The Herb Parkin Award is a yearly award given to a UBC Emergency Medicine Resident who has completed or at least made significant progress in a project that furthers an area of Emergency Medicine and also benefits the public.
This year’s prize was awarded to Dr. Kevin O’Riordan, for his work with Hospital Preparedness for Code Orange. He is conducting a pilot study to validate how the Hospital Safety Index performs as a measure of preparedness when compared to a code orange exercise. Not only will this help establish a more robust measurement of a particular hospital’s readiness for a disaster, but it has also increased awareness and interest in this important topic at hospitals across the province.
The Herb Parkin Leadership Award is given yearly to a UBC Emergency Medicine Resident who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of Emergency Medicine. This person is a visionary and is likely to change Emergency Medicine for the better over the course of their career.
This year’s Leadership Award was given to Dr. Jared Baylis for his contributions to the UBC EM program. During his time as site chief last year he was instrumental in continuing to develop the Kelowna site’s Simulation Program, and also is a strong advocate for resident wellness and learning opportunities.
The Herb Parkin Award
Dr. Herb Parkin was an Emergency Physician at Royal Columbian Hospital from 1969 to 1987. He was considered a pioneer in Emergency Medicine, being instrumental in spearheading legislation for seat belts and against drunk driving. He, together with Dr. Les Vertesi, was one of the first instructors and creators of urban advanced paramedic systems in North America. He was a renowned teacher of paramedics, nurses, interns and residents. He was also a devoted golfer.
Following his untimely death at the age of 43, the Herb Parkin Fund was developed to honour his legacy. This Fund has been used to support medical education of our nursing staff and trainees over the past number of years.
In 2015, the Royal Columbian Emergency Physician group decided to start the Herb Parkin Award in Emergency Medicine. This award is given to a resident in the UBC EM residency program on a yearly basis for a project in Emergency Medicine that best exemplifies the spirit and legacy of Herb Parkin. The Herb Parkin Award has been awarded for the past three years. Last year, the committee decided to make a second award in Herb’s honour, the Herb Parkin Leadership Award.