On May 19, members of the UBC Medicine community were recognized by Clinical Trials BC for outstanding contributions to clinical trials and health research in the province.
Clinical Trials BC announced the recipients of two provincial clinical trials achievement awards: the Clinical Trials BC Leadership & Advocacy Award and the Clinical Trials BC Service & Support Award. The recipients were honoured at a virtual award ceremony held in conjunction with International Clinical Trials Day 2022.
“We are proud to have bestowed these awards on two very deserving recipients this year,” said Alison Orth, unit director at Clinical Trials BC, which is part of Michael Smith Health Research BC. “Both recipients have contributed to clinical trials and the health research community in our province in ways that are deep and far-reaching. We thank them for their work that is further enhancing BC’s reputation as a world leader in clinical trials.”
Learn more about this year’s award recipients:
Clinical Trials BC Leadership & Advocacy Award:
Dr. Robert McMaster, vice dean, research, UBC Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Robert McMaster accepts the 2022 Clinical Trials BC Leadership & Advocacy Award. Credit: Clinical Trials BC.
Dr. Robert McMaster was awarded the Clinical Trials BC Leadership & Advocacy Award which honours outstanding leaders and advocates for clinical trials at the local, provincial or national level. It is awarded to leaders who educate, mentor, advocate or spearhead projects and programs and strategies that benefit the clinical trials community and whose work has been notable and impactful.
Dr. McMaster is the vice dean, research at the UBC Faculty of Medicine. The award recognizes his significant contributions and leadership efforts to advance the conduct of clinical trials in B.C.
In 2010, Dr. McMaster helped establish the predecessor of Clinical Trials BC, called the BC Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (BCCRIN). BCCRIN was the first network of its kind in B.C. and its work was instrumental in laying the foundations to build capacity and infrastructure to support clinical trials across the province. In his previous role as executive director at Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI), he provided strong leadership to increase interaction across groups within the VCHRI and UBC Faculty of Medicine to advance clinical trials.
Dr. McMaster is widely recognized across B.C. for his committed leadership and support of work that will enable B.C. to increase its capacity and ability to conduct world-class clinical trials. He is also a notable contributor to international guidance that impacts the modernization of the regulatory environment in Canada and B.C.
Clinical Trials BC Service & Support Award:
The COVID-19 Clinical Research Coordination Initiative
(L-R) Stephania Manusha, Anni Rychtera and Michelle Wong accept the 2022 Clinical Trials BC Service & Support Award. Credit: Clinical Trials BC.
The COVID-19 Clinical Research Coordination Initiative (CRCI) was awarded the Clinical Trials BC Service & Support Award. This award recognizes the community-based, volunteer commitment of an individual, organization, company, or agency to improve the research and clinical trials community.
Coordinated out of the UBC Faculty of Medicine and involving partners across B.C., the CRCI is a province-wide program established early in the pandemic to streamline and coordinate COVID-19 translational research.
This year’s award was dedicated to all the patients, frontline clinicians, scientists, engineers, educators, trainees, as well as health authorities, provincial government, industry, regulatory and funding partners who volunteered their time, expertise, and served on multiple CRCI’s working groups to help B.C. get through the pandemic. Together as a team, they created the ‘Research is Care’ document and a “province-wide partnership program aimed at creating innovative health systems and structures capable of quickly capturing and collating collective input and feedback to enable the prioritization and coordination of COVID-19.”
The award was accepted by Michelle Wong, senior director, research, UBC Faculty of Medicine, Stephania Manusha, director, Clinical Trials Administration, VCHRI, and Anni Rychtera, patient partner.
This story is adapted from a news release on the Clinical Trials BC website.