Danielle Grenier Member Recognition Award
The Canadian Paediatric Society would not function without the work and dedication of its many volunteer members.
Each year, more than 100 members volunteer their time on committees, section executives and the Board of Directors. Many more serve as spokespeople, peer reviewers and liaisons with other organizations.
To recognize outstanding contributions, the CPS has established the CPS Member Recognition Award.
Nominations are solicited from the Board of Directors and CPS staff. The winner is chosen by the Membership Subcommittee. The award is presented during the CPS annual conference. Current voting members of the board of directors are not eligible.
For more information on the Member Recognition Award, contact [email protected].
Current recipient(s): Dr. Kassia Johnson
Dr. Kassia Johnson is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at McMaster University and a Developmental Pediatrician. She provides clinical services through various clinics, including the Developmental Pediatric and Rehabilitation-Child Development Clinics at Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Bethesda Services in St. Catharines, Ontario, and the Canadian Mental Health Association/Guelph Wellington. Dr. Johnson recently took on the part-time position of Senior Medical Director EDI for Hamilton Health Sciences, where she will work towards promoting healthcare equity within the physician workforce at HHS.
Dr. Johnson is the Physician Co-Lead for the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Antiracism Strategy and is working with five other racialized Pediatricians to establish the Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC) at McMaster Children's Hospital (MCH). Dr. Johnson has provided consultation to various Boards of Directors in Hamilton, including the YWCA and Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre, as well as across Ontario. She has also participated in the development of multiple Medical Education resources about child development, neurodiversity, and childhood adversity.
Dr. Johnson is also a standing member of the CPS Early Years Task Force and has worked as a consultant to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences during the development of the National Autism Strategy, to provide a broader diversity lens to the report that was presented to the Federal Government. In the future, Dr. Johnson aims to continue working towards dismantling the structural and institutional racism that impacts the health and wellbeing of communities of colour.
This award is named and given in honour of Dr. Danielle Grenier, a leader in paediatrics who passed away in 2014. In her working life and through her brilliant and positive presence, she shaped many areas of child and youth care over the years. An exceptional clinician, she trained locally and practiced with her husband, Dr. Luc Charette, in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, caring for two generations of children. But her influence extended all across Canada, and beyond. In her tireless work as Director of Medical Affairs for the CPS (1994 to 2014), she helped to guide best practice. She was a prolific contributor to Paediatrics & Child Health and to several important books, most recently as co-editor of Well Beings: A Guide to Health in Child Care. Dr. Grenier was an instructor and mentor who nurtured the CPS Residents Section and, most recently, collaborated in developing the Education Program for Immunization Competencies (EPIC). She was an active and outspoken advocate on countless child and youth health issues, both as a frequent spokesperson for the CPS and a long-time member of the Quebec Human Rights Commission. Her work with the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program since its founding in 1996 was widely recognized at home and internationally.
Past recipients
Dr. Dorothy Moore
Dr. Laura Sauve
Dr. Jill Boulton
Dr. Kevin Coughlin
Dr. Nicole Le Saux
Dr. Michelle Ponti or her contribution to the area of children’s digital health.
Dr. Dawn Davies for her tremendous contribution to the discussion around Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and children and youth.
Drs. Jean-Yves Frappier and Douglas McMillan for 3 years of commitment and unquantifiable hours of work to ensure the success of the International Pediatric Congress in Vancouver, co-hosted by the CPS in August 2016.
Dr. Dorothy Moore and Dr. Joan Robinson, for outstanding vaccine advocacy in print, in committee and in the media.
Dr. Mark Awuku his outstanding contributions to the CPS as chair of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Committee.
Dr. Tony Barozzino and Dr. Chuck Hui are co-editors-in-chief of Caring for Kids New to Canada (www.kidsnewtocanada.ca), an online bilingual resource launched in April 2013 for health professionals working with immigrant and refugee children, youth, and families.
Dr. Debra Andrews and Dr. William Mahoney for their outstanding work co-editing the 2012 revision of Children with School Problems: A Physician’s Manual.
Dr. Claire Leblanc of Montreal for her tireless promotion of physical activity and obesity prevention.
Dr. Dorothy Moore of Quebec for her role in developing CPS position statements, publications, and information for families and caregivers.
Dr. Robert Bortolussi of Nova Scotia for his exceptional leadership during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.
Drs. Danielle Grenier and Denis Leduc of Quebec for their work as co-editors of Well Beings: A Guide to Health in Child Care (3rd edition).
Dr. Nalini Singhal of Alberta for her work with the Neonatal Resuscitation Program.
Dr. Alyson Shaw of Ontario for promoting literacy and for her work with the Read, Speak, Sing program.
Dr. Jenn Brenner of Alberta for her work with Healthy Child Uganda
Dr. Kent Saylor of Quebec for his work on the CPS First Nations and Inuit Health Committee and his involvement with Many Hands, One
Dr. Susan Bennett of Ontario for creating the new child and youth maltreatment section and for her efforts in recruiting new members.
Last updated: May 16, 2023