Dr. Dana Winterburn Memorial Award established

Western University is pleased to announce that Bruce Power has graciously topped up a memorial fund in order to establish the Dr. Dana Winterburn Memorial Award. The award will be presented to a 4^th year medical student at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry who has an interest both in Family Medicine, and in working with Aboriginal or Indigenous communities, two of Dr. Winterburn's passions. Preference will be given to a student who self-identifies as having Aboriginal/Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit or Metis ancestry.

Dr. Winterburn was an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and a beloved physician at the Byron Family Medical Centre when she was tragically killed in a car accident last April. Her friends, patients and family members gave generously to a memorial fund which grew to over $19,000. But another $7,000 was needed to make this an endowed award at Foundation Western, and a lasting tribute.

When Bruce Power learned of the effort to start a student award aimed at Aboriginal health, it was quick to step up.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Dana Winterburn. Dr. Winterburn's special interest in Aboriginal health and education is a model for what Bruce Power strives for in our relationships with the local Aboriginal communities," says James Scongack, Vice-President, Corporate Affairs. "Bruce Power is proud to be associated with the Dr. Dana Winterburn Memorial Award."

Dr. Winterburn was the first Aboriginal graduate from the Doctor of Medicine program at the University of Alberta. Prior to joining Western, she also served as a family physician at the Middlesex London Health Unit and the North Lambton Community Health Centre serving the Kettle Point First Nation.

The Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Stephen Wetmore says, "Dana was proud of her Aboriginal roots and contributed significantly as a member of the Native Physicians Association of Canada, the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, and the Canadian Aboriginal Leaders in Medicine. She also loved teaching. This award is a fitting tribute to a truly remarkable woman. Dana's family and I want to thank everyone who contributed, and especially Bruce Power, for making the award a reality."