LONDON, ON, Oct. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - Dr. Jean Gray, Chair of The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) announced today that Professor Michael Bliss, Dr. May Cohen, Dr. Gordon Guyatt, Dr. David Naylor, the late Right Honourable Sir Charles Tupper and Dr. Mark Wainberg have been selected for induction into The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
"The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these six individuals whose outstanding contributions to health have made Canada, and the world, a better place," said Dr. Gray. "Their impact is well documented and they have earned their place alongside the current 113 Laureates of The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame."
These outstanding Canadian and international leaders will celebrate this prestigious recognition at a ceremony held in association with McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences on April 14, 2016 at The Hamilton Convention Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.
"The impact of the extraordinary lifework of this year's inductees into The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame has resonated across Canada and around the world, improving the health of millions not just now, but for generations to come," said Dr. John Kelton, dean and vice-president, Faculty of Health Sciences of McMaster University. "We look forward to welcoming the inductees and supporters of the CMHF from across Canada to a gala celebration here in Hamilton."
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureates are individuals whose outstanding contributions to medicine and the health sciences have led to extraordinary improvements in human health. Their work may be a single meritorious contribution or a lifetime of superior accomplishments. Pioneers in their field, they are role models and an inspiration to young Canadians to pursue careers in the health sciences.
Professor Michael Bliss OC PhD FRSC (Toronto, ON)
Dr. May Cohen MD FCFP (Toronto / Hamilton, ON)
Dr. Gordon Guyatt OC FRCPC FRSC (Hamilton, ON)
Dr. C. David Naylor, OC FRCPC FRSC DPhil (Toronto, ON)
The late Right Honourable Sir Charles Tupper MD, (Halifax, NS)
Dr. Mark Wainberg, OC OQ PhD FRSC (Montreal, QC)
BIOS BELOW, PHOTOS AVAILABLE AT http://cdnmedhall.org/induction-ceremony
THE 2016 INDUCTEES
The preeminent medical historian of this era, Michael Bliss has introduced our heritage of medical research, health care, achievements and discovery to Canadians and readers around the world. His award-winning books, interviews and lectures have furthered international understanding and appreciation of the contributions of towering figures of Canadian medicine. Professor Bliss's masterpiece The Discovery of Insulin is a timeless classic, beautifully recreating one of the great discoveries of medical history. Reinforced by Banting: A Biography, the definitive life of Canada's only Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, his work became the basis of the acclaimed television mini-series, Glory Enough For All. His extensive oeuvre also includes Plague: A Story of Smallpox in Montreal, Harvey Cushing: A Life in Surgery and William Osler: A Life in Medicine, the latter another instant classic as the standard biography of the legendary Canadian physician who was one of the founding fathers of modern medicine. Lesser known is his contribution as author of the compelling final draft of the 1991/1992 Strategic Plan Investing in Canada's Health for the Medical Research Council of Canada, an important catalyst in its transformation into the CIHR.
A catalyst for positive change in women's health, May Cohen graduated at the top of her class in 1955 when fewer than 7% of medical students in Canada were women. Following a 20 year career as a family physician in Toronto, Dr. Cohen joined the department of family medicine at McMaster University in 1977 and served as associate dean of health services from 1991 to 1996. She co-founded the first faculty of medicine Women's Health Office in 1991, triggering several medical schools to follow suit, and resulting in the creation of the Women's Health Inter School Curriculum for Ontario's medical schools. This institutionalization of women's health transformed the educational experience of all health students, the experience of female students and the status of female professors in ways taken for granted today. Her success in drawing the medical community's attention to the multiple issues of gender, sexuality and women's health, along with the ensuing research in women's health and the careers of women physicians, has substantively impacted patient care and experience.
Through his prolific research and innovative approaches to education, Gordon Guyatt has helped make Canada a world leader in evidence-based medicine (EBM). He joined the McMaster University medical faculty in 1983, making ground breaking contributions over the next 20 years in the measurement of health-related quality of life. While serving as director of the internal medicine residency program from 1990-1997, he led the initial development of the concept of EBM, and then the formation of an international group that further developed these concepts with landmark publications in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The series of more than 35 articles - the "Users Guides to the Medical Literature" - have provided the basis of EBM curricula in medical schools and residency programs worldwide. Later, Dr. Guyatt's insights in how best to summarise a body of evidence succinctly and informatively allowed him to play a key role in the development of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, now adopted by more than 80 organizations worldwide.
C. David Naylor is a physician-scientist recognized for visionary contributions to health research, education, administration, and policy. Past dean of medicine and president emeritus at the University of Toronto, this Rhodes Scholar earned a DPhil at the University of Oxford before training in internal medicine at Western University. He led the establishment of a new research program in clinical epidemiology at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre and then developed the proposal for, and led, the now renowned Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Co-author of more than 300 scholarly publications, Dr. Naylor worked for a decade behind the scenes to improve the scope, funding, and organization of health research in Canada, and was an inaugural governor of the new Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He led the national inquiry into Canada's response to the SARS epidemic, resulting in the creation of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the appointment of Canada's first Chief Public Health Officer. He also co-authored the internationally influential report of the Global Commission on Educating Health Professionals for the 21st Century and very recently chaired the national advisory panel on health care innovation.
The only physician to have served as Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Charles Tupper had a profound impact on the medical profession and the country. As a young physician in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Dr. Tupper travelled great distances on horseback to treat his patients. Later he held leadership roles in Halifax as the city medical officer, as a member of surgical staff of the provincial and city hospital, and as president of the Medical Society of Nova Scotia. Elected into the Nova Scotia Assembly in 1855,
Dr. Tupper was Premier by 1864. Despite opposition, he was a fearless advocate who helped pass the Free Education Act and led Nova Scotia into Confederation. The founding president of the Canadian Medical Association in 1867, he served for three consecutive terms. He also chaired the committee responsible for creating Dalhousie Medical School, where he served as dean. Sir John A. MacDonald's 'right hand', Dr. Tupper had a long career as a federal cabinet minister and ever a physician, was known for keeping his medical bag beneath his seat in the House of Commons.
Mark Wainberg combines scientific excellence with a social conscience on a world scale. His research and collaboration are acknowledged as having helped save millions of lives around the world. Currently the director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at Jewish General Hospital, he has revolutionized our understanding of HIV/AIDS at medical, epidemiological and political levels. He is well-known for his involvement in 1989 in the initial identification of lamivudine (3TC) as an antiviral drug, now one of the most widely used drugs in the treatment of HIV. While president of the International AIDS Society in 2000, he brought the XIIIth International Conference on AIDS to Durban, South Africa, drawing unprecedented international attention to the lack of access to anti-HIV drugs in developing countries. Most recently, Dr. Wainberg has turned his attention to achieving a cure for HIV infection based on the possibility that HIV may not be able to become resistant to certain new compounds that block viral replication.
ABOUT THE CANADIAN MEDICAL HALL OF FAME
Established in 1994, The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) is a national charitable organization that fosters future generations of health professionals through the celebration of our country's rich medical history, scholarship program, award program for medical students and the delivery of both local and nationwide education programs for youth. Each year, up to six individuals are recognized for their extraordinary contribution to improving the health of Canadians and people world-wide. The stories of the laureates are showcased on the web www.cdnmedhall.org and in a portrait gallery, exhibit hall and media theatre located in downtown London, ON.
ABOUT MCMASTER UNVERSITY, FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
McMaster University, one of four Canadian universities listed among the Top 100 universities in the world, is renowned for its innovation in both learning and discovery. It has a student population of 23,000, and more than 160,000 alumni in 140 countries. The Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine has a global reputation for educational advancement, and it is internationally known for its research intensity and development of evidence-based medicine.
SOURCE Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
MEDIA CONTACT: Lissa Foster, Executive Director, The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, office: 519.488.2003, x100 / cell: 519.636.0660 / [email protected]
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