Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s communications and public engagement (CPE) team has received two awards from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), including its prestigious Gold Quill award. IABC awards are adjudicated by communication experts from a cross-section of industries and measure excellence and innovation against a global standard.

The team won a 2025 Gold Quill Award of Excellence and a “Best of the Best” recognition in the category of staff engagement for developing and executing an interactive and inclusive communications plan that led to the development of Transformative Care, Inclusive World: Holland Bloorview 2030. The award was presented at the IABC World Conference in Vancouver this past week.

Launched in June 2023, the hospital’s new strategic plan, led by the strategy team and supported by the CPE team, represented the voices of over 1,250 members of its community, including staff, trainees, clients, families and external partners.

The engagement approach highlighted the power of communication and connection to drive meaningful change. By involving the community from ideation to creation and ensuring alignment in its rollout, the CPE team created a bold, forward-looking plan that prioritizes equity, innovation and inclusivity in health care.

“Authentically engaging the Holland Bloorview community in the development of Transformative Care, Inclusive World: Holland Bloorview 2030 was essential to the success of our strategic planning work,” said Nadia Tanel, senior director, communications and strategy. “We knew we needed a comprehensive and transparent engagement process—one that truly reflected the diverse voices and lived expertise across our community. Through this plan, we demonstrated our deep respect and appreciation for our community members as the experts they are. Their insights go beyond strategy—they’re helping shape the future of pediatric rehabilitation and health care.”

This past April, the Holland Bloorview communications team also received an IABC Toronto 2025 OVATION Award of Merit in the category of non-profit campaigns for No Piece of Cake. The advocacy campaign draws attention to the challenges youth with disabilities, developmental differences and medical complexities face when accessing medical care as they transition to the adult health-care system. Holland Bloorview’s goal is to raise awareness of the barriers youth face and call for an adult health-care system that puts their health and wellbeing first by removing unnecessary obstacles to care.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to work alongside such an extraordinary team of communicators—brilliant, innovative and deeply committed to excellence. Their unwavering dedication to amplifying the  voices, insights and stories of the Holland Bloorview community is inspiring,” says Stewart Wong, vice president, communications, strategy and sustainability. “This recognition is a powerful affirmation of what we already know: every member  of the team brings the ‘best of the best’ to their work, every single day.”