Elizabeth Payne, the dedicated health reporter at the Ottawa Citizen, has earned prestigious recognition from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) for her outstanding work in medical journalism.
Award for Insightful Health Reporting
The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians is honoring Payne for what they describe as her "insightful and compassionate" coverage of emergency care issues in Ottawa. The association specifically noted that her reporting effectively highlights the human impact of critical healthcare challenges while also showcasing innovation within the system.
According to the award announcement, twelve of Payne's most significant articles from the past year were considered for this recognition. These included her investigative pieces on the increase of hallway medicine in Ottawa hospitals, the consequences of pandemic funding cuts on local healthcare facilities, and how new artificial intelligence tools could potentially reduce risks for heart attack patients.
Recognition from Healthcare Professionals
Dr. Alan Drummond, an emergency physician based in Perth who nominated Payne for the award, praised her balanced approach to healthcare reporting. "It's really helpful when someone of Liz's calibre addresses what's actually happening on the ground in health care, and it's not just one-sided," Drummond stated. "Her reporting is always quite balanced, and there's an element of compassion in her writing."
Drummond further emphasized the importance of Payne's ability to connect with readers on a personal level. "Her compassion for the human condition seems to come across in each and every story," he observed. "There's always a personal link in her stories that make the issue a story, and therefore make it more relatable and more easy to understand."
Decades of Distinguished Health Journalism
Elizabeth Payne brings decades of experience to her health reporting beat and has previously received multiple awards for her work. In 2023, the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario recognized her for an emotionally powerful story about a nurse working in a long-term care facility whose immunocompromised mother, a cancer patient, contracted COVID-19 from an unvaccinated roommate in hospital.
The CAEP award citation emphasizes that Payne's work amplifying the voices of both patients and frontline healthcare workers "holds policymakers accountable for addressing critical issues in access and quality of care."
Dr. Drummond highlighted the significance of this approach, noting that "a journalist telling a story that has a human touch to it that allows you to put yourself in the place of that patient or that family is massively important."
Payne will be formally recognized alongside other 2025 award recipients during a ceremony scheduled for next year. The medical reporting category represents the only journalism award presented by the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.
This achievement places Payne among distinguished company, joining previous medical journalism award winners including André Picard of The Globe and Mail, Aaron Derfel of The Montreal Gazette, and Mike Crawley of CBC.
