McGillians named to Order of Canada

Among the 16 McGillians named are Chancellor Michael Meighen and Chancellor Emeritus Richard Pound. Meighen was named a Member of the Order, for his contributions to public life as a lawyer, politician (he served in the Senate from 1980 to 2012) and philanthropist, while Pound was promoted to Companion, the highest of the three Order of Canada ranks, “for his contributions as a champion of fairness in sport and of the Olympic spirit, as well as for his engagement in civic, legal and educational causes.”

Governor Emerita Kappy Flanders, a tireless advocate for palliative care, who founded the Council on Palliative Care, McGill, and who, with generous donations of her family and friends, established the Eric M. Flanders Chair in Palliative Medicine in 1994 in memory of her late husband, was named a Member of the Order.

Former Dean of Music, Professor John Grew, who heads the organ area in the Faculty, was named a Member of the Order for “bringing new vitality to organ music in Canada as a performer and educator.” Grew has been a leading figure in the revival of mechanical-action pipe organs, like the French classical organ in Redpath Hall, and established McGill’s early music program.

A pioneering researcher into Alzheimer’s disease, Serge Gauthier, was named a Member of the Order. Based at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, he serves as Director of the Alzheimer’s Unit in the McGill Centre for the Study of Aging. Gauthier is credited with setting up the first multicentre Canadian study of tacrine as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Robert Mellin, an associate professor in Architecture, and the winner of numerous awards, notably for his contributions to preserving Newfoundland’s architectural heritage and for his publications that have made modern architecture more accessible to a wider audience, was named a Member of the Order.

Ervin Podgorsak served as Director of the McGill University Medical Physics Unit, from1991-2008. He led both the McGill medical physics graduate program and clinical residency program to be the first such Canadian programs to be internationally accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs. A winner of numerous awards and an outspoken advocate for the funding of health care in Quebec, he was named a Member of the Order.

Robyn Tamblyn, a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, has been a leader in the development of e-Medicine and was named a Member of the Order for her significant contributions “patient safety, notably through her research on physician training, health system monitoring and prescription drug management.”

H. Bruce Williams, who taught plastic surgery at McGill and was internationally recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery, was named a Member of the Order for his work in that field, especially for helping burn victims as well as young people with congenital abnormalities.

A number of McGill alumni were honoured. Jean-Louis Baudoin (BCL’58, LLD’07); Robert W. Cox (BA’46, MA’48); Joan Ivory (BA’54); Wendy Levinson (MDCM’81); Jens Lindemann (BMus’88); Keith MacLellan (BA’69, BSc'73, MDCM’77); and Eleanor Wachtel (BA’69).

Baudoin was named an Officer of the Order for “contributions to the advancement of civil law in Canada as a professor and judge for the Quebec Court of Appeal,” while Cox was named a Member of the Order for “contributions to the field of international relations as one of Canada’s foremost scholars in the area of political economy.” 

Ivory has made significant contributions to both the arts scene in Montreal and to the MUHC, having served in a wide variety of roles over the years on a number of boards, and was named a Member of the Order. Levinson was named an Officer of the Order for “contributions to promoting effective communication between physicians and patients, as well as for her sustained leadership in academic medicine.”

Renowned trumpet soloist Lindemann was honoured by being named a Member of the Order, while MacLellan was named a Member of the Order for “contributions to advancing rural medicine in Canada as a small-town family physician and as a driving force behind the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada.”

Wachtel is a renowned Canadian broadcaster who was promoted to Officer of the Order “for connecting Canadian readers with the worldwide literary community and for her insightful contributions to our appreciation of contemporary literature.”

Photo credit: MCpl Serge Gouin, Rideau Hall

SOURCE: McGill Reporter staff