Vivek Goel named 2023 recipient of the McNaught-Taillon Leadership Award
As this year’s recipient of the McNaught-Taillon Leadership Award, Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, is being recognized for his outstanding individual contributions to Canadian health care through exemplary leadership and mentorship in the advancement of health policy, health information and health informatics.
The award is presented by the Canadian Health Leadership Network, Healthcare Excellence Canada, and the e-Health Conference host organizations. In selecting Dr. Goel, the adjudication committee pointed to his decades of leadership across many areas of health care and academia in Canada.
President Goel has a long resume of leading initiatives that integrate healthy data and policy into decision-making within health care in Canada. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a Member of the Order of Canada. As Chair of the Expert Advisory Group on the development of a Pan-Canadian Health Data Strategy, a member of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, and Scientific Advisor for CanCOVID, the national research platform for COVID-19 research, he has made a positive impact on improving health care outcomes across the country.
“I am honoured to be selected for this award and to join such illustrious previous recipients. I am also particularly excited about the opportunity to support an emerging health leader through the award’s bursary,” said Goel.
Along with the award, a $1500 bursary is provided to support an up-and-coming health information leader selected by the award recipient. Dr. Goel has selected Ashley Cid, a PhD Candidate in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo. Cid works in health policy alongside her supervisors, Dr. Kelly Grindrod and Dr. Michael Beazely, developing digital tools aimed at improving naloxone dispensing in pharmacies across Canada.
According to School of Pharmacy Director Andrea Edginton, Cid was recommended because her research puts her at the forefront of innovation when it comes to developing solutions to help reduce the negative impacts of the opioid crisis. “Ashley’s work at the University of Waterloo and at the Ontario Pharmacists' Association provides new tools to elevate the role of pharmacists in improving patient health outcomes.”
The prestigious M&T Award is presented every three years from nominations solicited widely across the Canadian health community. The award is named after Don MacNaught and Serge Taillon, who each played key roles in advancing evidence-informed health policy in Canada. MacNaught was instrumental in the creation of the Canada Health Act, and Taillon helped pave the way for the creation of the Canadian Institute of Health Information.
The Canadian Heath Leadership Network, Healthcare Excellence Canada and eHealth2023 (hosted by Canada Health Infoway, Canadian Institute for Health Information and Digital Health Canada) will honour Dr. Goel with the award at their upcoming event on May 30 in Toronto.
