Six of the 12 winners at last night’s YWCA Women of Distinction Awards were members of the McMaster community.

The sold-out gala, organized by YWCA Hamilton, was held this year at Carmen’s Banquet Centre. The awards recognize the important contributions of women and are nationally recognized as one of Canada’s most prestigious honours for women.

In alphabetical order, the McMaster award-winners are:

Debbie Bang, BScN 1983 (nursing), won the “Trailblazer” award. Bang has managed Hamilton’s Women’s Detox Centre for the past decade, and the five-week addiction treatment program she created is nationally acclaimed and has put Hamilton on the map as a leader in addiction treatment. Bang’s influence on the Hamilton community has impacted thousands of women and their families.

Dr. Juliet M. Daniel, professor of biology at McMaster University, won in the “Sciences or Technology” category. Daniel is a distinguished cancer researcher who has made a significant contribution to discovering and cloning one of the transcription factors related to the development of cancer. Her lab at McMaster is the only one of its kind in Canada, and she is a much sought-after collaborator and a true scientific innovator.

Bernice E. Downey, MA 2009 (anthropology), won the “Lifetime Achievement” award. Downey has long been active in the field of aboriginal health. She served as executive director of the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada and CEO of the National Aboriginal Health Organization. She serves on the board of the Aboriginal Health Centre in Hamilton and has recently returned to McMaster as a doctoral candidate.

Alyssa Lai, BA Honours 2012 (communication studies), won in the “Public Affairs” category. Lai is the communications co-coordinator at the Immigrant Women’s Centre and Illuminessence, and she serves as web and graphics manager at the Hamilton Media Guild. Every day, she tells the stories that matter and she challenges herself and her audience to examine issues in media, the arts and online pedagogy.

Mannat Malik won in the category of “Young Woman of Distinction — Age 21 and Under.” The McMaster student has volunteered for six years to help immigrants, young girls and fellow university students. She has also coordinated a girls’ club program focused on social action and confidence-building at the Eva Rothwell Centre.

Hailey Milligan won the “Young Woman of Distinction — Age 22 to 30” award. Milligan, an outstanding McMaster basketball player who has scored 1,000 points in her career, also volunteers with many youth groups. She is graduating from McMaster with an honours degree in English and a minor in religious studies.

A full list of nominees can be found here.