Six Canadian physicians and researchers revolutionized their fields of health care
TORONTO – Today, Canada Post issued a set of five commemorative stamps celebrating six groundbreaking physicians and researchers: Drs. Bruce Chown, Julio Montaner, Balfour Mount, M. Vera Peters, James Till and Ernest McCulloch. Their contributions to the fields of pediatric pathology, HIV/AIDS, palliative care, oncology and stem cell science changed the practice of medicine in Canada and around the world.
Dr. Chown, O.C., MC (1893-1986) was one of the few world leaders in eliminating rhesus (Rh) disease, once a major cause of newborn deaths. Research led by Dr. Montaner, O.C., O.B.C. (b. 1956) has helped transform HIV/AIDS into a manageable condition with a near-normal life expectancy and has markedly reduced HIV transmission. Dr. Mount, O.C., O.Q. (b. 1939), considered the father of palliative care in North America, founded the world’s first comprehensive palliative care service based in a teaching hospital. Dr. Peters, O.C. (1911-93) revolutionized treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma and breast cancer in an era when the work of female physician scientists was not often acknowledged. Dr. Till, O.C., O. Ont. (b. 1931) and Dr. McCulloch, O.C., O. Ont. (1926-2011) transformed the world’s understanding of tissue renewal by establishing the foundations of stem cell science.