Honorary Awards
The CAMRT Honorary Awards are a collection of awards presented to members at the pinnacle of the profession. The winners of these awards earn the highest recognition from their association by their dedication, commitment and exceptional contributions to our profession.
Life Membership
Life Membership at CAMRT represents the highest form of recognition by one’s peers and is designed to honour a member of the CAMRT who has given distinguished service to the Association. A Life Member is an individual who has supported their profession and professional association at the provincial, national and international levels throughout their career, and whose leadership has served to motivate others to become involved in professional activities.
The CAMRT is pleased to present this award to Terry Ell, RTNM, FCAMRT, from Alberta.
One of the hardest things to do, when bestowing the honour of Life Membership, is to distill down the accomplishments, achievements, and overall impact the recipient has had on the profession, and on the professionals they have influenced, mentored and inspired, and therefore, we hope we do justice to Terry’s storied career.
Terry obtained his BSc in Cellular and Microbiology from the University of Calgary in 1978, then going on to achieve a diploma in Nuclear Medicine Technology from SAIT in 1980. Restless by 1989, he decided to add on a Masters in Instructional Design and Development from the University of Calgary, followed by a PhD in Education, with the thesis topic of: “Effective Supervisory Behaviours in Field-Based Experiences”, by the year 2000.
Terry worked as a general duty technologist and then began teaching in 1985 as a Nuclear Medicine Instructor at SAIT, moving on to be the clinical coordinator of the Nuclear Medicine Program at Foothills Hospital from 1986 to 2013, and then the Academic Chair of Diagnostic Imaging at SAIT from 2018-2019.
Provincially, Terry has held numerous positions with the ACMDTT (formerly the AAMRT), including Councillor and Vice-President. Nationally, Terry has been a representative to the Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) Conjoint Accreditation Committee, and was a Board member of the Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine (CSNM).
With the CAMRT, Terry has held many different roles over the years, including: Research Fellowship Grant Reviewer, Student Awards Reviewer, Chair of the Fellowship Committee, CAMRT representative on CADTH 2010-2011, Chair of the Nuclear Medicine Advanced Certification Committee, and Member of the Council on Education, Nuclear Medicine (for over 10 years).
Internationally, Terry is a member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in the US, and has been involved with the ISRRT for at least 9 years as Vice-President of the Americas.
Numerous well wishes and testimonials came in with Terry’s nominations, here are a few:
Welch Memorial Lecture
The Welch Memorial Lecture was established in 1951 to honour Mr. Herbert M. Welch, one of the pioneer members of the Association. To be chosen to deliver this lecture is considered an honour, which is bestowed upon a member of the CAMRT who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession at a national level. The recipient must have influenced the growth of the profession in clinical practice, education, research, and/or administration. The Welch Memorial Lecture may be on the lecturer’s topic of choice.
The CAMRT is pleased to announce Brian Liszewski, RTT, from Toronto, Ontario, as the 2024 Welch Memorial Lecturer.
With 13 years of clinical practice as a Radiation Therapist, coupled with his various expanded roles of Quality Assurance Coordinator, Education/Practice-Based Researcher at the Odette Cancer Centre and more recently taking on the role of Advisor, Radiation Therapy and Infrastructure Planning at Ontario Health, Brian has worked to improve the patient experience though quality improvement, innovation, as well as the synergistic application of research and education in the advancement of Radiation Therapy practice. In addition, through his multiple volunteer posts Brian has strived to advocate for the association and profession as well as the advancement of MRTs.
An experienced speaker and innovator, we truly look forward to hearing his lecture in 2024.
Early Professional Achievement Award
This award is bestowed to honour a member of the CAMRT who, at an early stage in their career, inspires and leads their colleagues by acting as a role model.
The CAMRT is pleased to present this award to Paige Purcha, RTR, from British Columbia.
Paige has influenced the profession in multiple ways through her clinical practice. As a new technologist, Paige excelled at mentoring students, demonstrating quality preceptorship by being patient, kind, approachable, enthusiastic, while also providing constructive feedback.
Paige is also constantly brainstorming ideas with other CAMRT-BC Site Ambassadors to come up with creative ways to showcase and celebrate the MRT profession. Paige has spoken at the Western Canada Collaborative Health Sciences Educators’ Bridging Gaps new graduate panel, and publicly and vulnerably spoke about her mental health as a part of the Mental Health Panel at CAMRT 2022. She has also served as the chair of the Radiological Technology sub committee helping to put together the program for the national conference these past two years.
As the coordinator for CAMRT-BC Site Ambassadors , Paige and the Provincial Manager have been able to grow the network from approximately 75 Site Ambassadors in 2019, to over 100 in 2020.
Paige has been instrumental in creating opportunities for MRTs across all of BC to become engaged in professional activities such as research, MRT week events, Radiology “Road Shows”, Lunch and Learns, Site visits from the CAMRT-BC Provincial Manager, and social events. All of these amazing acts influence others and motivate those around her to also be involved and be the best possible technologists they can be.
In the words of her nominator “Paige is an extremely hard worker. She is humble, and kind and truly a fantastic individual from the inside out. She deserves this award and more for all the passion she pours into her career as an MRT.”
Grassroots Advocacy Award
This award honors a staff member or volunteer who has served the CAMRT with dedication, integrity and commitment to the values and mission of the CAMRT. By doing so the individual has demonstrated long term commitment, exceptional performance and engagement in performing their service and significantly influenced the success of the association and the profession.
The CAMRT is pleased to present this award to Tynnille Chomenchuk Bouchard, RTT, CTRT, from Manitoba.
Tynnille has been involved in advocacy on a number of fronts – she is one of the original members of the MAMRT’s Ad Hoc Committee for Self-Regulation; and has also been significantly involved in advocating for the regulation of Radiation Therapy in the province, collaborating with other experts to submit the application to the Manitoba government. As advances were made in the pursuit of self-regulation, Tynnille sought to educate herself thoroughly on the politics of healthcare, both provincially and nationally, and ran information sessions to both educate and update MRT members in Manitoba.
Tynnille exercises her voice in the professional setting to influence policy and practice, and not only seeks to support the students in her center through the role of clinical preceptor, but also seeks to implement programs and systems to their future benefit.
Personally, Tynnille has volunteered her time and passion through various roles with the MAMRT – most recently she has served as the MAMRT Vice-President and then stepped into the role of President as MAMRT transitioned to CAMRT-MB-led provincial association services. Tynnille continues to volunteer her expertise and effect change by sitting on the CAMRT-MB Advisory Council.
Outstanding Service Award
This award honors a staff member or volunteer who has served the CAMRT with dedication, integrity and commitment to the values and mission of the CAMRT. By doing so the individual has demonstrated long term commitment, exceptional performance and engagement in performing their service and significantly influenced the success of the association and the profession.
The CAMRT is pleased to present this award to Maria Lurigo-Boyd, RTR, RTMR, from Ontario.
Maria has worked as an MRT for more than 35 years, in the areas of x-ray, CT and MR. Maria’s colleagues highlighted her outstanding service by sharing that Maria “comes to work each day with a positive attitude and a warm personality towards her co-workers. She is approachable and makes every effort to provide the best experience for her patients. Her intentions are genuine and she takes every measure to ensure the patient is safe, understands the procedure, has all the answers to their questions, and she never rushes. Those in her care often express their gratitude and thank her for her amazing service.”
In addition to her amazing clinical work, Maria has been teaching at the Michener Institute since 2008, investing in the education of future MRTs and the healthcare providers of tomorrow. In the words of her colleague “Maria’s impact transforms our healthcare system as she continuously promotes growth through her teachings to respect, engage, communicate, and accommodate each patient professionally for the best clinical outcome. Ultimately, ensuring we strive to provide exceptional and compassionate patient care.”
Awards of Excellence
Award of Excellence – highest score on the 2022 CAMRT certification exam:
- Erin Maguire, RTR (Radiological Technology)
- Jessica Johns, RTNM (Nuclear Medicine, tie)
- Melanie Pitre, RTNM (Nuclear Medicine, tie)
- Amanda Maertens, RTR, RTMR (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
- Garth Henry, RTT (Radiation Therapy)
Competitive Awards
President’s Medal
This Board Recognition award is both selected and presented by the current CAMRT President to honour individuals or a group who has realized an outstanding achievement, or who has made a difference in their life.
This year, President Megan Brydon is pleased to present this recognition to two worthy MRTs:
Karren Fader, RTNM
Melissa Sponagle, RTNM, FCAMRT