The 2025 Medical Post Awards winners

Elevating critical burn care at QEII

Dr. Jack Rasmussen has received the Medical Post Innovative Practice Award for his groundbreaking work in critical burn care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. Originally trained in plastic and reconstructive surgery before completing a critical care fellowship, he brings a blend of surgical precision and intensive-care expertise to some of the most complex burn and traumatic wounds. He also honed his skills at the Ross Tilley Burn Centre. Since joining the QEII in 2018, he has transformed patient care through updated clinical best practices and innovative photographic wound documentation.

His willingness to support colleagues around the clock has led to major reductions in mortality and morbidity among critically ill patients. One standout case involved a patient with burns over nearly 90% of their body; Dr. Rasmussen’s use of extracorporeal life support and his compassion for both patient and family led to a remarkable recovery and an energized care team.

As burn unit director, he has built a high-performing multidisciplinary program that delivers care on par with larger centres.

“This is very much, in burn care, a team sport. It takes all of us playing our individual roles to really contribute to a patient having the best possible outcome,” he said.

Team honoured for transforming care for older adults

North York General Hospital’s Specialized Geriatric Services (SGS) Geriatric Day Hospital (GDH) interprofessional team has won the Medical Post Interprofessional Team Award for its exceptional work in advancing care for older adults.

NYGH offers a continuum of geriatric services for in-patient to out-patient older adults. SGS has served community dwelling older adults with complex health needs since the 1980s. The GDH is a specialized program under this umbrella of services. The GDH team’s approach focuses on comprehensive assessments, goal-oriented rehabilitation, education and compassionate support. This integrated model helps clients maintain their independence, improve their quality of life and continue living in their homes.

The team’s dedication was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. They quickly adapted to provide virtual check-ins and remote programming, ensuring vulnerable older adults were not left behind and had the support and connection they needed.

The GDH team stands as a model for what is possible when professionals unite with a shared purpose, setting a new standard for excellence in healthcare.

“The outcomes speak for themselves,” said Dr. Serina Dai, a physician with the program. “Our research has shown that programs like these help to improve not just falls prevention and balance, but mood and chronic disease management and their ability to stay at home and function independently.”

Recognition for changemaking media advocacy and system reform

Dr. Dominik Nowak has been named the recipient of the Medical Post Media Engagement Changemaker Award. The award recognizes his role as a gifted communicator and a driving force behind system-wide transformations in Canadian healthcare.

While he was president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), Dr. Nowak spearheaded the “Stop the Crisis” campaign, one of the OMA’s most ambitious media initiatives to date, which utilized integrated storytelling and data-driven messaging to achieve unprecedented reach and influence.

Dr. Nowak’s work resulted in policy changes, including the adoption of OMA recommendations by all major political parties during a provincial election. This led to significant outcomes such as a $1.8 billion investment in team-based primary care, the establishment of a Rural Co-ordination Centre for Northern Ontario, and a commitment to AI scribes and centralized referrals. His efforts also raised public awareness about critical issues like ER closures and physician shortages.

“Our team will share that they put me in front of a lot of doctors,” he said. “I met nearly 10,000 doctors during my term as president, mostly in small group meetings, clinic rooms, small interactions; many of them one-on-one. The thing that inspires me about the folks that I got to meet was that sense of true care for their patients, for their colleagues and then for the healthcare system.”

Trailblazing physician recognized for media advocacy

Dr. Alykhan Abdulla has been honoured with the Medical Post Media Engagement Trailblazer Award for his contributions to public health discourse.

For over 20 years, Ottawa’s Dr. Abdulla has been a respected voice in Canadian healthcare, with a media output approaching 1,000 contributions. In the last 18 months alone, he has authored or contributed to nearly 100 articles, interviews, op-eds and broadcasts in major national and regional outlets like the Globe and Mail and CBC. He tackles complex and pressing issues, including vaccine hesitancy, the return of measles and the ongoing family doctor crisis.

What makes Dr. Abdulla a true trailblazer is not just the volume of his work, but the clarity and impact of his messaging. He bridges the gap between clinical realities and social accountability, making complex health system issues understandable. His forward-thinking approach has allowed him to lead conversations on topics such as Indigenous reconciliation and the administrative burdens driving physicians out of family medicine.

“These challenges that are happening in primary care, they’re not abstract,” Dr. Abdulla said. “A mammogram that’s delayed leads to a biopsy that’s delayed, that leads to a diagnosis that’s delayed, that leads to cancer therapy that’s delayed, that affects the length of someone’s life of being a mother or a wife.”

Learner honoured for human-centred advocacy in med ed

Dr. Danielle Penney has been named the recipient of the Medical Post’s Media Engagement Learner Award for her innovative approach to medical education and advocacy.

Dr. Penney, a family medicine resident, has used her own experiences to make medicine more honest and human. Her article in Healthy Debate, titled “This Will Make You a Better Doctor,” shares her journey as a healthcare provider and patient. This thoughtful reflection has resonated widely with medical educators and trainees and is now used in wellness sessions to help preceptors better support learners with chronic illness or disability. Following a personal health crisis, she also created a clinical algorithm to help educate others on recognizing and managing ovarian torsion, sharing it in an article published on the EMOttawa blog.

Dr. Penney’s contributions help shape how medical schools think about psychological safety and learner support. She has brought a new level of dialogue to tough topics like illness during training and discrimination, using her platform to push for real, systemic change.

“I think that being a medical learner, it’s a rough time,” she said. “It’s a tough space to navigate because while we are working really hard, and we are providing a service, at the end of the day, we’re still also learners, and so figuring out how we use our voices as residents can be a little bit tricky.”

Recognition as a top blogger

For the blog she’s written for the Medical Post, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes received the Top Blogger Award (not selected by judges but rather based on high reader engagement). 

Asked about the importance of recognition in a healthcare system struggling with burnout, Dr. Yuan-Innes said acknowledgment from peers can help keep clinicians afloat. “When you’re pushed to the point that you feel like it’s not worth it anymore . . . recognition is one of the only ways we have to keep going,” she said. Physicians can’t control funding, politics or bureaucracy, she added, “but we can recognize each other.” Celebrating each other’s efforts—large or small—can help doctors continue day by day.