Dr. Trevor Jain receives inaugural Doug Dennis Award for Public Service Excellence

Dr. Trevor Jain, director of UPEI’s BSc in Paramedicine program, was presented with the inaugural Doug Dennis Award for Public Service Excellence by the Community Foundation of PEI during its annual gala dinner on September 21.

The Doug Dennis Outstanding Public Service Award recognizes a provincial civil servant or group that has demonstrated outstanding contributions to PEI’s citizens and provincial government.

The award is named after Doug Dennis (1930–2019), a well-known civil servant from 1959–1986, who served under five premiers in a period of great change. Most of his service was as deputy minister of Finance, but he also served in senior roles with Treasury Board, Transportation and Public Works, Tourism, and the Hospital Services Commission.

The endowment fund to create the annual award was established in 2020 by Dennis’s son, Alan, and grandson, Alec, and provides a $1,000 donation to the recipient’s charity of choice.

The winner is selected based on four criteria:

• demonstrating the public service values of respect, integrity, excellence, and accountability;
• helping to lift the people around them;
• working to make the organization a better place;
• improving the lives of Islanders.

Jain is a disaster medicine expert and has been featured in two books on leadership and teamwork. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was asked to visit various areas of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to reduce people's fears and talk with them about their anxiety and concerns. Eventually, these coffee talks became so popular that different units asked him to visit them. He was appointed the disaster medicine consultant for the Department of Health and was tasked with helping to prepare the provincial referral centre for an influx of patients. Jain accomplished this in in just seven days.

He was later appointed to advise the Emergency Operations Centre for Health PEI. He is a regular guest on CBC Compass where he shares his medical knowledge with the public.

In March of 2020, Jain noticed that only a few people were being thanked publicly for their work during the pandemic; yet hundreds, or even thousands, were doing amazing things from all walks of life. He created the COVID Warrior Coin Award and began giving them to people who have done amazing things for PEI. He asked the Lieutenant Governor of PEI if she would present the awards, and she kindly agreed.

He continues to serve in the army, work in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s emergency department, teach paramedicine, and help with the development of the new medical faculty at UPEI.

Congratulations, Dr. Jain!