Rémillard family establishes the Yosh Taguchi Chair in Urology

Million-dollar gift to help accelerate cancer research will be announced at Sept. 20 event

McGill University's Division of Urology has a long history of excellence in patient care, pioneering urologic innovation, fundamental research and education. The Division's legacy, thanks to the generosity of Lucien Rémillard and his family, has been strengthened.

On Sept. 20, McGill's Faculty of Medicine will host prominent businessman and philanthropist Lucien Rémillard, his family and invited guests at an event to officially announce the creation of the Yosh Taguchi Chair in Urology. The new Chair will focus on cancer-related research in urology.

"I have known Dr. Taguchi for several years and I have great admiration and a profound respect for the work he has been doing in urology for almost 40 years, treating thousands of patients, amassing knowledge and training the next generation. I am deeply convinced that we must sustain research and development in this field of medicine as well as in many other areas," said Mr. Rémillard.

"When I found out that Mr. Rémillard wished to help urology by honouring Dr.Taguchi, I immediately thought of establishing a Chair,'' explained Dr. Armen Aprikian, Head of McGill's Division of Urology and Urologist-in-Chief at the MUHC. "We have a very strong research culture. It has been an integral part of the Division for more than 40 years and this Chair will continue to build on this tradition."

The $1 million Yosh Taguchi Chair in Urology, established at McGill and to be based at one of the MUHC hospitals, is an academic appointment that will serve to attract and retain a world-class scholar in the field of urology and oncology. The recruitment of the first Chairholder will begin over the coming weeks.

"These gifts are vital to the work being conducted at the University and across its hospital network," said Dr. Samuel Benaroya, Interim Vice-Principal of Health Affairs and Interim Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill. "Not only will this Chair give a tremendous boost to the leading research that is ongoing, it will help us attract the brilliant new talent that will realize the next wave of breakthroughs. We are very proud to partner with the Rémillard family to help us achieve this."

The Chair is being named in honour of Dr. Yosh Taguchi, a long-time Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Urology at McGill and Senior Urologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital of the MUHC. Dr. Taguchi has dedicated the better part of his career to prostate cancer research, treatment and training the next generation of urologists. Outside McGill, he is best known for his best-selling books Private Parts: An Owner's Guide to the Male Anatomy and The Prostate: Everything you Need to Know about the Man Gland.

PHOTO: Lucien Rémilliard, Dr. Yosh Taguchi, Dr. Arman Aprikian (CLAUDE DAGENAIS)