J.R. Cunningham Young Investigators Awards
The awards are presented to the top three speakers in the Young Investigators' Symposium held during the annual meeting of the Canadian Organization of Medical Physics. The presentations are judged for scientific excellence and for clarity of presentation. The Symposium is widely recognised as one of the highlights of the annual meeting, with presentations that are of international calibre.
John Robert Cunningham (known universally as "Jack") received his B.Eng. in Engineering Physics in 1950 and the following year his M.Sc. in Radiation Physics (under Dr. H. E. Johns), from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Toronto in 1955. After working at the Defense Research Board, he joined the staff of the Ontario Cancer Institute / Princess Margaret Hospital (OCI/PMH) in Toronto as a Medical Radiation Physicist in 1958. He became Chief Clinical Physicist in 1965. During his career Dr. Cunningham published more than 70 scientific papers, proceedings and book chapters, and co-authored, with Dr. H. E. Johns, the textbook The Physics of Radiology. His major contributions to Medical Physics have been clinical dose calculation and treatment planning algorithms for radiation therapy. The methods he has developed can be found in many commercial as well as non-commercial treatment planning computer systems throughout the world.
Dr. Cunningham has also been very active in the national medical physics scene in Canada. He served twice as the Chairman of the Division of Medical and Biological Physics of the Canadian Association of Physicists (the forerunner of COMP). Internationally, Dr. Cunningham served as the Canadian representative to the International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP) and as the President of the IOMP. Although Dr. Cunningham retired from the OCI/PMH in 1988, he still remains active in the field.
2018 J.R. Cunningham Young Investigators Award Winners
YEAR
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1st Place
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2nd Place
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3rd Place
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2019
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Julien Mégrourèche
Development of a hydrated electron dosimeter for in vivo applications in radiotherapy: A proof of concept
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Nolan Esplen
Strategies for the delivery of spatially fractionated radiotherapy using conventional and FLASH-capable sources
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Kyle Bromma
Gold nanoparticle uptake in synchronized monolayer and multilayer cell populations
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Past Award Winners and Finalists
2012 - 2017
YEAR
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1st Place
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2nd Place
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3rd Place
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2018
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Lee MacDonald Dalhousie University Halifax, NS Co-authors: Alasdair Syme, Christopher Thomas
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Véronique Fortier McGill University Montreal, QC Co-author: Ives R. Levesque
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Jessica Rodgers Robarts Research Institute London, ON Co-authors: Jeffery Bax, Vikram Velker, Kathleen Surry, Eric Leung, David D'Souza and Aaron Fenster
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2017
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Victor Malkov Carleton University Ottawa, ON
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Sahar Darvish-Molla McMaster University Hamilton, ON
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Chris Johnstone University of Victoria Victoria, BC
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2016
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Thomas Hrinivich Western University London, ON
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André Diamant McGill University Montreal, QC
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Jason Crawford TRUMF Vancouver, BC
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2015
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Kurtis Dekker Western University London, ON
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James Renaud McGill University Montreal, QC
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Eduardo Cisternas Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago, Chile
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2014
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James Coates McGill University Montreal, QC
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Dominique Guillet McGill University Montreal, QC
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Peter McCowan University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB
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2013
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Jihyun Yun University of Alberta Edmonton, AB
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Samantha Harder University of Victoria Victoria, BC
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Robert Kosztyla University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC
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2012
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François Therriault-Proulx University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX Université Laval, Québec, QC
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Elsayed Ali Carleton University Ottawa, ON
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James Renaud McGill University Montreal, QC
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2006 - 2011
YEAR
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1st Place
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2nd Place
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3rd Place
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2011
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Melissa L. Hill Sunnybrook Research Institute Toronto
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Matthew Webster University of California San Diego, CA
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Irina Vergalasova Duke University Durham, NC
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2010
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Joel St. Aubin Cross Cancer Institute Edmonton
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Mathieu Guillot Université Laval Québec
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Chad Hunter Ottawa Heart Institute Ottawa
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2009
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Jorge E. Alpuche Aviles CancerCare Manitoba Winnipeg
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Miranda Kirby Robarts Research Institute London
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Lindsay Mathew Robarts Research Institute London
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2008
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Karl Bush University of Victoria BC Cancer Agency Victoria
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Matthew Wronski Princess Margaret Hospital Toronto
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Ante Mestrovic University of British Columbia BC Cancer Agency Vancouver
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2007
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Michael Oliver London Regional Cancer Program London
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Alexandra Rink Princess Margaret Hospital Toronto
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2002 - 2006
YEAR
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1st Place
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2nd Place
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3rd Place
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2006
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Arman Sarfehnia McGill University Montreal
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Saul Friedman Robarts Research Institute London
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Jonathan Draper University of Calgary Calgary
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2005
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Melanie Davidson University of Western Ontario London
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Jonathan Dysart McMaster University Hamilton
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Kristen Stewart McGill University Montreal
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2004
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Kathleen Surry Robarts Research Institute London
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Brad Warkentin Cross Cancer Institute Edmonton
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William Song London Regional Cancer Centre London
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2003
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Stephen Steciw Cross Cancer Institute Edmonton
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Mohammad Sabati Seaman Family MR Centre University of Calgary Calgary
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Jeremy Hoisak Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre Toronto
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2002
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(not awarded)
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1997 - 2001
YEAR
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1st Place
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2nd Place
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3rd Place
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2001
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Tamie Poepping Robarts Research Institute London
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James Mainprize Sunnybrook & Women's College HS Centre Toronto
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Andrew Jirasek BC Cancer Agency Vancouver
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2000
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(not awarded)
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1999
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Deidre Batchelar University of Western Ontario J. P. Robarts Research Institute London
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Michelle Hilts University of British Columbia Vancouver Cancer Centre Vancouver
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Jeremy Gill University of Western Ontario J. P. Robarts Research Institute London
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1998
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Rebecca Fahrig University of Western Ontario J. P. Robarts Research Institute London
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Robert Stodilka University of Western Ontario Lawson Research Institute London
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Arthur Curtin-Savard McGill University Montreal
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1997
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Alanah Bergman McGill University Montreal Neurological Institute Montreal
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Blaine Chronik University of Western Ontario J. P. Robarts Research Institute London
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Michael Kolios University of Toronto Ontario Cancer Institute Toronto
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