Two McGill professors recognized by Royal Society of Canada

Margaret Gillett and John Bergeron saluted for excellence in humanities and sciences

Two McGill University professors are being recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC): Margaret Gillett and John J.M. Bergeron. The McGill scholars are among 12 Canadians receiving medals and awards for extraordinary achievement in the social sciences, humanities, and pure and applied sciences.

• Margaret Gillett, a pioneer in women's studies and an emeritus professor of education at McGill University, will receive the Royal Society of Canada Award in Gender Studies. The award is granted in recognition of significant contributions by a Canadian scholar in the humanities and social sciences to furthering the understanding of gender issues.
• John J.M. Bergeron, a world-leading cell biologist, director of the Montreal Proteomics Network at McGill and chair of the University's Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, will receive the Royal Society of Canada's McLaughlin Medal. The medal recognizes important research and sustained excellence in any branch of medical science.

The awards will be presented at the RSC's Awards Banquet on November 20, 2004. For a complete list of recipients, please consult the website. Please read on for short biographies of the McGill winners:

Margaret Gillett - Award in Gender Studies

Dr Margaret Gillett, the William C. Macdonald Professor Emeritus of Education at McGill, is a pioneer in women's studies in Canada. As the Founding Director of the Centre for Research and Teaching on Women (MCRTW) at McGill, she initiated research, teaching and reflection on gender issues bearing on education. She has immensely enriched this field through a number of scholarly books and original publications. Also to be noted is her leadership role on many committees and national and international organizations promoting the cause of gender equity, social justice and opportunities for women. Another outstanding aspect of her career is the activism with which she transformed the landscape of gender and education at McGill and elsewhere.

John J.M. Bergeron - McLaughlin Medal

John Bergeron is currently the Robert Reford Professor and Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill. He is also director of the Montreal Proteomics Network and one of Canada's leading cell biologists, who has made key discoveries on protein maturation, trafficking and function. With Barry Posner, he and colleagues pioneered the study of the intracellular structures involved in ligand-induced internalization of cell surface receptors. This work led to the recognition of a novel cellular organelle — the endosomal apparatus — and the realization that internalized hormone growth factor-receptor complexes are central to cell signaling. Along with David Thomas, he discovered calnexin and uncovered its role as a glycoprotein chaperone. This work led to the delineation of the Calnexin Cycle and the elaboration of a model for quality control of glycoprotein synthesis, a major determinant of cell surface membrane structure and function. His leadership in creating the Montreal Proteomics Network, based at McGill, has enabled colleagues from Montreal and beyond to perform key studies using an organellar proteomics approach. The discoveries made over the past three years published in such journals as Cell, Nature and EMBO have begun to delineate new molecular machines involved in organellar processes and are leading to the definition of new functions for established organelles. John Bergeron was recently elected president of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO), an international body headquartered in Montreal.