The prestigious Patricia Baird Prize recognizes excellence in Medical Genetics research by trainees. Judges from the Patricia Baird and James Miller Memorial Prizes Review Committee will review nominations and invite the top three applicants to present a ten-minute research talk at the Department’s annual Research Day, followed by a five-minute question period. The Committee will select the winner of the prize from among the three finalists. The Patricia Baird Prize is $1,000.
| YEAR | AWARDEE | Lab | |
| 2023 | Vahid Akbari | Jones | |
| 2022 | Amy Inkster | Robinson | |
| 2021 | Arun Kumar | Stirling | |
| 2020 | Vanessa Porter | Marra | |
| 2019 | Ido Refaeli | McNagny | |
| 2018 | Julien Richard Albert | Lorincz | |
| 2017 | Artem Babaian | Mager | |
| 2016 | Jack Hickmott | Simpson | |
| 2015 | Peter Thompson | Lorincz |
2024 GUIDELINES:
Trainee Eligibility:
- Currently registered Medical Genetics PhD and MSc graduate students; Genetic Counselling graduate students; and medical students conducting research under the supervision of Medical Genetics faculty.
- Awardees of the Patricia Baird Prize competition are excluded from future competitions, but the finalists are permitted to re-apply.
- Students can win both the James Miller Prize and the Patricia Baird Prize, but not in the same year. The winner of the James Miller Prize will be decided prior to the selection of the Patricia Baird finalists and excluded from further consideration.
- There is no limit to the number of students a supervisor can nominate, however it is anticipated that the award will generally be won by a senior trainee.
Application Materials:
- Abstract (250 word limit)
- Curriculum Vitae (2 pages) – include training details, prior awards and publications/presentations.
- Letter of reference from the applicant’s supervisor.
Evaluation and Nomination Procedures:
Application materials are due to Azin Zeinali (medical.genetics@ubc.ca) on September 26, 2024. The Patricia Baird Prize Review Committee will pre-adjudicate candidates based on the application materials. The three top-ranked candidates will be notified approximately one week before Research Day (November 15, 2024) to prepare their ten-minute talk. Candidates’ presentations will be assessed on the quality of their research, clarity of presentation, and response to questions. The Patricia Baird Prize winner will be announced following the presentations.
About Dr. Patricia Baird:
Patricia Baird was born and raised in Lancashire, England. She moved to Canada when she was 17 to attend McGill University, where she obtained BSc and MDCM degrees. She then moved to Vancouver for postgraduate training in pediatrics and medical genetics. In 1968, she joined the UBC faculty. Ten years later she was appointed as Head of the Department of Medical Genetics, the first woman to lead a clinical department at UBC. The Department grew greatly in size and prestige under Dr. Baird’s leadership – her recruitments included Connie Eaves, Judy Hall, and Michael Hayden. Dr. Baird was elected as faculty representative to the UBC Board of Governors in 1984. She stepped down as Head in 1989, and later that year was appointed by the Prime Minister to lead the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies. After collecting the opinions of about 15,000 Canadians and evaluating data gathered by more than 300 researchers across 70 disciplines, Dr. Baird’s Royal Commission published a controversial 1275-page report that greatly influenced federal regulation of advanced reproductive technologies in Canada.
At UBC, Dr. Baird’s research centred on birth defects epidemiology. She published maternal age-specific incidence rates for Down syndrome that were used to estimate risks and eligibility for amniocentesis and some of the first population-based estimates for the prevalence congenital anomalies, intellectual disability, and genetic diseases. As an educator, she developed an outstanding course for first-year medical students that served as the basis of a model human genetics curriculum for medical students that was published in 1989 along with the report of the Task Force on Teaching Human Genetics in North American Medical Schools, on which she served.
Dr. Baird also served on many policy and advisory bodies, including the Prime Minister’s National Advisory Board on Science and Technology, the Medical Research Council of Canada’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Experimentation, and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. She was also an advisor to the World Health Organization. After her retirement from UBC, Dr. Baird was appointed Chair of the BC Premier’s Council on Aging and Seniors’ Issues. She received the Order of British Columbia, the Order of Canada, and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for service to the community. She was a specially-elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and received honorary degrees from three Canadian universities.
By Dr. Jan M. Friedman