The Canadian Glaucoma Society President’s Award is given once every two years. The president of the CGS nominates a colleague who has had a significant impact on their career as well as having had a positive influence on glaucoma care and/or research in Canada.
(presented in Nov 2021)
Karim Damji MD, FRCSC, MBA
Awardee of Cindy M.L. Hutnik, MD, PhD
Dr. Karim Damji is the embodiment of a “clinical academic” with excellence in clinical care, teaching, research and administration. He has established himself as an internationally recognized glaucoma specialist whose translational research and commitment to global health initiatives have had a sustained impact. His work is notable for both its relevance and diversity. I have admired his authenticity as both a leader and an individual. His commitment and his passion to both his work and his family are tangible and immense. He truly is a role model in every sense of the word.
Dr. Damji has recently begun a new chapter in his remarkable career. He was appointed the inaugural Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, AGA Khan University, Pakistan in May 2021.
(presented in June 2021)
Andrew (Andy) C.S. Crichton, MD, FRCSC
Awardee of Bryce A. Ford, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Andy Crichton has been a prominent figure on the Canadian and International Glaucoma scene throughout his career. A previous CGS president himself, Dr. Crichton has an inquisitive and insightful mind, as well as a legendary memory, that have served him well as a clinician and educator. I was welcomed into his office when I first started practicing ophthalmology, and fifteen years later we are still seamlessly working together. He has been a role model, mentor, and friend, and his strong ethical standards and clinical acumen have helped me learn how to be a both a better clinician and a better person.
Graham E. Trope, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Awardee of Catherine Birt MA, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Graham Trope was a significant influence on my career, beginning as a teacher in residency where he stimulated my interest in glaucoma, then as a mentor when I joined the faculty of the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto, as a colleague when he named me to the position of Undergraduate Program Director department, and finally as a friend. He also has had an unmatched influence on glaucoma research in Canada, as the founder of the Glaucoma Research Society of Canada.
Gordon Douglas MD, FRCSC
Awardee of Jamie Taylor, MD, FRCSC, DABO
Dr. Gordon Douglas has served Canadian and international ophthalmology in many roles. He was on the UBC teaching faculty with Dr. Steven Drance for nearly 30 years. As Dr. Drance mentioned at the time of his own retirement, their relationship was never formalized with more than a handshake, but was underpinned by mutual respect, trust, and kindness. Dr. Douglas worked subsequently in Victoria and Calgary where several glaucoma colleagues were able to learn from his caring, non-confrontational style and clinical acumen first hand. He has served as Canadian Glaucoma Society President, and as Visiting Faculty and Medical Director of ORBIS, spending over a year, cumulatively, on ORBIS trips. He also served as Vision Classifier for the Canadian Blind Sport and International Paralympic Committees. Dr. Douglas was a surgical innovator who introduced Molteno tube shunt surgery to Canada. The University of Calgary bestowed its faculty-wide Master Teacher Award on him, a credit to his non-surgical teaching skills as well. CGS proudly recognizes Dr. Gordon Douglas as the recipient of its inaugural President’s Award.