Myriam Denov, a leading advocate for children’s rights and a Professor in McGill’s School of Social Work, has won a Gold Medal from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), its highest honour.
The award is for sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought that have inspired students and colleagues; it comes with a $100,000 prize for future research.
Denov’s research interests include children born of war and families affected by war and genocide. Over the past 25 years she has worked with war-affected children on three continents and advised NGOs and such governmental organizations as Global Affairs Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Department of National Defence.
“Congratulations to Prof. Myriam Denov on being named recipient of the 2025 SSHRC Gold Medal for her extraordinary contributions to scholarship and her unwavering commitment to war-affected children,” said Deep Saini, McGill President and Vice-Chancellor. “She is a champion of justice and inclusion, and her research demonstrates the transformative power of working with community members to build a more compassionate world.”
Promoting action
Denov holds the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Children, Families and Armed Conflict and serves as founding Director of the Global Child McGill research group.
The Gold Medal is just the latest in a long list of honours for her work highlighting children’s wartime experiences and promoting change.
In the last five years alone she has received the Prix du Québec, the SSHRC’s Impact Award and been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
“Through her groundbreaking research, Dr. Myriam Denov has strengthened the School of Social Work, positioned McGill University as a global leader in this field, and placed Quebec at the forefront of global inquiry and action,” said Nicole Ives, Director of the School of Social Work. “Her work continues to give voice to the world’s most vulnerable children while advancing ethical, evidence-based practice worldwide, and I extend my deepest congratulations for this exceptional honour.”
With her Gold Medal win she follows in the footsteps of fellow McGillians Cindy Blackstock (2022), Claudia Mitchell (2016), Margaret Lock (2007) and inaugural winner Charles Taylor (2003).
‘What happened to that child?’
Denov’s research trajectory was initially sparked by seeing unsettling images in the media of children holding weapons.
“I was really disturbed by the images,” recalled Denov. “But I also wondered, ‘How did they come to hold that gun? What happened to that child? Where is that child now?’ That was the first impetus of me looking at the long-term impacts of being a child soldier.”
She tried speaking with young people about their experiences but soon realized they were more willing to do so with peers who had been through the same experiences. She began inviting young people in the community to join her research team, training and mentoring them to conduct interviews, lead focus groups and analyze data.
“I have so much to learn from them and they have so much to contribute to the research process,” said Denov. “I try to get their voices heard and then have action come from that.”
Denov sees her role as being that of an intermediary between war-affected children and the adults with whom they interact, ranging from community members and health practitioners to social workers and policymakers.
“I feel so very fortunate and grateful to do the work that I do, because I get to work with these incredible, courageous and inspiring young people who have been through such challenges and yet have come through the other side. It’s never an easy or quick road, but I’m very fortunate to be able to work with them and to learn from them.”
Of her latest honour, she said: “I’m still wrapping my head around it. This award means everything to me. It’s not just a recognition of my work, but also of the importance of research on children and families affected by war.”
