Building our health organizations and systems Leadership in Organizational Development

Building capacity in health organizations, forming new ones, and inspiring institutional change  and collaboration to achieve greater effectiveness are just some of the ways these change-makers have improved health in Canada and the world.  

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Leadership in Organizational Development

  1. 1753

    Louis XV signed the Letters Patent

  2. 1800

  3. 1867

    Only three months after Canada signed the British North America Act, the Canadian Medical Association was launched with Sir Charles Tupper as its inaugural president.

  4. 1868

    During his three terms as President of the CMA, Sir Tupper watched over the new organization’s initial growth.

  5. 1899

    Dr. Montizambert was tasked with establishing the Department of Agriculture’s first section devoted to public health

  6. 1900

  7. 1901

    First presented the Canada Medical Act (“Roddick Bill”) before the House of Commons

  8. 1910

  9. 1914

    As the Grenfell Mission expanded and saw overwhelming success, Dr. Grenfell recognized the need for improved regulation and funding

  10. 1914

    Connaught Laboratories was established

  11. 1919

    The federal government established the Department of Health

  12. 1920

  13. 1921

    The Canadian Medical Association faced bankruptcy and impending dissolution

  14. 1924

    Dr. Jonathan Meakins - Pioneering Administrator

  15. 1927

    The University of Toronto created its School of Hygiene

  16. 1930

  17. 1931

    Starting in 1931, the “McEachern Study Committee” reported to the CMA on the lack of national attention being given to cancer diagnosis and treatment in Canada

  18. 1934

    The Montreal Neurological Institute was established

  19. 1938

    John S. McEachern was named the Founding President of the Canadian Society for the Control of Cancer

  20. 1940

  21. 1943

    As president, Dr. McEachern oversaw the CMA’s policy discussion on government-assistance in health insurance

  22. 1950

  23. 1950

    Dr. Mackenzie was named Chair of the Department of Surgery and remained in this position until 1959

  24. 1950

    During the poliomyelitis epidemic of the 1950s, Dr. Armand Frappier pioneered virology and introduced the Salk vaccine to Canada

  25. 1951

    Dr. Farquharson became a member in National Research Council of Canada

  26. 1952

    After only two years at McGill, Dr. Clarke Fraser founded the first Canadian medical genetics department in a paediatric hospital, the Montreal Children’s Hospital

  27. 1952

    Inspired by the multi-disciplinary approach of European research centres, Dr. Genest returned to Quebec and established his first laboratory at Hôtel-Dieu

  28. 1954

    Dr. Bette Stephenson became a founding member of the College of General Practice Canada (now the College of Family Physicians Canada)

  29. 1954

    The Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) opened its doors with Dr. David serving as its first director

  30. 1958

    Dr. Ray Farquharson produced the "Farquharson Report" which described the current state of medical research in Canada

  31. 1959

    Lacor Hospital was built by Comboni missionaries

  32. 1960

  33. 1960

    Ray Farquharson served as the founding president of the Medical Research council for five years

  34. 1963

    As a builder of medical research capacity, Dr. Genest contributed to the founding of the Medical Research Council of Quebec

  35. 1965

    Brown appointed president of the Medical Research Council

  36. 1966

    After convincing the provincial and federal governments of his idea for a medical school in Newfoundland, Dr. Rusted was appointed Director of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Coordinator of…

  37. 1967

    The Centre medical Claude-Bernard was established. Known today as the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) Dr. Genest served as its director until his retirement in 1984.

  38. 1969

    Dr. Charles Drake became the first chair of the Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences at the University of Western Ontario

  39. 1969

    Within a few short years, Memorial’s medical school was housed in a temporary building and had hired a handful of faculty

  40. 1970

  41. 1970

    Dr. Lou Siminovitch appointed Geneticist-in-Chief at The Hospital for Sick Children

  42. 1970

    The J.A. Hildes Northern Medical Unit officially opened on July 1, 1970

  43. 1971

    Dr. Bienenstock established and became the director of the Host Resistance Program for McMaster

  44. 1971

    The Alberta Hospital Services Commission was established

  45. 1973

    The School for Registered Nurses opened

  46. 1976

    IRCM became home to the first centre of bioethics in Canada and the French-speaking world

  47. 1976

    Dr. Keon founded the University of Ottawa Heart Institute at the Ottawa Civic Hospital

  48. 1977

    John Bradley was appointed Special Advisor on Medical Research

  49. 1980

  50. 1980s

    Lacor Hospital continued to expand with the opening of a second surgical wing

  51. 1980

    The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research was established

  52. 1981

    Dr. Arnold Naimark became President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. He served in this position for 15 years

  53. 1982

    Dr. Mustard founded the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

  54. 1984

    The Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) was founded

  55. 1985

    As an innovative builder again, Siminovitch developed a research institute at Mount Sinai Hospital

  56. 1985

    Established a collaboration with The Liposome Company (Princeton, NJ) to develop nanomedicines to treat cancer

  57. 1986

    Dr. Drake was also instrumental in the founding of the John P. Robarts Research Institute

  58. 1987 - 1989

    Dr. Herbert serves as the president of North American Primary Care Research Group, most influential primary care research organization in the world.

  59. 1989

    Committed to enhancing support for clinician-scientist, Dr. Aguayo became a founding member of the Canadian Society of Academic Medicine

  60. 1989 - 1993

    Director of the Cardiology Department and Deputy Director of the Research Centre of the University of Sherbrooke

  61. 1989

    Dr. Worton joined a small group of geneticists in Geneva to create HUGO, the international Human Genome Organisation.

  62. 1990

  63. 1991

    Charles Hollenberg accepted the position of President and CEO of the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation (OCTRF)

  64. 1991 - 1993

    Dr. Stephen Blizzard becomes president of the International Civil Aviation Medical Association and the Society of Aerospace Medicine

  65. 1991

    The Medical Research Council of Canada appointed new leadership

  66. 1992

    Dr. Dirks heads the Gairdner Foundation

  67. 1992

    Dr. Hakim moved to the nation’s capital where he became chair of the University of Ottawa’s Neurology Department and the director of the university’s newly established Neuroscience Research Institute

  68. 1992

    Dr. Naylor was named the inaugural chief executive of the renowned Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)

  69. 1993 - 2002

    Plays key role in bringing the surgical groups from The Royal Victoria Hospital and Montreal General Hospital together prior to their merger into the McGill University Health Centre

  70. 1993

    Sir John Bell founds The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University

  71. 1994

    The Canadian Medical Discovery Fund was established

  72. 1994

    The Neuroscience Division of the Douglas Hospital Research Centre was formed with Dr. Quirion serving as its first scientific director

  73. 1994

    The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) established the Clinician Investigator Program in all medical and surgical specialties, using Dr. Langer’s Surgeon Scientist Program at…

  74. 1997

    Dr. Naimark became the founding chair of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation

  75. 1997

    The Canadian Foundation for Innovation was created

  76. 1997

    Henry Friesen met with Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, to discuss the possibility of a new national agency for Canadian medical research

  77. Late 1990's

    President of the Canadian Aerospace Medicine and Aeromedical Transport Association

  78. 1998

    Under Dr. Martin’s leadership as dean, the Dana Farber Harvard Cancer Centre was established

  79. 1999

    After taking a leadership role in founding the Canadian Stroke Network, Dr. Antoine Hakim became its CEO and scientific director

  80. 1999 - 2003

    Director of cardiology and of the Cardiovascular Program of the UHN (Munk Cardiac Center) and Mount Sinai Hospital

  81. 1999 - 2010

    Dr. Herbert serves as Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University.

  82. 2000

  83. 2000

    CIHR was established

  84. 2000

    John Evans facilitated the creation of the Medical and Related Science Research District (MaRS) in Toronto

  85. 2000

    Alan Bernstein becomes President of CIHR

  86. 2000

    When the Canadian Institutes of Health Research was formed in 2000, they chose health policy leader Dr. David Naylor as their inaugural governor

  87. 2000

    The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) appointed Dr. Quirion as the first Science Director for the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), one of Canada’s 13…

  88. 2001

    Following merger of four Ottawa hospitals to create The Ottawa Hospital, Dr. Worton became the first CEO and Scientific Director of the new Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and VP Research of the…

  89. 2003

    Creation of the Public Health Agency of Canada

  90. 2003 - 2010

    Dean, Faculty of Medicine, in at University of Montreal

  91. 2003 - 2007

    Dr. Herberts chairs the National Expert Committee, Health Canada Interprofessional Education (IPE) for Patient-Centred Collaborative Care which funded many innovative IPE projects.

  92. 2004

    Dr. Cullis to co-found the not-for-profit Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD, now adMare BioInnovations)

  93. 2004 - 2017

    Founding Director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute

  94. 2005

    Dr. Simons made history as the first foreigner to be elected as President by the Fellows of the America Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

  95. 2005

    Recognizing a gap in the Canadian research landscape, Dr. Judith Hall became a founding member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

  96. 2009

    Dr. Culllis co-founded Acuitas Therapeutics with Tom Madden and Mick Hope

  97. 2009 - 2019

    Founding Fellow of Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

  98. 2010

  99. 2012

    Elaine Carty is called out of retirement to resume the Directorship of UBC program to oversee the first expansion of the program.

  100. 2020

About the CMHF

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.

This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON.