Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Doctors’ Choice Awards is owned and operated by Ekwa Marketing, a dental and medical marketing company. Selection is governed by our published methodology; nothing purchasable affects it. This policy covers the Doctors’ Choice Awards website and platform (the “Service”).

2. Information we collect

• Professional data from public primary sources (identity, profession, professional registration status, specialty), used to verify providers.
• Provider-submitted information: profile details and corrections a verified provider adds.
• Account data: your email address and the NPI you verify with.
• Endorsement records tied to a verified endorser identity, and endorsements from earlier Doctors’ Choice Awards cycles, published under the author’s name.
• Colleagues’ email addresses you give us so we can send an invitation or endorsement request.
• Contact form data: your name, email and message, plus a hashed network address kept only to prevent abuse.
• Usage data: standard analytics such as pages viewed, clicks and site searches (Section 5).

3. How we use it

• to verify provider identity and professional registration;
• to determine and publish recognition under our methodology;
• to send emails about your profile, endorsements and the awards;
• to detect and prevent gaming, fraud and abuse;
• to respond to inquiries, corrections and disputes; and
• to operate and secure the Service.

4. Public information

Profiles and recognition are public by design. Information shown there, such as a provider’s name, specialty, city, recognition, endorsements with the endorser’s name, and the date of the last identity check, is published as part of the Service.

5. Cookies and analytics

Web analytics, including Google Analytics, are enabled and may set cookies to measure aggregate usage. Google explains how it uses this information at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. You can control cookies in your browser settings.

6. Sharing

We do not sell personal information. We share information only with service providers who help us operate the Service (such as hosting) under confidentiality obligations, and where required by law.

7. Retention

We keep information as long as needed to operate the Service, maintain the integrity of recognition records and meet legal obligations, then delete or de-identify it.

8. Your choices

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your information, dispute a recognition decision, or opt out of listing. Timeframes are on the methodology page. Requests go through Contact.

9. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organizational measures to protect information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

10. Changes

We may update this policy. Changes are reflected in the “Last updated” date above.

11. Contact

info@doctorschoiceawards.org, or by mail to Ekwa Marketing Inc., 303 Pinetree Way, Mississauga, ON L5G 2R4, Canada.