Dr. Sumantra Monty Ghosh is an exemplary physician who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to serving vulnerable populations in Alberta. As an internist and addiction specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton and The Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, Dr. Ghosh has established himself as a pioneering force in addiction medicine and community health. His academic credentials include addiction certification through the International Society of Addiction Medicine and a Master's in Public Health from Harvard University. As an assistant professor at both the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, he contributes significantly to medical education while maintaining active clinical practice. Dr. Ghosh's leadership extends beyond clinical care through his role as medical co-lead for the Recovery Alberta Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Program. He currently serves as the president of the section of addiction medicine of the Alberta Medical Association and co-chairs the Canadian Network for the Health and Housing of People Experiencing Homelessness. His research portfolio encompasses critical areas including methamphetamine, opioids, alcohol, healthcare and homelessness, harm reduction, and recovery-oriented treatments. He is currently leading several innovative projects, including the evaluation of virtual supervised consumption through the National Overdose Response Service, methamphetamine toxicity management, and clinical trials in opioid agonist treatment. Dr. Ghosh's commitment to community service is evident through his work with numerous not-for-profit organisations, including The Alex and the Calgary Drop-in Centre, where he develops programmes supporting marginalized populations, particularly those affected by substance use and homelessness. His contributions have been widely recognized through multiple prestigious awards in 2021, including: - Avenue Magazine Top 40 Under 40 - Canadian Medical Association Award for Young Leaders in Early Careers - Alberta Medical Association Award for Compassionate Service - University of Alberta Alumni Horizon Award - Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association Innovator of the Year Award In 2024, he was the recipient of the 2024 Emerging Public Health Professional Award Dr. Ghosh's influence extends to national discourse through media presence, including notable publications in The Globe and Mail and Policy Options Politics, where he addresses critical issues in addiction medicine and social justice. His work has been supported by major funding bodies including Health Canada, Alberta Innovates, Alberta Health, and the Canadian Institute of Health Research, demonstrating the recognized value and impact of his research initiatives.

Dr. Danilewitz is a distinguished leader in the field of addiction psychiatry and has made profound contributions to the care of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). As the Co-Chair of the Section of Addiction Psychiatry at the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA), Dr. Danilewitz has been instrumental in advancing advocacy efforts to improve the integration of psychiatric care in addiction services. His vision has been central in advocating for wraparound care for marginalized individuals, addressing not only their substance use but also their co-occurring mental health needs. This commitment to a holistic approach reflects his dedication to improving the wellbeing of patients, a key criterion for this award. In this capacity he has helped with the development of training guidelines for substance use disorders for Canadian psychiatrists and trainees. Moreover, he has been instrumental in leading policy guidance for addiction psychiatrists in the area of opioid use disorder. Dr Danilewitz has also led critical research in the area of concurrent disorders, including opioid use disorder and psychiatric comorbidities. In particular, he led the development of the first meta-analysis in opioid use disorder and psychotic disorders. Moreover, he has been very active in knowledge translation, presenting at local, national and international meetings on concurrent disorders and opioid use disorder. Dr. Danilewitz's influence extends nationally, both through his leadership at the CPA and his academic work, which promotes the integration of addiction psychiatry into general psychiatric practice. His initiatives in education and advocacy have the potential for broader application across Canada and internationally. His commitment to translating research into clinical practice has led to tangible improvements in patient outcomes, with a focus on sustainable, long-term solutions for OUD. Through his innovation, leadership, and commitment to both patient care and the future of addiction psychiatry, Dr. Marlon Danilewitz exemplifies the qualities recognized by the Innovation in Opioid Use Disorder Care Award. His contributions to the field are far-reaching, and his efforts continue to inspire and shape the future of OUD care in Canada and beyond.

Dr. MacEwan's contributions to opioid use disorder care relate to his work with those afflicted by severe mental illness and addiction. His contributions to this population in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside are legendary. He has directly trained or been an inspiration to the majority of addiction psychiatrists practicing in the lower mainland of BC. He has been described as a one-man ACT team or guerilla psychiatrist for his longstanding outreach in the downtown eastside of Vancouver to try to reach the severely unwell that suffer several barriers to accessing care. He is a builder. He builds programs (groundbreaking research, clinical, social). He builds links between disparate agencies that service the same population. He builds relationships and trust with some of the most difficult to reach individuals in the province. This population is extremely treatment refractory and so he built strong relationships with agencies outside of healthcare to better advocate for and support these individuals. These individuals are known to be at increased risk of overdose and death and many are too paranoid to trust health providers. He is a trailblazer. He started the refractory psychosis program at Riverview hospital in BC and initiated the first use of clozapine in BC. He developed the largest Early Psychosis Intervention Program in BC. In 2004 he developed the St. Paul's Urban Psychiatry program which is currently a partnership between the Ministry of Justice (through Downtown Community Court, Vancouver Coastal Health and St Paul's Hospital). The primary focus is to provide care to the seriously mentally ill who suffer from substance use disorders and multi morbid illnesses and are not able to access traditional health and mental health care. St. Paul's Hospital services a very complex group of patients who experience treatment refractory psychosis, severe addiction and chronic homelessness. Without the pioneering work of Dr. MacEwan, many of these individuals would have not been able to access care and would not be adequately treated for their opioid or other substance use disorders. He is the clinical lead of the Vancouver Hotel Study which is a 10-year longitudinal CIHR-funded investigation of public health issues in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) that focuses on the intersection of physical and mental health, along with the relationship to drug addiction and access to public health systems. the Hotel Study was launched to better characterize the health needs of the DTES population, with a particular focus on mental health and cognitive function. His contributions are too numerous to include in the space provided, but in short, Dr MacEwan recognized early on that those with severe mental illness and addiction required more than a physician. They needed a new approach, purpose-built programs, more advocates, integration between every agency working with these individuals and new research to direct care and better understand the risks and barriers these individuals experience. Over the course of my career I have met many patients who admit that they would never have given treatment a chance without having met MacEwan first.