Schulich PhD Candidate Awarded King Charles III Coronation Medal
Dr. Makini McGuire-Brown (MBA ’20, PhD ’24) has been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for Outstanding Service to Canada in the Field of Health Policy and Planning.
“Although the work is far from done, this achievement is significant for me as it highlights the work being done by immigrants, Internationally Trained Physicians (ITPs), and allies to advance access to healthcare in Canada,” McGuire-Brown said. “I’m proud to be able to make ITPs proud to see one of their own being featured.”
McGuire-Brown came to Canada as an immigrant and an ITP. She has worked tirelessly in the areas of research, journalism, not for profit organizations, organizations involved in health policy, and governmental and non-governmental health workforce committees to bring about changes in the system that can advance the inclusion of ITPs into the health workforce to increase healthcare access for Canadian citizens. While she waited to be “matched” for a medical residency position, she pursued a Schulich MBA graduating with distinction. As she continued waiting to be matched for a residency she moved on to a Ph.D. in Administration. To date the residency position has not come.
“I hope that this inspires all marginalized populations to advocate for systemic change,” said McGuire-Brown. “I hope it inspires them to believe that despite feeling powerless that they do indeed have power in their collective voice. I hope that it gives an extra boost of energy to those that have been advocating but are exhausted, despondent, and hopeless.”
Professor Marcia Annisette, Vice Provost Academic, is McGuire-Brown’s PhD Advisor. From the moment Annisette met McGuire-Brown she found her to be an exceptionally talented and hardworking individual – a person driven by a strong desire to make a direct impact on the lives of others. Her experience with Canada’s broken system for medical education, and her refusal to be broken by it is what drove McGuire-Brown to seek advanced education in business & administration at Schulich and to advocate on behalf of ITPs in Canada.
“Armed with this depth of knowledge and experience she has contributed in a substantial way to a range of Ministry- led and Medical profession-led initiatives designed to strengthen Canada’s system of medical education and to accelerate the incorporation of ITPs in it,” said Annisette. “While it might be some time before access to a family doctor will be available to the millions of Canadians who currently don’t have one, when this does happen as it surely must, millions of Canadians will be indebted to Makini McGuire-Brown and her unswerving commitment to making an impact on people’s lives. “
Next steps for McGuire-Brown include defending her dissertation to share even more valuable research on health workforce planning in the health policy space. She believes her career will continue to revolve around the intersection of clinical work and health and accounting wherever her path may lead. She is thankful to the community who has allowed her to reach this milestone in her career.
“Thanks to Senator Ratna Omidvar for my nomination for the award and thanks to all the amazing ITPs, policy analysts and health workforce professionals that I’ve had the opportunity to work with along the way,” said McGuire-Brown. “Thanks to my PhD supervisor Vice Provost Marcia Annisette and the professor that taught me my very first PhD class Professor Theodore Noseworthy. They’ve both always helped me navigate my unique research interests that span fields and methods, academia and industry and thus have played a major role in this achievement.”
The Coronation Medal was created to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, which took place on May 6, 2023. It is the first Canadian commemorative medal to mark a coronation. Partner organizations nominate and present medals to individuals who meet the medal’s eligibility criteria. The list of partners was developed by the Government of Canada. Nominations from the public are not accepted.