Dalla Lana School of Public Health

2025 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards Winners

December 5/2025

The 2025 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards celebrated the health leaders, ideas and projects that are improving care in the province.

By Ishani Nath

The individuals working to change and improve our health systems often do so behind-the-scenes. The 2025 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards, held on Tuesday, November 25, brought these hardworking individuals into the spotlight. The ceremony opened with a traditional prayer from Indigenous Elder Olive Elm, who is Bear Clan from the Oneida Nation of the Thames, setting the tone of reflection and deep gratitude for the elements that improve and enhance our health.

The event was hosted by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, in partnership with Ontario Health, the Ontario Hospital Association, and the Ontario Medical Association.

“It’s such a wonderful thing to see healthcare teams on the frontline recognized and rewarded in some way, and noticed, not just with pots and pans because the banging didn’t last long, but hopefully this will last longer because the work that you do is so important,” said health journalist and host for the evening Avis Favaro.

The second annual awards were held at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto. Guests enjoyed live music, celebratory sips and bites and applauded the successful projects of their healthcare colleagues.

“The Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards gives our community a chance to recognize the healthcare leaders and innovators who are strengthening Ontario’s health system,” says Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) Dean Adalsteinn Brown. “Each year, I am thrilled to see the diverse array of initiatives and collaborations creating new ways to provide care. With projects ranging from the NICU to long-term and community care, this year’s finalists represent a bright future for what health and healthcare means here in Ontario.”

The 2025 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards ceremony celebrated projects across nine categories: Improved Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement (PROM), Improved Patient-Reported Experience Measurement (PREM), Collaborative Partnership, Improved Population Health, Improved Value and Sustainability, Increased Equity, Improved Care Team Well-being, Improved Indigenous Health, and Excellence in Health Communications.

The finalists were selected through a rigorous evaluation process that involved doctoral students from DLSPH, subject matter experts, and health system leaders. Winners were presented with awards designed by Ontario sculptor Edward Falkenberg to emulate the Circle of Care hands, a symbol of care and support.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners for their commitment to improving Ontario’s health system! We are grateful to our steering committee members Adalsteinn Brown, Darlene MacLeod, Paul Dalla Lana, Anna Greenburg, Helen Angus, Christopher Mushquash, Kwame McKenzie, Andrew Boozary, Karli Farrow, Connie Clerici, Sabina Vohra-Miller and Chief Don Maracle for their support and guidance. And a special thanks to our sponsors, the Ontario Hospital Association, Merck, and Shoppers Drug Mart for their support and generosity.

Winners of the 2025 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards

Improved Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement (PROM) Award

Presented by: Gary Newton, President and CEO of Sinai Health

Winner: Sunnybrook NICU NICQ Project
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

The NICQ project at Sunnybrook NICU implements quality improvement bundles and a care map to enhance survival, health, and development outcomes for micro-premature infants born before 26 weeks.

Improved Patient-Reported Experience Measurement (PREM) Award

Presented by: Andy Smith, President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Winner: Oxford County Paramedic Services – Remote Care Monitoring
Oxford County Paramedic Services (OCPS)

A collaborative upstream approach to health care by incorporating social determinants of health assessment tools, referral pathways, and pharmacological in-home treatment models to decrease system costs, 911 utilization and hospital visits.

Collaborative Partnership Award

Presented by: Matthew Anderson, President and CEO, Ontario Health

Winner: PRPS Community Paramedics Link to THP Solutions
Peel Region Paramedic Services (PRPS)
Trillium Health Partners (THP)

An integrated virtual care model connecting medically complex adults, community paramedics and hospital specialists to deliver timely, patient-centred care at home, reducing avoidable hospital visits and improving health outcomes.

Improved Population Health Award

Presented by: Andrew Boozary, Executive Director, Social Medicine and Population Health, UHN, Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Winner: The Community Paramedicine at Clinic (CP@clinic) Program
McMaster University

CP@clinic is an innovative, evidence-based chronic disease prevention, management, and health promotion program. It creates supportive environments, improves population health and quality-of-life, strengthens primary-care connections, and reduces health-system burdens.

Improved Value and Sustainability Award

Presented by: Imtiaz Daniel, Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer, Ontario Hospital Association

Winner: Prevention of Error-based Transfers Spread Project
William Osler Health System
McMaster University Department of Family Medicine

Proven through the evaluation of 54 long-term care homes (2019–2022), this ongoing project improves access to palliative care and avoids unnecessary emergency department transfers (through alignment with Ontario’s Health Care Consent Act).

Increased Equity Award

Presented by: Ryan Hinds, Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Winner: Women’s College Hospital Black Women Health Initiatives
Women’s College Hospital
Canadian Cancer Society, Rethink Breast Cancer
The Olive Branch of Hope
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands CHC
TAIBU CHC
University Health Network

The Black Women Health Initiatives are a suite of programs, tailored for Black women, to increase awareness of and access to cancer screening and other ways to manage cancer risk.

Improved Care Team Well-being Award

Presented by: Trevor Young, Vice President and Provost, University of Toronto, and formed Dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Winner: William Osler Health System – Healthy Workplace
William Osler Health System

Osler’s Healthy Workplace Program is a comprehensive, evidence-based initiative that enhances care team morale, reduces burnout, and strengthens engagement through inclusive supports, ethical dialogue, real-time outreach, and recognition.

Improved Indigenous Health Award

Presented by: Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Chief Don Maracle

Winner: Minookmii – Indigenous Psychotherapy
Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin, CMHA B’Saanibamaadsiwin
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care

Minookmii improves Indigenous patients’ access to Indigenous-led, trauma-informed psychotherapy. It integrates cultural practices and structured therapy, fosters self-determination, healing, and wellness through holistic, evidence-based approaches via virtual or in-person sessions.

Excellence in Health Communications Award

Presented by: André Picard, Health Columnist, The Globe and Mail

Winner: Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP)
Canadian Red Cross – Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing

CISP’s health communications initiatives have delivered meaningful results, reinforcing their role as a national hub for translating social prescribing knowledge into practice. Their integrated approach has generated wide-ranging impacts across health literacy, evidence-informed practice, and stakeholder engagement.

Watch the 2025 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards ceremony here:

Enjoy Images from the Awards Ceremony

(Photos: Katia Taylor)