Alan Ross Award
Established in 1976, the Alan Ross Award is the most prestigious honour given by the Canadian Paediatric Society. The award recognizes lifelong excellence in the fields of paediatric research, education, healthcare and advocacy.
The award is presented during the CPS Annual Conference. The recipient is awarded a commemorative plaque and a gift of $2,000 and complimentary CPS membership for one year.
Current recipient(s): Dr. Denis Leduc
Dr. Denis Leduc earned his BSc and medical degree from the University of Alberta in 1971. He completed his internship in Ottawa and worked as emergency attending staff at the University Hospital in Edmonton for a year before pursuing further training at McGill through the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholarship program. Dr. Leduc obtained both his fellowship in Pediatrics in 1978 and his Certification in Family Medicine in 1979. He started his career in Community Pediatrics in Montreal in 1978 and established the Association of Community Pediatricians of the Montreal Children’s Hospital in 1983.
For the past four decades, his focus has been on providing ambulatory paediatric care in his community practice while also contributing to the inpatient services and Emergency Department at the Montreal Children's Hospital. Dr. Leduc worked as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the McGill University Health Centre since 2003. He served as the Clinical Director of the Newborn Nursery at the Royal Victoria Hospital from 2003-2015, and later at the Montreal Children’s Hospital until 2020. He also served on the Royal College Examination Board for Pediatrics between 1988-1993 and was Vice-President of the Examination Board for Pediatrics for the Collège des Médecins du Québec from 1995-2004.
Dr. Leduc has authored and co-authored over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals on his research interest in the standards of pediatric care in community settings. He has also been a member of the Expert Advisory Group on SIDS of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the National Advisory Group-Canadian Institute of Child Health since 2008. In 2015, he was the editor of the CPS publication; Well Beings. Dr. Leduc joined Drs. Leslie and Jim Rourke in 1998 as co-author of the Rourke Baby Record- the most widely used evidence-based clinical tool in Canada for well-baby and well-childcare. This collaboration between the CPS and the College of Family Physicians of Canada continues to serve as a model. For the past 25 years, Dr. Leduc has held various positions within the Canadian Paediatric Society, including Chair of the Community Pediatrics Committee (1988-2004), and President (2005-2006). He is a Life member of the CPS and, in 2011, received the Distinguished Community Paediatrician Award.
About Dr. Alan Ross
Alan Ross was a distinguished and recognized leader in Montreal paediatrics for over 40 years. As Physician-in-Chief for 15 years at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at McGill University, Dr. Ross earned an international reputation for his work in child health. His very special qualities along with his many talents made him an outstanding and well-respected physician, leader and teacher.
In 1968, Dr. Ross became the founding Professor of Paediatrics at the University College Medical School in Nairobi, Kenya. There, he encouraged a new approach to medical education, encouraging paediatricians from the western world to come to Africa and share their knowledge. As a result, many African paediatricians have stayed in their homeland to provide desperately needed medical care rather than move to more developed countries. To this day, many paediatricians inspired by Dr. Ross continue his important work the world over.
Nominations
Nominees should be individuals who have made outstanding lifetime contributions in the field of child and youth health throughout their careers. The recipient must be a Canadian resident but need not be a member of the CPS.
The Awards Committee will evaluate candidates based on:
- The extent of the candidate’s contribution to child and youth health.
- The significance of the candidate’s contribution to the welfare of children and youth.
- The candidate’s local, national and/or international influence on child and youth health matters.
- The candidate’s sustained contribution to child and youth health through involvement in research, education, clinical care and advocacy (in at least three of the four areas) over a period of time.
Nominations must be formally resubmitted each year to be reconsidered. Current CPS board and Awards Committee members are not eligible for nomination and cannot nominate candidates while serving their terms.
Submissions
Submissions must include:
- Letters from both the nominator and seconder, both of whom are CPS members, describing the candidate’s contribution to paediatrics and its significance to the welfare of children and youth. Maximum three pages.
- Updated curriculum vitae for the candidate.
Submit your nominations using the Submit Nomination button.
Sponsored by an unrestricted grant from Abbott.
Past recipients
Dr. Joanne Embree
Dr. Ian Mitchell
Dr. Michael Moffatt
Dr. Jean-Yves Frappier
Dr. Denis Daneman
Dr. Heather Dean
Dr. Brent Scott
Dr. Marie Gauthier
Dr. Danielle Grenier
Dr. Jacques Lacroix
Dr. Peter Dent
Dr. Noni MacDonald
Dr. Roger Tonkin
Dr. Victor Blanchette
Dr. Harvey Guyda
Dr. David Scheifele
Dr. Robert Usher
Dr. Graham Chance
Dr. Frederick Andermann
Dr. Robert Haslam
Dr. Judith Hall
Dr. Barry Pless
Dr. Peter Rosenbaum
Dr. Dan Offord
Dr. Geoffrey Robinson
Dr. Richard Goldbloom
Dr. John Bowman
Dr. Claude C. Roy
Dr. Ross E. Petty
Dr. Jack Sinclair
Dr. Robert Salter
Dr. André L’Archevêque
Dr. Charles R. Scriver
Drs. Donald & Elizabeth Hillman
Dr. Henry G. Dunn
Dr. Donald Fraser
Dr. Alvin Zipursky
Dr. John Gerrard
Dr. Victor Marchessault
Dr. Harry W. Bain
Dr. Jessie Boyd Scriver
Dr. Albert Royer
Dr. Harry Medovy
Dr. Bruce Chown
Dr. Henri J. Breault
Dr. Alan S. Ross
Dr. John F. McCreary
Last updated: May 16, 2023