Awards & Recognition
CPAMD’s goal isn’t just to serve physicians’ financial needs, but also to celebrate and uplift the medical community.
We are deeply honored to play a role in several national awards and student initiatives that recognize leadership, humanitarianism, and community spirit among Canada’s future medical leaders.
Here are some of the key awards and programs CPAMD proudly sponsors or supports.
One of our flagship collaborations is with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS), the national voice of over 8,000 medical students in Canada.
Together with CFMS, we created the CFMS–CPAMD Humanitarian Award to encourage and recognize exceptional humanitarian initiatives by medical students. This annual national award shines a spotlight on a student who goes above and beyond their typical studies and clinical duties to make a difference in their community.
The Humanitarian Award isn’t about grades or research – it’s about leadership, compassion, and service. The award was inspired by Geordie Maguire, a Queen’s University medical student whose story deeply moved us. Geordie was the inaugural winner in 2023 after he rallied his classmates and community to organize Queen’s Med Fights Cancer, a charity hockey game that raised over $100,000 for brain cancer research. His incredible effort exemplifies what we hope to foster: physicians who lead with heart as well as mind.
The award includes not just recognition, but an engraved trophy, travel and accommodations to attend the CFMS Spring General Meeting to receive the award, and a grant of at least $5,000 to help the student further expand their initiative. CPAMD also offers ongoing mentorship and support to winners, because we want their projects to thrive and continue benefiting others.
We know that today’s med students are tomorrow’s leaders. By investing in these student-led initiatives, we’re investing in the future of healthcare and reaffirming the value of humanitarianism in medicine.
CPAMD also collaborates with the Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA) to honor medical students making positive change at the local or provincial level.
The CPAMD Abeera Shahid Student Recognition Award is named in memory of Abeera Shahid, a remarkable University of Ottawa medical student and OMSA leader who tragically passed away in 2022. Abeera exemplified the best of medicine through their trustworthiness, empathy, and dedication to advocacy.
Each year, this award recognizes three Ontario medical students who have made a meaningful impact, whether it’s within their school, the healthcare system, or the broader community. Each recipient receives a $1,000 prize from CPAMD, split between the student and the charity of their choice. This rewards the students’ efforts and supports a cause they care about, creating a ripple effect of goodness.
Through this award, we aim to ensure that the legacy of exceptional student leaders like Abeera continues to inspire others. It’s a privilege to help shine a light on medical students who are passionate, creative, and caring. So if you’re an Ontario med student doing something special, or you know a classmate who is, we encourage you to submit a nomination for this award!
As part of our dedication to community engagement, CPAMD provides support for Queen’s Med Fights Cancer, an annual charity hockey game organized by medical students at Queen’s University.
This event pits medical students and faculty in a friendly hockey match to raise funds for brain cancer research (in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society). It’s an incredible example of what a passionate group of future physicians can accomplish outside a medical setting.
CPAMD became involved with Queen’s Med Fights Cancer from its early days. The inaugural 2023 game was spearheaded by Geordie Maguire while he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumour. The event brought the entire community together, with students and doctors rallying to raise over $100,000. When we heard about this inspiring event, we knew we wanted to support it any way we could.
As a sponsor of Queen’s Med Fights Cancer, CPAMD contributes financially to the event and provides in-kind support, such as offering free tax filing for the 2023 season to all Queen’s medical students and residents. We also attend the event, cheer on the teams, and sometimes even participate in pre-game activities or educational booths. This isn’t your typical marketing sponsorship – for us, it’s about standing beside the students and faculty as they do something to make the world a better place.
Physician wellness and camaraderie are important to us. That’s why we proudly support the Golden Scalpel Basketball Tournament at the University of Toronto.
This unique annual event brings together surgery residents, fellows, and faculty from U of T’s Department of Surgery to compete in a friendly basketball tournament to promote wellness and teamwork, all while raising funds for charitable causes or residency wellness initiatives.
CPAMD is both a sponsor and an enthusiastic cheerleader of the Golden Scalpel Tournament. We provide financial support to help cover event costs (like venue rental, team jerseys, and refreshments) so that more of the funds raised can go directly to the cause of choice.
Our team loves to attend this event. It’s wonderful to see surgeons and trainees bonding and having fun outside of the clinical environment. It sends the message that physician wellness matters, and that’s something we can get behind.
From national awards to local charity events, CPAMD’s involvement in these programs underscores our core values: empathy, integrity, and service.
CPAMD’s awards and recognition initiatives are about giving back and lifting up. We are dedicated to building a better medical community. By investing in future physicians and supporting the causes they care about, we hope to shape a culture in medicine that embraces leadership, compassion, and balance.
We’re honored to collaborate with organizations like CFMS and OMSA, and to stand behind student-led efforts at institutions like Queen’s and U of T. It’s all part of our broader mission: caring for those who care for others, and doing so with heart.
Know a student project or award we should support? We’re all ears! Reach out and let us know about an initiative that aligns with our mission – we’re always looking for meaningful ways to contribute.