It is from Jamaica to Canada with a One Love story “inna yard” for the brilliant and charming Dr. Rosemary Moodie.

And thanks to Dr. Anthony Sterling of Sterling Dental, Dr. Moodie will receive the 32nd Annual Black Business and Professional Association, BBPA/ Harry Jerome Health Science Award, come May 12, at the elegant Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building. Dr. Moodie has devoted her career and volunteerism on improving the lives of women and children by addressing the social inequities and health disparities they face, and by advocating for public policy that impacts equity and women’s rights, especially for those of the Black and Caribbean heritage.

“My work is focused on advocating for and developing policy aimed at improving access and expanding Health Services for the most vulnerable, underserved, and marginalized in our society. Working in the Central East Local Health Integration Network – the region which is the home to the largest Afro-Canadian population in the GTA, I have found opportunities to pursue this focus in my role as the Medical Director of the Regional Maternal Child Programme at the Rouge Valley Health System, as the Maternal, Child, Youth, and Gynaecology Lead for the Central East LHIN, while working with the child Health Network and Provincial Council of Children’s Health developing policy,” Dr. Moodie told The Camera.

Dr. Moodie, who sits on the advisory board of Food for the Poor, Canada, has spent much of her career as a senior Neonatologist and Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Sick Kids in the Faculty of Medicine. In 2012, the Hospital of Sick Children recognized her for her 25 years of outstanding service.

Presented by RBC Royal Bank, the BBPA Harry Jerome Awards is recognized as one of the most prestigious national awards gala in the African-Canadian community and a coveted symbol of achievement. The winners receive awards in sixteen categories: Academics, Athletics, Arts, Media, Entertainment, Community Service, Health Sciences, Leadership, Lifetime Achievement, Youth Entrepreneurs, Business, Professional Excellence, Technology and Innovation, Public Advocacy, Diversity, and the President’s Award.