Today is a special day for The Neuro and the world of neuroscience, as Brenda Milner is celebrating her 103rd birthday.
Over the course of her distinguished career, Brenda Milner has made pioneering discoveries in the field of neuroscience, and mentored an entire generation of researchers who are now leaders in their own right. Her contributions revolutionized our understanding of how brain structures govern different learning, memory, and speech functions, and she has received numerous major awards and honours.
Her career spans more than 70 years - 60 of those years as a member of the McGill University/Neuro community, where she directed the neuropsychology laboratory at The Neuro and taught in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery.
The Neuro's director, Dr. Guy Rouleau, and Denise Klein, a cognitive neuroscientist at The Neuro and Milner's former postdoctoral fellow, sent video greetings as part of the birthday celebrations.
"One of the great privileges I have as director of The Neuro is conveying birthday wishes to Brenda Milner," says Dr. Rouleau. "Dr. Milner is a beacon at The Neuro. Brenda, you have played a great role in the history of The Neuro, and you are an important part of the Neuro family. You have touched many lives. For most of the existence of The Neuro, you have seen its leaders come and go, and its evolution."
"On behalf of everyone at The Neuro, I wish you a very happy birthday, and continued good health."
"I want to thank you for bringing me to Montreal, this wonderful city for which we both share a great love, and for close to 30 years of friendship and exchange of scientific ideas," says Klein. "You are an inspiration to us all for your commitment to friendships, for your pioneering and exciting work, and your vitality for life."
"I want to wish you a happy birthday, bonne fête, and all good wishes to you."
Friends of CIHR also made a tribute to Brenda Milner for her birthday, sharing clips from a 2013 interview with Michael Bliss.
