2010 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

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Posted March 18, 2010

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is the world’s only national Hall of Fame dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of medical heroes.  In 2010, six more Canadian heroes will be inducted.

Dr. William Cochrane (left), with Calgary mayor Dave BronconnierDr. William A. Cochrane is the founding dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary.  Building a medical school from the ground up and instituting a new integrated and interdisciplinary approach to medical education that has since become the norm across Canada, Cochrane also served in a number of other leadership roles at the University of Calgary.  His time at the university was interrupted in 1973 for a brief secondment to the Alberta government where he served as deputy minister of Health.

Graduating from medical school in 1949, Cochrane’s passion for medicine led him to serve in several leadership roles, including chairman & CEO of Connaught Laboratories, a leading developer of the flu vaccine for the World Health Organization.  He also shared his experience and expertise with the likes of the National Biotechnology Advisory Committee, the Alberta Research Council and Resverlogix Biotech Inc.  In addition, he has made significant contributions of service to the Ronald McDonald Children's Charities Foundation and the Calgary Rotary Club.

Cochrane’s influence has impacted medicine, biomedical research, education and business, leaving lasting contributions to the health and well being of people across the country.  

Dr. Alan C. Burton received his PhD in physics in 1932 from the University of Toronto.  During his postdoctoral fellowships, Burton found an interest in physiology through his interest in skin temperature and heat exchange. This led him to wartime work in aviation medical research under assignment by the Canadian National Research Council.  Subsequently, Burton went on to establish the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Western Ontario in 1947.  

Dr. Phil Gold is known as a pioneer in cancer research.  Receiving his Ph.D. in 1965 from McGill University, Gold committed himself to improving patient care through the development of innovative therapies.  Early research led to the discovery of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a blood test most used in the diagnosis of patients with cancer.  Gold became the first director of the McGill Cancer Centre, which evolved into the first University-based Department of Oncology in North America.  

Dr. James C. HoggDr. James Hogg is one of Canada’s leading pulmonary pathologists. Founder of The Pulmonary Research Laboratory at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC, Hogg’s leadership resulted in the recruitment of top researchers and the integration of the pulmonary and cardiovascular research groups lead to the formation of the iCAPTURE Centre in 2000.  The centre is now known as the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Research, which is in recognition of Hogg’s contribution to its success.

Dr. Vera Peters has often been referred to as ‘the first lady of Oncology’.  Receiving her MD in 1934, she embarked on a medical career which led her to prove patients with a localized form of Hodgkin’s disease, previously thought to be incurable, were shown to be cured by extended-field radiotherapy. Peters also introduced the concept of tumour staging in Hodgkin disease, which led to high cure rates with the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Peters’ research on breast cancer treatments resulted in the now standard practice of minimal breast surgery with radiotherapy for the initial treatment of early breast cancer.

Dr. Calvin R. StillerDr. Calvin Stiller is a pioneering transplantation clinician and a builder of private and public institutions with the purpose of enriching research in Canada and improving the health of Canadians.  A professor emeritus at the University of Western Ontario, Stiller is the co-founder of two healthcare funds including the Canadian Medical Discoveries Fund, where he served as chairman and CEO.  Stiller was principal investigator of a major Canadian study that established the importance of cyclosporine and led to its worldwide use as first-line therapy for transplant rejection.   

The 2010 inductees were selected by an independent committee of prominent leaders from Canada’s medical community.  The induction ceremony will be held Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at the BMO Centre in Calgary. For more details visit the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame website.