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In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Dr. Rogers Prize in 2017, the Groundbreaker Awards were created as a one-time award to honour those individuals whose personal conviction to pursue practices above and beyond the medical status quo prepared the way for future leaders, evocative of Sir Isaac Newton's famous quote –

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

The Groundbreaker Awards were presented at a Gala Awards Dinner held in Toronto on February 24, 2017.

The Groundbreaker Award Recipients

The Groundbreaker Award Recipients
  • Dr. Steven K.H. Aung, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB | Bio
    Dr. Steven K. H. Aung is a geriatric, family, and integrative medicine physician, and a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner and teacher. At the University of Alberta, Dr. Aung is a Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. He is a Visiting Professor to universities in China, Japan, the United States, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. Dr. Aung is a Vice Chair (North America) of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, based in Beijing. He is a World Health Organization advisor and consultant on TCM, acupuncture, and cancer pain control. As well, Dr. Aung is the Director of Community Engagement for the Integrative Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. Dr. Aung was awarded a Professional Excellency from the Académie Diplomatique de la Paix in 1986, the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2002, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, a Physician of the Century Award in 2005, and Canada’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada, in 2006. Dr. Aung has lectured internationally and published many articles, books, and treatises on the integration of TCM and Western health care. He continues to offer his own practice in the spirit of a natural and compassionate approach to medicine.

  • Dr. Jozef Krop, EcoHealth and Wellness Inc., Mississauga, ON | Bio
    Born in 1944 in Poland, a personal experience with tuberculosis inspired Jozef Krop to become a doctor. He studied medicine at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (1962 – 1968). After immigrating to Canada in 1972, he completed his medical internship at Saskatoon City Hospital where he worked with psychiatrist Dr. Abram Hoffer. Impressed by Dr. Hoffer’s success using dietary interventions and therapeutic doses of Vitamins B3, C and B6 to treat schizophrenia, Dr. Krop went on to train in orthomolecular and environmental medicine, and became a Fellow of the American Academy for Environmental Medicine in 1983. From 1984 to 1988, he was involved in government-initiated, university-based projects exploring the potential benefit of environmental medicine for Canadians and presented before the Brundtland Commission.
    The College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO) pursued disciplinary action against him (1989-2010) - without patient complaint or harm - with the documented intent of stopping his use of particular medical modalities despite their published scientific basis. Several colleagues endured similar persecution. Two decades of nation-wide publicity resulting in public pressure brought changes to medical legislation. The treatment modalities which the CPSO attempted to discredit are now accepted and recognized by mainstream medicine. The legal success achieved on his behalf is today taught in law school (i.e., the Krop Defense). The Canadian Human Rights Commission’s 2007 Report required accommodation for Environmental Sensitivities. Dr. Krop is currently involved in introducing environmental medicine to the curriculum at the University of Łódź in Poland. His work is documented in various scientific papers and in his book Healing the Planet One Patient At a Time.

  • Dr. Stephen Sagar, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON | Bio
    Dr. Stephen Sagar trained in the United Kingdom and is a Full Professor in the Departments of Oncology and Medicine at McMaster University, Canada. His specialty is radiation oncology and his medical practice is as a consultant and staff member of the Juravinski Cancer Centre. His research and education interests are in integrative oncology, mind-body medicine, and holistic models of healthcare, patient experience, psycho-oncology and psycho-education. He has published over 100 manuscripts and book chapters on research and education in complementary therapies and supportive care, particularly applied to cancer patients. His first book, “Restored Harmony”, was a seminal publication that introduced cancer patients to the principles of Chinese Medicine, and its integration into a Western, scientific medical system. In addition, he developed and taught many courses for patients negotiating the cancer system, as well as pre- and post-graduate courses on integrative oncology for physicians, nurses, and social workers. He is Past President of the Society of Integrative Oncology and a member of the International Psychooncology Society. He is an ardent keep fit fanatic and foodie. His hobbies include reading novels, exploration of psychotherapy, analysis of art, painting, writing poetry, and watching art movies and ballet.

  • Dr. Donald Warren, Naturally Well Naturopathic Clinic, Ottawa, ON | Bio
    A 1984 graduate of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Dr. Warren has served in a number of leadership positions within the naturopathic profession. In the early 90’s, he served as chair of the Board of the Institute of Naturopathic Education and Research (INER) and guided the fledgling naturopathic college in Toronto as it transitioned from the Ontario College of Naturopathic Medicine to the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM). He then served as president of CCNM during a period of rapid growth and development, establishing the college as a recognized naturopathic medical school. Dr. Warren has also served with the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), including serving as president, at the time when the CNME successfully sought and gained recognition from the US Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency. He was a founding member of the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care. He is a senior editor with the Naturopathic Foundations Project and has recently completed a major AIDS trial in Rwanda as a principal investigator. Dr. Warren has recently retired from a family naturopathic medical practice in Ottawa.

  • Dr. Joseph Y. Wong, Toronto Pain & Stress Clinic, Toronto, ON | Bio
    Dr. Joseph Wong received his M.D. in China and Canada followed by his medical specialty training in Canada in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He has been practicing as a medical specialist in rehabilitation for 50 years. He participated in the founding of the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada in 1974 when their teachings were based on TCM acupuncture. Dr. Wong felt that these teachings should be joined with ultra-modern scientific medicine. He developed a new direction in acupuncture, based on anatomy and physiology, known as neuro-anatomical acupuncture. This new direction became the basis of the curriculum for the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute where he was Chief Instructor from 1975-2001, and where they still continue to follow his guidelines. Dr. Wong has lectured on neuro-anatomical acupuncture in Canada and around the world. He has long promoted the fusion of Eastern and Western medicine with the intention of integrating them into the mainstream, and emphasizes that doctors should utilize the best from both disciplines to perfect an empirical medical approach. He incorporated acupuncture into his medical practice and into rehabilitation programs in major hospitals in Toronto and Sudbury, Ontario. He is the author of multiple publications on acupuncture, including six books. He continues to practice rehabilitation medicine with acupuncture today.

Groundbreaker Awards Jury
Five distinguished, international specialists in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) served on the jury that selected the Groundbreaker Awards.
Media Releases
January 4, 2017
September 14, 2016