Recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal

Ms. Diane Colton is a patient advocate and lung cancer survivor who speaks out about radon and lung cancer, advocates at the federal level for improved lung cancer care and raises funds for lung cancer awareness.

Dr. Richard Leigh is recognized internationally for his work in improving asthma patient care. His research focuses on gaining a better understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying airway remodeling in asthma and the pharmacological treatment of airway inflammation. 

Mr. David Osborne McDonald is a volunteer who served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Lung Association, helping to broaden the Association’s mandate, including involvement in national anti-smoking campaigns. Mr. McDonald advocated for policy changes at all levels of government to keep smoking out of public spaces and emphasized the importance of protecting children's lungs. 

Dr. Georg Schmölzer has improved the respiratory outcomes and decreased neurological disabilities for the most premature infants by enhancing resuscitation techniques at birth, facilitating home oxygen monitoring and reducing the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. 

Ms. Angeline Webb develops health policy and health promotion programming to reduce tobacco use and improve lung health in the Prairies, northern Canada and nationally. She prioritizes Indigenous leadership and perspectives to co-develop policies and programs that honor traditional practices while addressing public health goals. 

Dr. Pat Camp has worked to make pulmonary rehabilitation and physical activity more available for those with lung disease. As a physical therapist, Dr. Camp works with rural and First Nations communities, co-designing services and making sure community voices are heard. 

Dr. Christopher Carlsten studies occupational and environmental exposures and respiratory disease, including longer-term changes caused by pollutants such as diesel exhaust. As a clinician, he works with lung health patients who have been exposed to occupational and environmental toxins.

Dr. Stephen Lam has made significant advancements in lung cancer research during his career, including the development and testing of a lung cancer risk prediction tool to determine screening eligibility for people who have ever smoked, use of AI to improve consistency and accuracy of reading screening LDCT, a lung nodule risk prediction tool that enables precision management of abnormal findings and personalize screening intervals and bronchoscopic techniques to biopsy small early lung cancers. 

Dr. Allan Becker was the lead author of the first-ever Canadian guidelines on pediatric asthma, has contributed to asthma guidelines worldwide and has led several major birth cohort studies that improve our understanding of the management and prevention of childhood asthma.

Dr. Andrew Halayko helped to establish Canada’s first multi-disciplinary research center dedicated to studying the effects of inhaled pollutants on health.

Ms. Debbie Homik worked as a respiratory therapist who raised awareness of and supported those living with pulmonary fibrosis. Ms. Homik helped run the annual Pulmonary Fibrosis Patient Education Forum, collaborated on research initiatives and advocated for funds for lung health programming. 

Mr. Neil Johnston is a respiratory therapist who worked for many years with the Manitoba Lung Association, including as their CEO, where he founded several provincial lung health programs. As an advocate, Mr. Johnston raised awareness of lung disease, mobilized communities and spoke out for healthy public policies including public smoking bans. 

Dr. Neeloffer Mookherjee investigates the immune response to inflammation and sex differences in disease progression and response to treatment, with a goal of developing immunomodulatory therapy for chronic diseases such as asthma. As a strong advocate for women in science, she founded and leads Women in Science, Development, Outreach and Mentorship (WISDOM) at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Christopher Pascoe investigates how genetics and environmental risk factors such as maternal smoking and or e-cigarette exposure may promote future chronic lung disease in order to develop strategies and treatments to reduce risk and prevent disease development. 

Ms. Barbara Walls  made significant contributions to the lives of New Brunswickers living with lung disease during her 15-year tenure at NBLung. Ms. Walls created a lung transplant support group, asthma camps for children and educational materials for schools as well supporting anti-vaping legislation and a needs-based C-PAP program. 

Dr. Graeme Rocker developed the INSPIRED program, which improves care and outcomes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their families by providing in-home education and support. He is also a leader and advocate for advance care planning and improving end-of-life care. 

Dr. Sanja Stanojevic has helped to establish and disseminate standards on interpreting lung function testing. Dr. Stanojevic's work is facilitating access to and the use of large data sets across international respiratory research communities to improve population-level and individual testing, diagnosis and management of lung disease.

Dr. Shawn Aaron has helped to improve the diagnosis, treatment and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and cystic fibrosis in Canada. Dr. Aaron created the Canadian Respiratory Research Network, which brings together the respiratory research community, enhances training opportunities and encourages research in Canada.

Dr. Anju Anand has enhanced medical education and patient health literacy with her innovative use of technology. Dr. Anand is an advocate for marginalized and racialized communities, including founding of the South Asian COVID Task Force. 

Mr. Vibhas Bapat is a long-time volunteer with Asthma Canada. He has served as a community ambassador and ultimately as the Chair of its Board of Directors. As a lifelong asthma sufferer, Mr. Bapat provides a valuable perspective to many advocacy activities at the federal and provincial level. 

Mary Ann Bradley is alung cancer patient advocate, pushing for legislative changes that improve the quality of care and support available, creating resources and tools to support other patients and sharing her story with healthcare providers to increase their understanding of the patient perspective and experience. 

Dr. Dina Brooks is recognized internationally as a leader in cardiorespiratory rehabilitation, focusing her research on rehabilitation and physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Dr. Brooks is committed to including the patient voice in her research and is a recognized mentor and teacher. 

Mr. Neil Collishaw worked for decades to protect Canadians and the world from the harmful effects of tobacco. Mr. Collishaw played a pivotal role developing and implementing national legislation against the use and promotion of tobacco products and in the development of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. 

Mr. Collishaw passed away in October 2024. 

Dr. Andrea Gershon is embracing innovative approaches like the use of ‘big data’ and remote monitoring and wearables in her research to improve quality of care and health outcomes for people living with lung disease. 

Mr. Ralph Gouda is the founder of Lung Cancer Canada, the first organization in the country dedicated solely to the disease. Lung Cancer Canada has given patients and caregivers access to vital information, support and resources and has helped raise awareness about lung cancer across Canada. 

Dr. Samir Gupta is a leader in science communication, bringing easy-to-understand, evidence-based lung health information to the general public using social and mass media. His insights were particularly valuable in combatting misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Gupta’s passion for technology and e-health has also led to the development of innovative software to improve asthma management. 

Dr. Alan Kaplan promotes and educates on best practices in respiratory care, including proper use of spirometry in primary care. Dr. Kaplan has contributed to national chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) guidelines and serves as a resource for other family physicians with regard to respiratory health. 

Dr. Diane Lougheed research is focused on asthma and cystic fibrosis in adults. She is the director of local asthma and cystic fibrosis programs and she has helped to improve and standardize hospital care of adults with asthma. 

Lynn McDonald was serving as a member of Parliament representing Broadview-Greenwood when she authored and introduced a private members bill in Canadian Parliament in 1986. Bill C-204, which would become the Non-Smokers Health Act, was passed in 1988, becoming the first legislation in the world to establish smoke-free workplaces and public spaces. 

Dr. Grace Parraga is committed to a better understanding of lung structure and function in terms of aging and lung disease. She has developed some of the first MRI-based measurements of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diease (COPD), with the goal of using imaging to help guide personalized therapy and improve long-term outcomes. 

Dr. Elizabeth Tullis founded the Toronto Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center, the largest cystic fibrosis clinic in North America. Her commitment to multidisciplinary care, early use of telemedicine and role in guideline development has helped Canada achieve the highest median survival in the world for adults with cystic fibrosis.

Dr. Susan Waserman researches the mechanisms and treatment of asthma, food allergies, urticaria and allergic rhinitis. She educates physicians, allied health professionals and the public on allergies and allergic reactions and has developed practice guidelines for anaphylaxis, hereditary angioedema, urticaria and immunotherapy. 

Dr. Amy Wong is a pioneer in using human stem cells to model lung development and disease. She was the first to develop a method to generate airway epithelia that model cystic fibrosis lung disease in-vitro.

Dr. Jean Bourbeau  has transformed the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Canada. Dr. Bourbeau is the lead author on Canadian COPD guidelines, and is a strong advocate for patient self-management, including as the creator of the Living Well with COPD program. 

Dr. Francine Ducharme has improved the management and treatment of asthma in young children through her commitment to finding new and better ways to translate research knowledge into action. Dr. Ducharme has developed several research instruments now used in clinical practice. 

Dr. Larry Lands is internationally recognized for his work related to modulation of inflammation and exercise limitation in cystic fibrosis. He leads studies aimed at bolstering immune defenses and functional ability in both children and adults living with chronic lung diseases. Dr. Lands volunteers as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Lung Association and an advisor to the Association's research programs. 

Tina Campbell is a registered nurse and a person with lived experience of tuberculosis. As a tuberculosis program advisor and advocate to end TB, she champions cultural competency training for healthcare providers who work with Indigenous populations across Canada. She has spoken internationally about her experiences and urges Canada to be a global leader in the fight to end TB.

Dr. Brian Graham is a world-renowned researcher on pulmonary function studies, the outcomes of which help diagnosis of several lung diseases and in monitoring disease progression and the effect of treatments and disease management. He has also advocated for improve access to lung health care and providers in Saskatchewan.

Trent Litzenberger is a physiotherapist and certified respiratory educator who helped pioneer pulmonary rehabilitation in Saskatchewan. Mr. Litzenberger's commitment to helping patients and caregivers optimally manage their chronic disease is apparent in his role as an educator and faculty member of RESPTREC and in the creation of resources for patients and providers with LungSask.