Alumni UBC Achievement Awards honour members of faculty of medicine community

The 2022 recipients of the alumni UBC Achievement Awards. Photo by Edward Chang.

Elaine Carty and Drs. Pieter Cullis, Ruth Elwood Martin and John Spouge are among seven inspiring members of the UBC community who are being honoured for helping to create an exceptional university and a better world.

Recipients were honoured at a ceremony on Nov. 14.

Faculty of medicine recipients and their awards:

• Elaine A. Carty, CM, OBC, BN, MSN, CNM
  Professor Emerita, Midwifery Program, Department of Family Practice
  Award: Honorary Alumni Award

  Nurse and midwife Elaine Carty helped introduce midwifery into the Canadian health care system and spent 50 years lobbying for its recognition. She is a courageous advocate for women’s health and a pioneering practitioner and researcher.

• Dr. Pieter R. Cullis, OC, BSc’67, MSc’70, PhD’72
  Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  Award: Alumni Award of Distinction

  Dr. Pieter Cullis is an international leader in developing and applying lipid nanoparticle drug delivery systems to treat breast cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia, rare genetic diseases, and more. He earned international acclaim for his revolutionary work that made the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines possible.

• Dr. Ruth Elwood Martin, MD’79
  Clinical Professor, School of Population and Public Health
  Award: Faculty Community Service Award

  Dr. Ruth Elwood Martin is a renowned researcher, physician, and advocate for individuals in prison, both during their incarceration and after release. She has helped to improve the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health of these individuals and their families.

• Dr. John L. Spouge, BSc’75, MD’79
  MD Program Alumnus
  Award: Research and Innovation Award

  Dr. John Spouge’s special interest is formulating and solving difficult mathematical problems that have important biological applications. His contributions range from the evaluation of potential AIDS therapies to his participation in the cataloguing of all plant species across the planet.

Know an inspiring UBC alum? Submit a nomination for the 2023 alumni UBC Achievement Awards.