Three Faculty of Medicine Members to Receive Canada’s Highest Honor
Former Dean Catharine Whiteside, Professor Andres Lozano and Adjunct Professor James G. Wright will receive the nation’s most prestigious award, the Order of Canada, the Governor General of Canada announced today.
Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the cornerstone of the Canadian Honours System, and recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.
All three Faculty of Medicine recipients have advanced medicine on an international scale.
A nephrologist, Professor Whiteside served as U of T Medicine’s first female Dean from 2005 to 2015.
“I remember asking my children what I should say during my interview for the Dean’s position. They said ‘That’s easy, Mom. Just tell them you’re going to make it better for students,’” she told U of T Medicine magazine in 2015. “And that became my key message in my interview and the theme of my time as Dean. I think it’s critical to provide excellent education programs and ensure the best possible student experience.”
Professor Whiteside earned an M.D. from U of T in 1975, followed by postgraduate training in internal medicine and nephrology and a doctorate from U of T’s Institute of Medical Science.
She joined U of T’s Department of Medicine in 1985 as a clinician-scientist and has engaged in basic research in the field of cellular mechanisms of kidney disease. Prior to becoming Dean, she served as Associate Dean of Graduate and Inter-Faculty Affairs.
“I’m deeply honoured to be awarded the Order of Canada, and am not surprised that three out of the six U of T winners come from the Faculty of Medicine,” says Whiteside, who was named a Member of the Order of Canada. “It’s a testament to our outstanding faculty and the deep impact they have on medicine, in Canada and around the world.”
Professor Lozano is the Dan Family Chair in Neurosurgery and a pioneer in deep-brain stimulation, a surgical technique that has proven effective in managing the symptoms of neurological diseases like Parkinson’s.
A 1983 graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, Professor Lozano trained as a neurosurgeon at McGill University while earning his Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine. He has been a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital since 1991, and serves as the inaugural Ron Tasker Chair in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at the University Health Network. He holds the title of University Professor, the highest rank at U of T, and also holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience.
Professor Wright, an adjunct professor of surgery, health policy management and evaluation, is an orthopaedic surgeon at The Hospital for Sick Children and The University of Oxford. He has made major contributions to the advancement of evidence-based orthopaedics and has been a national leader in improving access to children’s surgery. In addition, Wright has held a number of senior leadership positions at SickKids, won numerous honours, and published in more than 230 journals.
He earned his M.D. from U of T in 1981, MPH from Yale University in 1991, and trained as a surgeon at SickKids and in Australia.
“I hope this honour will bring more public attention to the many children who lack timely access to important surgery at critical times in their development,” says Professor Wright, who was named a Member of the Order of Canada. “We owe it to our children to give them the best start in life.”
