A chilly winter鈥檚 night was made heartwarming when around 50 people gathered to celebrate the three incredible laureates of the 2024听VP-Dean鈥檚 Ovation Awards.听
Rita Piccioni, Annick Guyot and Genevi猫ve C么t茅 were honoured at the event on December 5 attended by their colleagues, family and friends.听听
Nominees for the three categories in the Ovation Awards 鈥� the Anne McCormick Award (Management), the Priyabrata 鈥淧B鈥� Mukhopadhyay Award (Technical and Research Support Staff), and the Pamela Chase Award (Administrative and Administrative Support Staff) 鈥� were also recognized.听听
Hosted by Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil, Vice-President (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the annual event applauds the outstanding work of administrative, operational and technical staff.听
鈥淭he Ovation Awards, I find, are particularly important,鈥� Dr. Fellows told attendees. 鈥淲e are rewarding people who are often in the background, working on the front lines, working at all hours to do things that people appreciate.鈥澨�
鈥淲e really appreciate all that you do to help ensure the Faculty remains a leader in health sciences education, research and care.鈥澨�
The ceremony began with the presentation of the Pamela Chase Award to Rita Piccioni, Senior Administrative and Student Affairs Coordinator in Administrative Excellence Centre #6. Nominator Sender Liberman, MDCM, Assistant Dean, International Affairs, and Program Director of the General Surgery Residency Program, shared that he had known Rita since his days as a resident.听
鈥淩ita is not just an administrator who helps me. She鈥檚 an amazing resource for the residents in our programs,鈥� he said.听听
Accepting the award, Rita 鈥� a second-time Pamela Chase Award winner 鈥� thanked the selection committee, as well as the program directors, trainees and surgeons she works with.听
鈥淐ollaborating with them is not just rewarding, it鈥檚 a constant reminder of why I love to do what I do,鈥� she added.听听
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Next was the Priyabrata 鈥淧B鈥� Mukhopadhyay Award, presented to Annick Guyot, Research Associate in the Department of Physiology. David Thomas, PhD, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, recalled Priyabrata鈥檚 in-depth knowledge of the Faculty and willingness to help 鈥� traits he said Annick shared.听听
鈥淚 think Annick represents the real quality and values of 不良研究所, and it鈥檚 been a pleasure to work with her over these years,鈥� he added.听听
Accepting the award, Annick thanked her colleagues, her family in France and Canada, and the selection committee.听听
鈥淚 do my very best every day, and it鈥檚 always very satisfying to receive testimonies from colleagues and students that tell me that I make a difference in their work or university training,鈥� she added.听
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The final honour 鈥� the Anne McCormick Award 鈥� was bestowed on Genevi猫ve C么t茅, Director of Building and Infrastructure. Although Genevi猫ve was unable to attend, Carmen Lampron, Associate Director, Research Infrastructure and Operations, shared her experiences of working with her.听听
鈥淚鈥檓 very lucky to have had our paths crossing each other, and the Faculty is fortunate to have Genevi猫ve on board for the difficult times we live together,鈥� she said.听听
Of Genevi猫ve, Demetra Kafantaris, Executive Director, Administration and Operations, added: 鈥淓verything she does, she does for the safety, the well-being, the comfort, the functionality, the innovation that the spaces give to our people.鈥澨�
Before the ceremony concluded, Dr. Fellows also congratulated the 32 Ovation Award nominees in 2024. The full list of nominees can be viewed听here.听听
Congratulations to the laureates and nominees!听听
Photo from left to right: Demetra Kafantaris, Sender Liberman, Rita Piccioni, Annick Guyot, David Thomas, Martin Schmeing, Lesley Fellows (Genevi猫ve C么t茅 was not able to attend)听
(Photo: Owen Egan & Joni Dufour)
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