The College Distinguished Service Award goes to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the College or the discipline of obstetrics and gynecology in government, in research, in teaching, or in direct patient care.
Dr Shaw received this in part because of her global leadership in sexual and reproductive rights, health policy and advocacy. This has involved work with governments in several countries around the world including Canada and the US. Dr Shaw has worked on curriculum in sexual and reproductive rights and women’s and newborn health here and globally and has taught at all levels globally. She conducted the only research that supported the introduction of the female condom into Canada and was involved in advocacy around that. Dr Shaw’s research is now more in the area of health policy/KT; she is involved in the CART research with Wendy Norman and globally continues her involvement, including the steering committee for the FIGO initiative for the prevention of unsafe abortion and its complications and the WHO Maternal Death Surveillance and Response Working Group.