Still in his early career as a pediatrician, Ryan Giroux, MD, FRCPC, is making change happen in Indigenous child health. In his various roles – as clinician, advocate, educator and mentor – Dr. Giroux, a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, has made a difference at both the community and system levels.  

Innovating in clinical care 

“He has spearheaded an entire pediatric clinic for Indigenous children, providing access in two of the highest need areas in Toronto – the Downtown Core and Scarborough,” says Suzanne Shoush, MD, director of the Indigenous Health Program at Inner City Health Associates. “His clinics provide preventative care, mental health support, chronic disease management, and developmental assessments, all tailored to respect and incorporate Indigenous traditions and values.” 

In addition to being a clinician with the Inner City Health Associates, Dr. Giroux is a general pediatrician at St. Michael’s Hospital (Unity Health Toronto) in Toronto and a clinician with Call Auntie – an Indigenous-led interprofessional health care program in inner-city Toronto – as an ‘honorary auntie.’ 

“His work has not only improved health outcomes but has also empowered Indigenous communities by promoting self-determination,” says Dr. Shoush.

For his significant contributions to the advancement of Indigenous child health, Dr. Giroux is the 2025 recipient of the Royal College’s Dr. Thomas Dignan Indigenous Health Award. This award acknowledges and celebrates Indigenous physicians or physicians-in-training, Elders or Knowledge Keepers who epitomize a zeal and devotion to Canadian Indigenous rights and the dogged pursuit of justice for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Addressing systemic racism 

“Our health care institution is surrounded by Indigenous Peoples,” says Douglas M. Campbell, MD, FRCPC, pediatrician and neonatologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, “yet most of us were unaware of this until Dr. Giroux emphasized the responsibility we have to understand our community within the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” 

In 2021, Dr. Giroux co-founded the Compass Clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital – a clinical program providing trauma-informed, low-barrier and culturally safe care for children who require additional support navigating the complexity of the Canadian health care system. It serves children who are economically and socially marginalized, including Indigenous children. As clinic lead, Dr. Giroux has led the development of Compass Clinic as a model program in Ontario and Canada. 

“Now I work with my community for most of my week, which is amazing, and doing that work in urban Toronto and Scarborough where no one had really been doing that work before. It's daunting, but I'm seeing the fruits of my labour now when my clinics are packed.” 

“Dr. Giroux is always reflective of the impact of systemic racism on the wellbeing of his patients, which drives his desire to fix the social determinants of health for every patient,” says Shazeen Suleman, MD, FRCPC, clinical associate professor at Stanford University and co-founder of the Compass Clinic. “For example, it may be a transit pass or a food basket; in each of these small ways, he is taking a small step towards dismantling the way structural racism perpetuates health disparities.” 

Looking to the future 

In his roles as an educator and mentor, Dr. Giroux shares a traditional view of knowledge.

“I'm giving a piece of myself to other folks to help them learn how I view education,” says Dr. Giroux. “It’s maybe a little bit different from other people. I think there's this idea that education is something that you pick up and find and you keep for yourself, whereas how I've been taught about knowledge and education is that it's given to you and it’s something you have to respect and use in a positive way.”

“His dedication to training Indigenous medical students and residents has helped to build a more diverse and culturally competent health care workforce, which is crucial for addressing health disparities in Indigenous populations,” says Dr. Shoush. 

Dr. Giroux has held various leadership roles locally, provincially and nationally, including as a member of the Canadian Pediatric Society’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health Committee; as former president of the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario; and as one of three Indigenous educators at the Royal College, where he works on program review and institutional standards for postgraduate medical education (PGME) accreditation. He is currently the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s PGME Indigenous Health Faculty Lead, a role he has held since July 2022. 

Dr. Giroux says he is awed to receive the Dr. Thomas Dignan Indigenous Health Award, noting the impressive list of previous recipients. 

“It gives me the fire to keep going and doing the work that I do.”