Outstanding alumni celebrated with Community Impact Awards
The McMaster Alumni Association celebrated four special grads at its annual Community Impact Awards on September 28. The award recipients come from a range of backgrounds and have pursued unique paths, but each graduate has demonstrated a commitment to improving their community – both local and global – through their life’s work.
Nominations for the 2017 Community Impact Awards can be submitted on the alumni website.
The 2016 recipients of the Hamilton Community Impact Award are:
Matt Alderson `89
Faculty of Engineering
Matt is the driving force behind the FIRST Robotics Competition teams and the
MakeShift Robotics program within various Hamilton high schools. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” and is a worldwide organization dedicated to promotion of careers in science, technology, engineering and math-related fields.
Karen Hill `03
Faculty of Health Sciences
Dr. Karen Hill, Mohawk Nation physician, is the faculty lead in Aboriginal peoples health
for the Department of Family Medicine. She is also a family physician at Juddah’s Place, a clinic she co-founded in 2013 with colleague Elva Jamieson in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation reserve.
Bryce Kanbara `70
Faculty of Humanities
Bryce Kanbara is a Hamilton visual artist, curator/proprietor of you me gallery on James North (youmegallery.ca), and Chair of the Arts Committee at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. He is also involved with community art and public art projects.
The 2016 recipient of the Global Community Impact Award is:
Ally Prebtani `96
Faculty of Health Sciences
Dr. Ally Prebtani’s commitment to education is not confined to the bedside or classroom. In addition to being a volunteer physician with the Aboriginal Health Network of Ontario, he is the founding director of the Internal Medicine Residency International Health Program at McMaster. His efforts have resulted in over 20 residents travelling to Uganda for education and training and has enhanced research collaboration and shared resources with Makerere University and the University Hospital of Mulago.
Ally is dedicated to education at a local, regional, provincial, national and international level through his varied and numerous investments of his time and passion. Not to be constrained by location or geography, his forward thinking and innovative methods in education are highlighted by the concept of using the internet as an interactive format to enable to transmission of future of formal meetings discussing clinical cases between McMaster University and Makerere University in Uganda. Location or geography have not limited his engagement and involvement in Global Medical Education either, he regularly spends time abroad as a teacher, educator and physician.
