Monika Naus, Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health has won the 2016 Dr. John Waters Memorial Award, presented at the 2016 Canadian Immunization Conference in Ottawa.
The award recognizes outstanding contributors to front-line public health and immunization programs, policies and/or advocacy. Dr. Monika Naus is the BC Centre for Disease Control Medical Director of the Immunization Programs and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Service, and has worked on immunization programs, training initiatives, and policies in Canada for the last 20 years.
As part of the award, Dr. Naus gave a plenary lecture at the conference which looked at what Canada’s immunization programs have achieved in the past 25 years, including the implementation of a large number of new vaccine programs and a cohesive network of program and research professionals across Canada, as well as what challenges remain, including securing adequate funding for program evaluation and applied research.
Dr. Naus, who was notified of her award in July, said it was a great honour as Dr. Waters was the same generation as her mentors in public health, with whom she worked at the start of her career in the early 90s.
“Other award winners are individuals whom I respect for their contributions to immunization programs, and who have been colleagues and mentors along the way.”