Dr. Kimberly Williams and medical student Olivia Monton were recognized on April 29, 2018 for their outstanding leadership skills, as the 2018 recipients of the Sandra Banner Student Award for Leadership. The award, which recognizes the exceptional leadership of one undergraduate medical student and one postgraduate medical trainee, was presented during the CaRMS Forum at the Canadian Conference on Medical Education (CCME) in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) Board of Directors launched the Sandra Banner Student Award for Leadership (SBSAL) in 2013 with the aim of encouraging the development of future leaders in medicine. Each of this year’s winners will receive up to $3,000 in leadership development funding.
Olivia Monton
Olivia Monton, the 2018 undergraduate recipient, is a second-year medical student at McGill University. Prior to pursuing medicine, she completed a B.Sc. and B.Ag.Env.Sc. at McGill University.
Olivia’s experiences fundraising and volunteering led to the creation of her foundation, Live for the Cause (LFTC), in 2014, which supports local and grassroots charitable organizations in Montreal. As a community-oriented foundation, LFTC’s mission is to engage, empower, and educate people of all ages on the important and rewarding aspects of becoming involved in philanthropy, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the Montreal community at large. Olivia aims to encourage Montrealers to deepen their understanding and appreciation of philanthropy through participation in initiatives that strengthen the local community and help support those in need.
Olivia is also involved in several student-led committees, which allow her to contribute to the improvement of medical education and simulation-based training for medical students, in addition to promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between various healthcare professions.
Olivia’s philanthropic achievements have been recognized by her country. She was recently awarded The Senate of Canada 150 Medal by the Honourable Judith Seidman and is the recipient of the Governor General of Canada’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. She was also awarded the Dr. Dave Williams Leadership Award by the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University.
Dr. Kimberly Williams
Dr. Kimberly Williams, the 2018 postgraduate recipient, is currently the Past President of the Resident Doctors of Canada, the national organization representing over 9,000 Canadian resident physicians.
Kimberly is a PGY4 resident doctor in psychiatry at the University of Calgary and was a co-chief resident this past year. She has been a member of the Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors and was the Social Medical Affairs Officer of the Junior Doctors Network of the World Medical Association. Previously, she was the Vice-President Global Health for the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. She also has an BSc in pharmacology and an MSc in Global Health.
Kimberly (with Dr. Watterson, a fellow resident) created Kolabo, an organization associated with the University of Calgary that works collaboratively with the Catholic University of Allied Health Sciences in Tanzania to create collaborative, broad-based mental health education for trainees. Since 2014, Kolabo has taught over 600 medical and graduate students and funded the training of the second psychiatrist for a population of over 10 million people in Tanzania. She is a global health enthusiast, which includes writing about key topics in this area including a chapter author in Millennials Speak: Essays on the 21st Century, in Upstream Medicine: Doctors for a Healthy Society, and in Essentials of Global Health.
One of the most exciting parts of her medical career thus far has been witnessing the amazing work done by peers and colleges who are leading the way collaboratively to improve the health of the population both within Canada and abroad.
For information on the Sandra Banner Student Award for Leadership, please visit CaRMS.ca/sbsal.
