Every year, the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame inducts Canadians whose outstanding leadership and contributions to medicine and the health sciences, in Canada or abroad, have led to extraordinary improvements in human health.
This year, Dr. John Dick, Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame for his pioneering research in cancer stem cell biology.
For more than three decades, Dr. Dick has made groundbreaking discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of blood cell production. He is globally recognized for his discovery of leukemic stem cells, the first type of cancer stem cell detected and characterized by a research team. This discovery was made possible by an innovative assay that he established to study the development of blood cells from stem cells. His work has highlighted the vital role that stem cells play in regulating cancer development, recurrence and resistance to treatment.
“Dr. Dick's work in cancer stem cell research has not only transformed our understanding of cancer biology, but also stimulated the creation of an entirely new field of research dedicated to cancer stem cells,” says Dr. Bradly Wouters, Executive Vice President, Science & Research at UHN. “There are very few scientists whose work has been as influential in the field of blood cancer research. His induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame reflects his status as one of the world’s top investigators in this field.”
Dr. Dick earned his PhD in 1984 from the University of Manitoba and conducted postdoctoral training at the Ontario Cancer Institute. In 2002, he became a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. He holds the Helga and Antonio De Gasperis Chair in Blood Cancer Stem Cell Research at UHN and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology. He is also a Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Dick and five other inductees will be celebrated at a ceremony held in association with The University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine on April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM).
Congratulations to Dr. Dick and all the inductees!
For more information and a full list of inductees, click here.