2023 - Royal College Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award 

This award is named in honour of Dr. Lucille Teasdale and Dr. Piero Corti, a physician couple who devoted their professional careers to healing, teaching, and improving the condition of the population residing in the poverty stricken Gulu region of Uganda. For 35 years, the couple served in this region where there are frequent outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provided medical care throughout nearly 25 years of Ugandan civil war and unrest. Their medical and surgical skills saved thousands of lives; their teachings instilled hope for a better future in many; and their perseverance transformed a small missionary dispensary into the St. Mary’s-Lacor Hospital, which is now a modern teaching hospital and medical centre almost entirely staffed by Ugandan health care professionals.

General Policies

  • The purpose of the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award is to acknowledge and celebrate Canadian physicians who, while providing health care or emergency medical services, go beyond the accepted norms of routine practice, which may include exposure to personal risk. The recipient’s action will exemplify altruism and integrity, courage and perseverance in the alleviation of human suffering.
  • The Awards Committee of the Royal College, who selects the recipient annually at their fall meeting, may add to the list of nominations.
  • The Awards Committee may also conduct its own research regarding the proposed nominees.
  • Only one award recipient will be named in any given year; however, the award may not necessarily be bestowed annually.

Eligibility

  • Canadian physicians whose current practice reflects altruism and integrity, courage and perseverance in the alleviation of human suffering; or upon those who have made such a contribution in the past.
  • Open to Canadian physicians worldwide.
  • Nominators will be asked to describe the nominee’s exceptional contribution, which may have been made in Canada or abroad, as well as to provide curriculum vitae for the nominee and two letters of support from Fellows of the Royal College.
  • Self-applications are ineligible.

Nomination Process

  • Open nomination - nominations will be widely solicited and may be submitted by Fellows of the Royal College.

Nomination Requirements

  • A letter summarizing the reasons for your nomination.
  • At least two support letters from Royal College Fellows.
  • Reference letters should be clear, succinct, intentional and one page in length (Calibri or Open Sans font, size 10 if possible but not mandatory). Furthermore, letters shouldn’t be provided by friends, relatives, or close relationships.
  • Curriculum vitae, please include accomplishments from the past 10 years, maximum 20 pages, without profile photo.

Award

  • The recipient will be presented with a suitably engraved memento that will be presented at a Royal College event.
  • The Royal College may make a donation to a charitable organization of the recipient’s choosing.
  • For recipients who are Fellows of the Royal College, Fellowship dues for the year in which the award is bestowed shall be waived.

Please submit your application via our online platform – Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award

Submission deadline
October 2, 2022 — late submissions will not be considered.

Questions about this award, please contact us via email
awards@royalcollege.ca

Past recipients