Michelle Ward

Class of 2020

Michelle is an academic pediatrician who has spent 15 years working at the intersection of health care, social services, and the law. As a physician leader who has helped shape the specialized field of Child Maltreatment Pediatrics in Canada, her work has taken her from the hospital bedside, to lecture halls, to boardrooms, and in to court rooms. Michelle is currently the Division Head of Child and Youth Protection at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, and the President of the Child and Youth Maltreatment Section of the Canadian Paediatric Society. After finishing a B.ScH in biology and psychology at Queen’s University, Michelle completed her medical training at McMaster University. She is board certified in Pediatrics (Canada and USA) and Child Abuse Pediatrics (USA). She has authored over 20 scientific publications including 2 book chapters, is a sought after advisor and speaker in medical and legal communities, and teaches at the Faculty of Medicine in the areas of communication skills, advocacy, and child maltreatment pediatrics. Michelle is recognized for her ability to connect with children, youth, parents, marginalized individuals, and professionals of all types, often in high conflict situations. She believes in science, common sense, compassion, and the importance of our youngest citizens to a successful society. Through the Fellowship, she plans to pair solid science with compelling stories to bring the most important issues for children, youth, and families to the public and to policy‐makers.