At our 2025 National Meeting, Choosing Wisely Canada celebrated the remarkable work of our community with Choosing Wisely Canada Awards. These prestigious awards honour individuals and emerging leaders for their exceptional dedication to promoting resource stewardship in practice. The awards committee is pleased to announce the following recipients:

Clinician Excellence in Choosing Wisely Award

Recipient: Dr. René Wittmer

Dr. René Wittmer, President of Choisir avec soin Quebec, was awarded the Clinician Excellence in Choosing Wisely Award. His incredible leadership has been instrumental in efforts to reduce unnecessary tests and treatments in Quebec and beyond. Dr. Wittmer’s leadership on the Montreal Declaration on High-Value Care demonstrates his strong commitment to improving both the quality of care and access to appropriate services for patients. As a physician, researcher, science communicator, educator, and advocate, Dr. Wittmer continues to champion Choosing Wisely principles and inspire the next generation of resource stewardship leaders.

Recipient: Dr. Kelly Burak

For his outstanding leadership as clinician lead of Choosing Wisely Alberta, Dr. Kelly Burak has been awarded the Clinician Excellence in Choosing Wisely Award. Dr. Burak has played a crucial role in leading efforts within the Physician Learning Program, Alberta Health Services and other provincial councils throughout Alberta. These partnerships and collaborations have greatly strengthened provincial efforts to advance appropriate care and reduce overuse. His forward-thinking and collaborative approach to medical education, quality improvement, and clinical practice has helped embed high-value care into Alberta’s health system, benefiting both patients and providers.

Future Leader in Choosing Wisely Award

Recipient: Dr. Mathilde Gaudreau-Simard

Dr. Mathilde Gaudreau-Simard was honoured with the Future Leader in Choosing Wisely Award.  Dr. Gaudreau-Simard played a key role in the development and dissemination of the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine’s (CSIM) Choosing Wisely climate-conscious recommendations. As a past Choosing Wisely Canada fellow and general internist, she has effectively led quality improvement efforts across medical wards to promote high-value care. Dr. Gaudreau-Simard’s influence at the intersection of planetary health and resource stewardship reflects a strong commitment to appropriate care and a promising future as a leader in this field.

These awards serve as recognition and acknowledgement of the incredible contributions of the Choosing Wisely Canada community. Congratulations to all the winners!