Young Investigator Award
Formerly known as the CPS Research Award, the award was established in 1999 and recognizes basic or clinical research accomplishments of a young investigator in fields that benefit child and youth health.
The award is presented during the CPS Annual Conference. The recipient is awarded a commemorative plaque, cash prize and complimentary CPS membership for one year.
Awarded every other year, the next award will be presented in 2027.
Current recipient(s): Dr. Matthew Carwana
Dr. Matthew Carwana is receiving the CPS Young Investigator Award for essential research work to improve outcomes for structurally marginalized children, youth, and families while centring health equity and social justice.
Dr. Carwana is general paediatrician and clinician-investigator at UBC and B.C. Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR). His clinical work in community and hospital settings has inspired an interdisciplinary approach to research. Health services and public health research are combined with multiple methodologies including epidemiological analysis, qualitative research, and community-based participatory action research. Dr. Carwana’s early-career work yielded significant findings, particularly in the areas of adolescent mental health during and following the COVID pandemic, overdose prevention, and early neurodevelopmental outcomes for children at risk due to social and structural determinants of health.
Dr. Carwana is currently co-leading a national surveillance study on illicit drug toxicity in youth through the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) and, with the Youth Overdose Prevention Cluster at UBC, he is working collaboratively with community stakeholders, clinicians, and policy-makers toward an overdose prevention toolkit co-created with youth. He is also engaged on an innovative, youth-led project to integrate adolescent voices and choices into trauma-informed care. Dr. Carwana is also the Co-Lead of the Indirect Consequences project and Site Principal Investigator for the POPCORN Network.
Dr. Carwana’s direct clinical experience with at-risk youth, and his compassion and commitment to addressing the health inequities faced by vulnerable populations, are already having a transformative impact on practice and policy in Canada.
Nominations
Candidates must:
- Be an MD and/or PhD
- Be within 7 years of their 1st faculty appointment in Canada
- Hold an appointment at a Canadian university, hospital or research institute
- Be a Canadian resident
The research should focus on an identifiable theme and have a clear current of future impact on research, practice and policy. The research should:
- Promote health equity; and or
- Emphasize the effective use of health care services; and or
- Identify risk factors for adverse outcomes; and or
- Include general epidemiological studies; and or
- Include clinical studies; and or
- Have led to improvements in the delivery of healthcare to the paediatric population
The Awards Committee will evaluate candidates based on:
- Meeting the eligibility requirements above.
- The extent to which the research is demonstrated to meet the criteria above.
- The quality of the information and details in the nomination letters. The letters are a critical component of the evaluation process and should clearly demonstrate how the candidate meets the criteria.
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:
- Letter of nomination from a CPS member, emphasizing the how the research meets the criteria above and highlighting the originality and significance of the scientific accomplishments of the candidate. Please note that the committee relies heavily on the nomination letters to make their decision.
- Letter of support from a seconder is optional
- Updated, condensed curriculum vitae (maximum 20 pages).
Submit your nominations using the Submit Nomination button.
Sponsored by McMaster University Department of Pediatrics.
Past recipients
Dr. Peter Gill
Dr. Joyce Obeid
Dr. Amish Jain
Dr. Luis Barreiro
Dr. Amanda Newton
Dr. Jonathon Maguire
Dr. Ellyanne Ratcliffe
Dr. Geoff Ball
Dr. Constantin Polychronakos
Dr. Berge A. Minassian
Dr. Bernard Thébaud
Dr. Michael Kramer
Dr. Robert Bortolussi, Dr. David Byers
Dr. Norman Rosenblum
Dr. Tim Oberlander
Dr. Sylvain Chemtob
Dr. Shoo K. Lee
Dr. Anthony Chan
Last updated: Nov 27, 2025