2025 Resident Award Recipient

Dr. Anna Downie

Each year, Ontario’s Anesthesiologists present the Resident Award to one Ontario anesthesia resident who has demonstrated remarkable levels of leadership, professionalism, collaboration and integrity.

2025 saw some incredible residents nominated for this honour. But while the race was tight, one nominee stood apart with her rich and diverse examples of leadership. This year, we are proud to present the Resident Award to Dr. Anna Downie.

Respected both inside and outside the OR, Anna is particularly acclaimed as a role model and advocate for learners.

She completed her MD at the University of Toronto while simultaneously earning a Master of Science in System Leadership and Innovation. This dual training shows her commitment to developing the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the fields of not just medicine, but also quality improvement, mentorship, and strategic planning.

As a resident at the University of Toronto, Anna quickly put this training into action. Since PGY-1, she has been the resident representative on the Residency Program Committee, fostering relationships between trainees and faculty. In her third year of residency, Anna served as the Departmental Co-Chief Resident, a position that represents the interests of over 100 anesthesiology residents. Anna is well known for creating environments that strengthen resident connections and make them feel valued and appreciated. She organized formal mentorship programs, planned orientation and education activities and end-of-year celebrations.

This approach to training, blending the clinical work with team and morale building, is applauded by junior residents. “She always had an approachable demeanour and created supportive learning environments,” commented one nominator. 

Anna’s impact has extended beyond the department of anesthesia. Inspired by her experience navigating accreditation challenges in her own program, Anna recently became an assessor on the PGME Internal Review Committee for other residency programs. 

Ontario’s Anesthesiologists have experienced Anna’s leadership skills firsthand. She first became active with the section as a medical student, becoming involved with our Beyond the Mask initiative. As a new resident, she volunteered for the working group that produced SolvingPain.ca and the Perioperative Pain Management Pathway, our digital project for improving surgical pain management while reducing the risk of opioid misuse. She also became the section’s resident representative for the University of Toronto and went on to co-chair the OA’s Resident Subcommittee, helping to shape the 2023 Transition-to-Practice webinar.

Anna is now wrapping up her residency and looks forward to opportunities to continue working with Ontario’s Anesthesiologists as a future staff physician.