Dr. John Dick, Senior Scientist at UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University Professor at the University of Toronto, has been named a 2025 Clarivate Citation Laureate. Clarivate’s selection process recognizes influential, highly cited researchers — an international recognition often associated with future Nobel Prize recipients. He is the only Canadian among this year’s 22 laureates, split among the fields highlighted by the four Nobel Prizes.
Dr. Dick’s research identified leukemia stem cells, a small group of leukemic cells that have stem cell properties that allow them to sustain long-term leukemia cell growth, survive treatment, and drive future disease relapse. This work helped explain why many cancers return after therapy. By showing that these stem cells play a role in disease recurrence, his research influenced the discovery of cancer stem cells in many solid cancers and shaped how scientists approach cancer biology and treatment strategies.
Further underscoring his stature in the scientific community, Dr. Dick also received the 2024 Lifetime Contribution Prize from the Canadian Cancer Society earlier this year and was elected as an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences, among other recognitions.
At UHN, Dr. Dick holds the Helga and Antonio De Gasperis Chair in Blood Cancer Stem Cell Research. He is also a Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and holds the distinction of University Professor at the University of Toronto. His laboratory continues to study the sequence of events that lead from the normal cell of origin to leukemia stem cells, why these stem cells resist treatment, and how they might be targeted to improve long-term outcomes.
Clarivate, the organization behind the Citation Laureates, has recognized only 465 researchers worldwide since 2002, and 75 Citation Laureates have later received Nobel Prizes.
See here for the full announcement.