4 UBC alumni awarded
the YWCA Metro Vancouver
Women of Distinction Award
May 2025
The YWCA Metro Vancouver Women of Distinction Awards presented by Scotiabank honours extraordinary women leaders and businesses. It’s more than just an award. It’s a symbol of progress, and togetherness. It’s about bringing our diverse community side-by-side to empower one another. To stay true to our mission of advancing gender equity. It’s a celebration of over forty years of rallying behind women and gender-diverse people who are beacons of progress. People who have raised their voices to raise the standards for all. It’s a platform where we can all feel seen and heard. To celebrate women who are making a difference every single day. Recognizing the mosaic of intersectional obstacles we’ve overcome, to carve our different paths towards the same goals.
Dr. Jana-Lea Davidson, BSc 1985, MSc 1992, MD 1996 | Chief Medical Officer, BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre
Category: Health & Wellness
Jana-Lea is the inaugural Chief Medical Officer for BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. She led the hospitals’ response during the COVID-19 pandemic and led work to unite strategic goals across the organizations. Jana-Lea’s contributions have transformed child and youth mental health care in BC, having co-founded the National Institute of Families for Child and Youth Mental Health and now serving as Founding Board Director. The institute encourages collaboration between caregivers and professionals and jurisdictions worldwide have emulated its model. Jana-Lea championed the creation of the Institute of Global Health at Children’s and Women’s Health Centre, the first of its kind in North America. She was also appointed Division Head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at UBC.
Dr. Cheryl Ho, Med Res 2005 | Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer and Clinical Associate Professor at UBC
Category: Research, the Sciences & Technology
Cheryl, a Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer and the Director of the Medical Oncology Fellowship Program and Clinical Associate Professor in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, has dedicated her academic career to researching advancements in cancer treatments. Cheryl partnered with Johns Hopkins University as the Canadian Chair co-leading a clinical trial that studied the use of “liquid biopsies” as early markers of lung cancer response to immuno-chemotherapy. She also co-created Precision Oncology Evidence Development in Cancer Treatment, an $8-million project with Roche that was instrumental in broadening access to molecular testing and targeted cancer therapies in BC to generate evidence for sustainable health care. She is regularly invited to speak nationally and internationally, and she’s published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals.
Sonia Strobel, BA 1998, BEd (Sec) 2003 | CEO and Co-Founder, Skipper Otto Community Supported Fishery
Category: Environmental Sustainability
Sonia is CEO and Co-Founder of Skipper Otto Community Supported Fishery, a certified B Corporation which connects fishing families to seafood-loving home cooks. The company, which was founded in 2008, supports 40 independent small-scale fishers and feeds more than 7,800 member families across five provinces. Sonia built trust with BC fishers by visiting their communities and paying fair wages. She’s recognized by parliamentarians as a leading expert in community-based fisheries and is often asked to speak in the House of Commons. In 2015, Sonia was awarded the Coralus Radical Generosity Award and, in 2019, she received the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs’ Pitch for the Purse. She was a finalist in the BC Food and Beverage Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2023.
Vedanshi Vala, BSc 2024 | Co-Founder and Executive Director, BOLT Safety Society
Category: Young Woman of Distinction
Vedanshi is Co-Founder and Executive Director of BOLT Safety Society, a youth-led team addressing sexual violence, domestic abuse and harassment through its digital platform, safe networks and workshops. She drove the creation of BOLT’s digital platform, offering survivor-centric resources. Under Vedanshi’s leadership, BOLT’s Safe Hubs network has grown to 48 locations across 16 Canadian cities. The digital map shows places of sanctuary for anyone feeling unsafe and has been accessed more than 6,600 times. Vedanshi was the youngest and only Indian person to win a 2022 L’Oréal Paris Woman of Worth Award. She was also recognized as a BC Business Woman of the Year, a Surrey Board of Trade Top 25 Under 25 and one of four national Heroes on the Frontlines of the Pandemic.
