The CHILD-BRIGHT Network is delighted to announce that Donna Thomson has been selected as the first recipient of the Frank Gavin Patient Engagement Leadership Award!
The prize, launched in September 2021, honours Frank Gavin, CHILD-BRIGHT's first Director of the Citizen Engagement Program. It also recognizes patient engagement leaders in research related to children and youth with brain-based developmental disabilities.
About Donna
Donna was selected for her many years of exemplary leadership and active participation in patient-oriented research. She has been working in partnership with CHILD-BRIGHT since its inception in 2016.
As a mom to Nick, who was born with severe cerebral palsy, Donna is a tireless advocate for children and youth with brain-based developmental disabilities and their families in research. Donna has been a parent partner on numerous research studies within CHILD-BRIGHT and beyond, including as part of Strongest Families Neurodevelopmental Program (Strongest Families ND)’s Parent Advisory Committee, the Life Beyond Trauma Program, and READYorNot™ Brain-Based Disabilities Program’s Family Advisory Council. She has also co-authored published papers on these studies and co-presented webinars and rounds with principal investigators at national and international conferences.
She was also a long-serving member of CHILD-BRIGHT's Citizen Engagement Council (CEC) and Network Steering Committee (NSC). As a CEC member, she contributed to the development of our What’s My Why? blog series and shared her own story. In partnership with another patient-partner, Donna also proposed the concept for the My COVID Disability Q social media campaign, which invited youth and their families to ask questions related to disability and COVID-19 and get credible answers from Canada’s leading disability experts. In 2020, she co-authored CHILD-BRIGHT’s rapid review of COVID-19 and children with brain-based developmental disabilities. Alongside several other CHILD-BRIGHT members, she also co-authored Time to be Counted: COVID-19 and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, a policy brief published by the Royal Society of Canada.
Outside of CHILD-BRIGHT, Donna has served as director and co-chair on the Board of Directors of the Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN). In addition, she is a co-designer and co-instructor of the Family Engagement in Research Certificate Program and the upcoming Leadership Academy at CanChild, both funded by KBHN in partnership with McMaster Continuing Education.
A powerful demonstration of value that research engagement can bring
In recognition of her incredible efforts, Donna will be presented with a plaque as well as registration and travel allowance of $1,000 for a conference of her choice in the U.S. or Canada.
“I am honoured and delighted to be the recipient of the first Frank Gavin Patient Engagement Leadership Award,” says Donna. “To be honest, it is like receiving a lovely and unexpected gift!”
“I am grateful to Frank Gavin for the example of excellence that he set in patient engagement in research at CHILD-BRIGHT and for the positive change that he co-led towards an inclusive culture of childhood disability research in Canada,” Donna adds.
“This award is an important way that we can shine a light on the substantive contributions of patients and families in research and is a powerful demonstration to both the research and patient/family communities of the value that research engagement can bring.”
“A natural leader and humble mentor”
Sharon McCarry, the CHILD-BRIGHT Network’s current Director of Citizen Engagement, congratulated Donna on being the recipient of the inaugural award.
“Even before I met Donna in person, I knew she was a leader who was widely sought after for many roles in initiatives for change within the disability community nationally,” she says.
“I first met Donna as a member of the Parent Advisory Committee for Strongest Families ND a few years ago. She was a natural leader and humble mentor to our group. Over the years, she has continued to shine with confident authority in her knowledge and experience that sets her apart from others,” Sharon adds.
“Her thoughtfulness towards any issue she is asked to take part in is always reflective as she understands how powerful words are, which I find inspiring. Congratulations, Donna!”
Everyone at CHILD-BRIGHT congratulates Donna and we are delighted to be able to celebrate her and her achievements in this way. We are also grateful to everyone who submitted an application in 2021, and recognize the high quality of the submissions we received. Applications for the second iteration of the Frank Gavin Patient Engagement Leadership Award will open in fall 2022.
Check out a selection of Donna’s contributions to webinars and recruitment videos below.
