Dal’s own Dr. Christine Chambers has been named a joining a community of Canada’s most influential women leaders.
The list of Top 100 Winners was released yesterday, paying tribute to outstanding women across Canada who advocate for diversity in the workforce and inspire the next generation of leaders.
“We are celebrating 110 of Canada’s highest achieving women in fields ranging from arts and entertainment to sports and science,” said Sherri Stevens, CEO of WXN. “All 110 winners exemplify power not through their standing or abilities, but rather through how they inspire, champion and empower others — which is why it’s very important to recognize and celebrate their great achievements.”
A national and international leader in children’s pain research
As the Canada Research Chair in Children’s Pain, and a Killam Professor in Dalhousie’s Departments of Paediatrics and Psychology and Neuroscience, Dr. Chambers examines the role of developmental, psychological and social factors in children’s health, with a focus on children’s pain. She is also the Scientific Director of , a not-for-profit organization funded by the Networks of Centres of Excellence, which has a mission to improve children’s pain management by mobilizing evidence-based solutions.
Additionally, Dr. Chambers spearheads the for parents, which generated 150 million content views worldwide in just one year, trended nationally on social media several times, and won multiple national and international awards.
In August 2019, she was appointed as the incoming Scientific Director for the . In this role, which is effective January 1, 2020, she will work with her community to identify research priorities, develop funding opportunities, build partnerships, and translate research evidence in policy and practice to improve the health of Canadians and people around the world.
“It is such an honour to be named as one of this year’s WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada,” says Dr. Chambers. “We know that equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strengthen the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields and improve the quality and impact of research. I compliment WXN on their recognition of women leaders in STEM. I believe this sets an important example for girls and young women and I hope this will encourage even more girls and women to pursue education and careers in these areas.”
An impressive honour
The Top 100 Awards span the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, with the initial candidates selected by WXN’s Diversity Council. The final vetting process for the 2019 Top 100 Award Winners was completed by WXN’s 2018-2019 Diversity Champions.
Past award winners includes Canada’s most iconic women trailblazers: Margaret Atwood, best-selling author, Dr. Roberta Bondar, astronaut, Arlene Dickinson, chief executive officer, Venture Communications, Christine Magee, president, Sleep Country Canada, Michaëlle Jean, former governor general of Canada, Heather Reisman, founder and CEO, Indigo Books & Music, and Kathleen Taylor, chair of the board, Royal Bank of Canada.
“This is a well deserved honour for an outstanding member of our community who has made an incredible impact around the world,” says Alice Aiken, şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍřvice-president of research and innovation. “With her clear commitment to research on children’s pain, and experience as a leader, scientist and educator, I can think of no better person to receive this award than Dr. Chambers.”
The Faculty of Medicine’s Assistant Dean, Serving and Engaging Society, Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed, is also being recognized for her work in the public sector as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia.
To mark this year’s awards, WXN is hosting an Awards Gala today (Thursday, November 21, 2019) at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. More than 1,400 senior professionals will attend.
For a full list of winners, please visit .