±«ÓãÖ±²¥

429 students will receive degrees in Health Sciences during the 1999 ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Spring convocation

On Tuesday May 25, at 3:00 pm in Place des ArtsÂ’ Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ will confer graduate and undergraduate degrees on 429 students in Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy as follows:

429 degrees

Dentistry

Faculty of Graduate Studies: 1 Ph.D. and 2 M.Sc.
Faculty of Dentistry: 24 D.D.S.

Medicine

Faculty of Medicine: 114 M.D.,C.M., 20 B.Sc. (Nursing), 53 B.Sc. (Occupational Therapy) and 53 B.Sc. (Physical Therapy).

Interesting graduates

Alberto Luna, a graduate of the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, will give the valedictory speech in the presence of the two honorary degree recipients, Dr Lelio Orci and Mrs Marjorie Bronfman, and the three emeritus professors: Drs Carroll A. Laurin, Joseph Milic-Emili, and Peter T. Macklem.

In the last few years, Andrew Cuddihy, who appears on the DeanÂ’s honours list, has spoken to several parents whose children are deaf and are just starting school. "When they hear me, they seem to be reassured when I tell them that having a hearing impairment doesnÂ’t necessarily place any barriers on getting a good education," says the author of a Ph.D. thesis in Experimental Medicine entitled "Genetic, Physical and Functional Interactions between the Double-Stranded RNA-dependent Protein Kinase PKR and the Tumor Suppressor p53." This can be applied to anyone," insists Dr Cuddihy, who lost nearly all of his hearing at age 4 as a result of meningitis. A former student of the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf, a world-renowned school that specialises in teaching deaf children to speak with the goal of integrating them into regular classroom settings, he was in regular classes with hearing children for pretty much his entire educational career. "The teachers from the Oral School wore various hats to ensure that my integration into a regular classroom setting was going as smoothly as possible," he recalls. Dr Cuddihy can be reached at the following e mail address: acuddi [at] yahoo.com.

Ann Gilchrist will graduate in the generic MasterÂ’s program in Nursing. She is a holder of a ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ scarlet key for her leadership as co-president of the Nursing graduate society. Currently working in the Royal Victoria Hospital Department of Oncology, Ms. Gilchrist will be assisting next fall in teaching womenÂ’s health at the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ School of Nursing. She can be reached after 4:00 pm at the following phone number: (514) 935-7320.

Honorary degrees

DSc: Lelio Orci, B.A. (Veroli), M.D. (U.Rome), Chair of the Department of Morphology, University of Geneva Medical School. Using sophisticated and elegant morphological techniques, many of them developed in his own laboratory, Dr Orci has provided the most complete picture yet available of the structure of the cells responsible for the production of insulin. Further, he was the first to recognize the presence of other cells in these islets of Langerhans and has added to a deep understanding of the production of other hormones necessary to normal biology. He has provided a very significant understanding of the intracellular transport mechanisms. His fundamental insights into the embryology, anatomy and cell biology of the islet cells have provided us with major advances in our understanding of the function of this vital organ. His bibliography contains 459 articles, many of which were published in the most outstanding journals in the field of biomedical research.

LLD: Marjorie Bronfman, B.A. (Wellesley College), M.S. (Columbia U.) Benefactor of ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, Marjorie Bronfman is an exemplary individual who has done a great deal to improve the society in which we live. ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ is one of numerous organizations that have benefited from her unwavering commitment and financial support. Recently, her gift made possible the development of the Gerald Bronfman Centre in the Department of Oncology, which has become a major focus for clinical trials in the Faculty of Medicine and its teaching hospital network. She has also provided major support to palliative care at the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital. As well, Ms. Bronfman has been a generous donor to a number of cultural institutions in the city, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the McCord Museum, and the Westmount Library.

Emeritus professors

Professor Carroll A. Laurin is one of CanadaÂ’s outstanding orthopedic surgeons. He received his medical degree from ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ in 1952 and, following postgraduate training in Toronto, he joined Université de MontréalÂ’s Faculty of Medicine, where he rose to the rank of Professor of Surgery in 1970. In 1982, Dr Laurin returned to his Alma mater as Professor of Surgery and Senior Orthopedic Surgeon in charge at the Royal Victoria Hospital while remaining a consultant at Hôtel Dieu and Ste. JustineÂ’s Hospitals. He served as Head of the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Department of Orthopaedics from 1982 to 1994, and was nominated to the Marthe and Maurice E. Müller Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery in 1990. Dr LaurinÂ’s interest in sports medicine and the injuries athletes sustain led him to assist with the organisation of the Montreal Olympic Games, as Director of Medical Services. Dr Laurin has published close to 100 scientific papers and his most important publication, The Atlas of Orthopedic Surgery, was published in three volumes in both English and French. It remains the only major textbook of orthopaedics published in both languages and has had a significant impact on the field of orthopaedic surgery in North America and throughout the world.

Professor Peter T. Macklem is a researcher of international repute. His publication list includes over 300 articles, reflecting his outstanding contribution to the field of pulmonary medicine. A graduate of QueenÂ’s University in 1952, he studied medicine at ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ from which he received his M.D.,C.M. in 1956. After training in pulmonary medicine in the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ hospital network, he spent a year as a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and returned to the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Medical Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital. In 1972, he became a Professor in the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Department of Medicine and a Senior Physician at the Royal Victoria Hospital. At the same time, Dr Macklem was named Director of the Meakins Christie Laboratories and was responsible, together with his colleagues, for building the Meakins Christie into a world class site of pulmonary medicine and research. He became a Director of the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Clinic in 1979 and in 1980 he was appointed Chair of the Department of Medicine, a position he held until 1985, year of his nomination as Massabki Professor of medicine. Scientific Director of Inspiraplex ( the Respiratory Health Network of Centres of Excellence), Dr Macklem played a prominent role in the National Centres of Excellence program and served as President of the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation in 1984. A tireless advocate of clinical research, Dr Macklem has been promoting this approach among young clinicians, fostering the careers of young clinician-scientists and acting as a superlative role model and mentor.

Professor Joseph Milic-EmiliÂ’s research in the physiology of respiration and respiratory mechanics brought him international recognition early on. In the 1960s his articles were listed among the one hundred most cited articles in clinical research and the 1981 edition of Current Contents listed him among the one thousand most cited contemporary scientists. A graduate of the University of Milan from which he obtained his M.D. degree in 1955, Dr Milic-Emili trained in physiology in Italy and Belgium as well as the Harvard School of Public Health before joining ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ in 1963. Promoted Professor in the Departments of Physiology and Experimental Medicine in 1970, he headed the Department of Physiology from 1973 to 1978 and was Director of the Meakins Christie Laboratories from 1979 to 1995. Dr Milic-Emili is the author of over 350 publications beginning in 1958 and continuing to the present day.