
2022
Orianna Mak, MD, BSc
Resident award
, McMaster University
2021
Zach Sagorin, MD
Student award
, University of British Columbia
2021
Jessie Nault, MD, BSc
Resident award
, Université de Montréal
2019
Lloyd Douglas, MD
Student award
, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
2019
Nicole Thompson, MD
Resident award
, University of Calgary
