Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) is excited to announce that nominations for the 2024-2025 Annual Outstanding Awards are now open! These awards celebrate the dedication and achievements of individuals across the KBHN community who are making a difference in neurodevelopmental disability research and family engagement.

This year, four award categories are available to recognize excellence within KBHN:

Honours trainees with exceptional commitment, contribution, and engagement within KBHN. Eligible candidates include undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees at all academic levels who have actively participated in KBHN activities during 2023-2024.

Who can be nominated:

Nominees for this award should exemplify the following:

  • Strong commitment to KBHN’s mission: Actively supports KBHN’s mission through sustained participation in Network activities.
  • High levels of engagement and involvement: Demonstrates enthusiasm by attending and contributing to KBHN events, including conferences, webinars, workshops, and collaborative projects.
  • Meaningful contributions to KBHN’s goals: Enhances the Network’s experience and impact through dedicated involvement, benefiting themselves and fellow members.

Who can nominate:
Nominations are open to KBHN trainees, investigators, staff members, partners, and family members. Self-nominations are also accepted with a support letter from a supervisor or colleague. Nominators do not need to be KBHN members unless they are self-nominating.

Nomination Form: Trainee Member Award

Honours trainee’s significant accomplishments in neurodevelopmental disability, whether in bench or bedside research. 

Who can be nominated:

Eligible candidates are KBHN trainees at all academic levels (undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral) who have demonstrated significant contributions to neurodevelopmental disability research in 2023-2024. Qualified candidates will have met one or more of the following criteria:

  • Published a significant research or theoretical paper in a major journal, book, or equivalent publication.
  • Produced impactful research or invention relevant to neurodevelopmental disabilities.
  • Received professional recognition for contributions through grants, awards, or equivalent achievements.
  • Demonstrated strong collaborative involvement in research, including engagement with community partners, stakeholders, and colleagues.
  • Made a measurable positive impact in the research field or society.
  • Contributed in ways that support KBHN’s mission, enhancing care and outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.

Who can nominate:

Nominations are open to all members of the neurodevelopmental disability research community. Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by peers or colleagues. Nominators do not need to be KBHN members unless they are self-nominating. This inclusive process allows a broad range of community members, researchers, caregivers, and stakeholders to recognize outstanding contributors within the KBHN community.

Nomination Form: Promising Researcher Award

Recognizes a mentor or supervisor who provides exceptional guidance and foster a supportive and dynamic learning environment that advances the KBHN mission.

Who can be nominated:
Eligible candidates for this award are mentors or supervisors who actively contribute to KBHN. The award is not restricted to formal principal investigators or scientists; it is open to researchers and professionals across all disciplines. Ideal candidates should demonstrate one or more of the following qualities:

  • Demonstrated leadership and commitment to the professional development of KBHN trainees.
  • Effective guidance and support, creating an encouraging and inclusive learning environment.
  • Significant contributions to advancing KBHN’s mission through training, mentorship, and knowledge mobilization.
  • Collaboration with community partners, stakeholders, or colleagues, furthering the impact of research and learning.

Who can nominate:

Nominations are open for any KBHN member, including trainees, investigators, staff members, partners, and family members. Self-nominations are not accepted. All nominations are confidential; please refrain from notifying the candidate of the nomination.

Nomination Form: Mentor/Supervisor Award

This award has two streams:

1. Outstanding Family Leader

Youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities or caregivers who have demonstrated outstanding research engagement leadership through active involvement in projects driving forward KBHN’s mission.

Who can be nominated: This stream honours individuals with personal experience with neurodevelopmental disabilities, either directly or as caregivers. Candidates suitable for this award actively contribute to KBHN projects or committees, including graduates from Family Engagement in Research (FER) training programs. Their direct contributions through lived experiences offer invaluable insights into the research and application processes, driving forward our mission with profound impact.

2. Inclusive Researcher/Innovator

KBHN researchers or innovators who integrate inclusivity into their work and contribute significantly to the neurodevelopmental disability research community through innovative practices and partnerships.

Who can be nominated: This stream recognizes researchers and innovators who incorporate inclusivity in their research designs and methodologies. Nominees may include those in the wider neurodevelopmental disability research community and have roles that significantly foster innovation and inclusivity in their fields. Candidates should be individuals contributing to the KBHN network through research, policy development, or community partnerships that aim to enhance outcomes for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Who can nominate:

Nominations are open to all members of the neurodevelopmental disability research community. Individuals can nominate themselves or be nominated by their peers or colleagues. Nominators do not need to be members of the KBHN network unless they are self-nominating. This ensures that the nomination process remains inclusive, allowing a wider range of community members, researchers, caregivers, and stakeholders to recognize outstanding KBHN member contributors in neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Nomination Form: FER Outstanding Family Leader

Nomination Form: FER Inclusive Researcher/Innovator

Award Details

Awardees will receive a certificate of recognition and a $1,500 honorarium to support attendance at a relevant event by the end of March 2025. Awardees will be featured on the KBHN website, newsletter, social media and other channels.

Why nominate?

Nominations celebrate and recognize trainees, mentors and family leaders who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the KBHN network and actively contribute to KBHN’s activities and mission. Awardees receive formal recognition that highlights their dedication and enhances their professional visibility.

Multiple nominations

Each nominator may submit only one nomination per award category. Nominees may be considered for multiple awards if different nominators submit each nomination. If a nominee is shortlisted for more than one category, contributions will be evaluated independently to ensure they meet the specific criteria for each award.

How to nominate?

Click the links below to complete the nomination forms:

Timeline and nomination details

  • Nomination Deadline: January 24, 2025
  • Award Notice: February 28, 2025

For more information, please reach out to our team at training@kidsbrainhealth.ca.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Statement

KBHN is committed to excellence in research and research training. Achieving a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive research enterprise in Canada is essential to creating the excellent, innovative, and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding and to respond to local, national, and global challenges in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities.

With these goals in mind, KBHN is committed to:

  • Supporting equitable access to funding opportunities for all members of the research community
  • Promoting the integration of equity, diversity, and inclusion-related considerations in research design and practices
  • Increasing equitable and inclusive participation in the research system, including on research teams
  • Collecting the data and conducting the analyses needed to include equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations in decision-making

Through these means, KBHN will work with those involved in the research system to develop the inclusive culture needed for research excellence and to achieve outcomes that are rigorous, relevant, and accessible to the concerned stakeholders in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities.