Browse "Health scientists"

Archibald Byron Macallum, biochemist, physiologist, educator (b at Belmont, Canada W 7 Apr 1858; d at London, Ont 5 Apr 1934).

Armand Frappier, CC, physician, microbiologist (born 26 November 1904 in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC; died 17 December 1991 in Montréal, QC).

Arthur Aaron Axelrad, histologist (born 30 December 1923 in Montréal, QC; died 17 April 2015 in Toronto, ON).

Arthur Maxwell House "Max," physician, lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland and Labrador (b at Glovertown, Nfld 1926). House came to the position after an outstanding medical career, imbued with a strong public service ethic.

Aser Rothstein, physiologist (born 29 April 1918 in Vancouver, BC; died 4 July 2015 in Guelph, ON). He contributed enormously to the fields of cellular physiology and toxicology.

Brenda Atkinson Milner (née Langford), CC, GOQ, FRSC, FRS, neuropsychologist (born 15 July 1918 in Manchester, England). Dr. Milner pioneered the field of neuropsychology, combining neurology and psychology. Most notably, she discovered that the part of the brain called the medial temporal lobe (which includes the hippocampus) is critical for the forming of long-term memories. Milner’s later work revealed that the learning of skills involving the combination of vision and movement is not part of the medial temporal lobe system. These discoveries proved that there are different forms of memory in different brain regions. Through her observation of patients, Milner changed forever our understanding of the brain’s learning and memory mechanisms.

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Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the major federal agency responsible for funding health research in Canada.

Charles Alexander Mitchell, scientist, veterinarian, medical historian (b at Clarksburg, Ont 9 Aug 1891; d at Ottawa 8 July 1979).

Charles Herbert Best, physiologist, co-discoverer of insulin (b at West Pembroke, Maine 27 Feb 1899; d at Toronto 31 Mar 1978).

Donald Olding Hebb, psychologist (b at Chester, NS 22 July 1904; d at Halifax, 20 Aug 1985). He was a brilliant pupil who completed grades 1 to 4 in one year and 5 to 6 the next. But school proved too easy, and when he graduated from Dalhousie, his record was undistinguished.

Earle Willard McHenry, "Mac," professor, scientist, author (b at Streetsville, Ont 25 Jan 1899; d at Toronto 20 Dec 1961).

Edward A. Watson, veterinarian, pathologist, researcher (b in Devon, Eng 2 Jan 1879; d at Victoria 12 Mar 1945). He came to Canada in 1896 and, with a brother, homesteaded in Saskatchewan.

Edward William Archibald, surgeon, scientist, educator (b at Montréal 5 Aug 1872; d there 17 Dec 1945).

​Frances Oldham Kelsey, CM, pharmacologist (born 24 July 1914 in Cobble Hill, BC; died 7 August 2015 in London, ON). As an employee of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Kelsey blocked the sale of thalidomide in the United States. The drug, which had been widely prescribed in Europe and Canada, was later shown to cause severe birth defects in children whose mothers had taken the drug while pregnant. In recognition of her “exceptional judgment” and determination, Kelsey received the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. Kelsey and her work have been widely lauded in the United States but are less known in Canada. She was made a Member of the Order of Canada shortly before her death.

His theorizing about a General Adaptation Syndrome, based on much experimentation on rats, provoked much controversy. Briefly put, his model suggests that all stimuli are "stressors" that produce a general response of "stress" in the affected person.

Irene Ayako Uchida, OC, geneticist (born 8 April 1917 in Vancouver, BC; died 30 July 2013 in Toronto, ON). Dr. Uchida pioneered the field of cytogenetics in Canada, enabling early screening for chromosomal abnormalities (i.e., changes in chromosomes caused by genetic mutations). She discovered that women who receive X-rays during pregnancy have a higher chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. She also discovered that the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome may come from either parent, not only the mother.

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If Aaron Sorkin doesn't have Jock Murray's number on speed dial, he should. Sorkin, creator of the television hit The West Wing, could learn a thing or two from the Dalhousie University neurologist.

Margaret (Peggy) Anne Wilson Thompson, CM, human geneticist (born 7 January 1920 on the Isle of Man, England; died 3 November 2014 in Toronto, ON). Thompson contributed to human genetics through research on a variety of genetic disorders, particularly muscular dystrophy. She also cowrote Genetics in Medicine, a widely used text. While celebrated among her peers for her gifts as a scientist, mentor and teacher, she left a controversial legacy for her participation in eugenics in the early 1960s.

Michel Chrétien, physician, researcher, professor (b at Shawinigan, Qué 26 Mar 1936), brother of Jean Chrétien. Educated at Montréal, Boston and Berkeley, Chrétien is internationally recognized for his contribution to neuroendocrinology.