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Amanda McIntyre was presented with the 2018 Leadership Award for Fellows & Students at this year’s Lawson Impact Awards, recognizing her skills as a leader, researcher, clinician and community advocate. McIntyre is a PhD candidate in nursing at Western University and a part of Lawson researcher Dr. Robert Teasell’s team at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Institute.

McIntyre began her career at Lawson as a research assistant in 2011 and since then has built an impressive academic and research record, while at the same time obtaining a nursing degree from Western University. In addition to her many research obligations, she continues to take regular nursing shifts in the emergency department to build her clinical experience.

“We nominated Amanda because she’s kind of like a renaissance person. She does a lot of things and whatever she does, she does really well,” says Dr. Robert Teasell, medical director of the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at Parkwood Institute.

McIntyre is involved in a variety of research projects in the field of neurorehabilitation and has been an author on 50 peer-reviewed publications.

She is the project coordinator and an editor of the Spinal Cord Injury Evidence-Based Review (SCIRE), an extensive and comprehensive review of the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Rehabilitation literature considered to be the leading research synthesis of SCI rehabilitation anywhere in the world. She also had an active role in the development of the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care.

McIntyre is a two-time recipient of the Mary Elizabeth Horney Fellowship in Rehabilitation Research, which is funded through St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation. As part of her fellowship, she is conducting research on the transition of stroke patients from inpatient to outpatient rehabilitation, and back to the community. Her doctoral research will focus on the delivery and access of care in emergency departments and the influence this has on patient outcomes.

McIntyre has assumed a supervisory and mentorship role in Dr. Teasell’s lab. She has been instrumental to the development of many research assistants, students and volunteers.

She is also currently the graduate students’ representative on the Nursing Research Advisory Committee, and a research practicum mentor for Nurse Practitioner students at Western University, allowing her to act as an advocate for current and future nursing students.

She says, “Winning this award is a huge privilege. It represents not just my successes but our entire team’s success, so I think it’s a win for all of us.”

Sheila Fleming, executive assistant to Dr. David Hill, scientific director of Lawson Health Research Institute, was the recipient of a Staff Award of Excellence at the 2018 Lawson Impact Awards event this past spring.

In addition to carrying out her administrative support functions for Dr. Hill – in itself a significant responsibility – Fleming goes above and beyond to provide support in a variety of ways to the entire Lawson administration team and research community.

Just one of the many examples of this is the key role she plays in the planning of Lawson’s annual signature events: London Health Research Day (LHRD), Lawson Impact Awards and Café Scientifiques. 

Fleming has built strong relationships across Lawson and its hospital and academic partners. She often acts as a liaison connecting administrative team members to key senior leaders and researchers, and vice versa, so they are able to do their jobs more effectively.

“Sheila is the ‘hub’ of Lawson. Almost all of us on the administration team, and I’m sure many members of our research community, view Sheila as their go-to person. She has a wealth of knowledge that has guided many of us,” says Stacey Larizza, Chief Operating Officer, Lawson. “She always considers the needs of scientists, staff and trainees, and she is a passionate advocate for them. She does whatever she can to help ensure they succeed.”

Her relationship-building skills have also strengthened Dr. Hill’s advocacy efforts as Lawson continues to join research institutes across the country campaigning for increased funding, diversity in science and support for young researchers from the Canadian government.

“As a scientist it’s not just doing the research, it’s leading people; it’s really knowing how to run a business. So anyway I can help them jump those hurdles, I’m happy to do that,” says Fleming. “In my view, relationships drive everything and that’s how we get work done. If you’re fair and helpful and collaborative, people will respond in kind and then it’s easy to move things forward.”

Fleming also participates in a number of volunteer initiatives. For example, she is President of the Ingersoll District Nature Club, a group that stewards the 36 acre Lawson Nature Reserve south of Ingersoll; helps lead local advocacy efforts in opposing a proposed mega landfill adjacent to Ingersoll aquifers; and provides administrative support to the Diabetic Pregnancy Study Group, a European not-for-profit organization that fosters research and education in diabetic pregnancy.

Dr. Don Richardson was recognized at the 2019 Lawson Impact Awards for his research and innovation in working with veterans with military-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  His study titled, “Predicators of Long-Term Treatment Outcome in Combat and Peacekeeping Veterans with Military-Related PTSD,” was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Throughout Dr. Richardson’s career, he has worked diligently to develop and implement best practice assessment and treatment guidelines for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and veterans. He has developed and maintained two clinical research databases  ̶  a database of self-reported health status, by working with patients at the Operational Stress Injuries (OSI) clinic, and a treatment outcomes database. Through this data, he has demonstrated that military trauma populations are complex and are at greater risk of becoming resistant to treatment than most civilian trauma populations.

“Don is extremely deserving of this award,” says Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Dr. Richardson’s nominator. “When I think of someone who does a great job of linking together research and clinical practice, Don is always someone who comes to mind.”

The treatment outcomes database gives researchers unparalleled insight into the pharmacologic interventions best suited for CAF members and veterans. With the ability to identify when individual patients are experiencing less-than-optimal outcomes, the research team can adjust their treatment plan accordingly.

Over the past 20 years, Dr. Richardson has published over 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters on the assessment and treatment of operational stress injuries, PTSD, major depressive disorder, substance use disorders, and suicidal behaviour. He has elevated awareness for the unique mental health challenges faced by CAF members and veterans who present with operational stress injuries.

In light of Dr. Richardson’s findings, he works to assess the current treatment modalities for PTSD, their utility for treating military populations, as well as complementary therapies that may prove beneficial.

Dr. Richardson’s dedication to military mental health research is evident through his unwavering effort and has attracted the attention of many prominent figures in the field of military and veteran health. In 2017, he was granted the opportunity to build a research and innovation center for advancing military and veteran health research and clinical practice. Through a generous donation from two community peers, Dr. Richardson established and leads the Macdonald/Franklin OSI Research Centre, located at Parkwood Institute.

“It is certainly an honour to receive this award,” says Dr. Richardson. “I wish to thank all of my clients for taking the time to fill out the repeated questionnaires, as well as the research staff who support this program, and who work tirelessly to help our CAF members and veterans.”