Building our health organizations and systems The Early Days - Health Care Pioneers

All of our Laureates are people who saw potential even where others did not; they are innovators willing to try new things. Some of these Laureates did so long ago, pushing boundaries despite great challenges to create landscapes for learning and improvement to health and health care in ways we take for granted today.

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Early Days - Health Care Pioneers

  1. 1738

    Following the death of her husband, d’Youville committed her life to service

  2. 1747

    D’Youville was named temporary directress of Montreal’s General Hospital

  3. 1800

  4. 1864

    Concerned with the social influences on health, Sir Tupper became a fierce advocate of free primary school education throughout Nova Scotia.

  5. 1867


  6. 1876


  7. 1883


  8. 1885

    Leonora King established the Government Hospital for Women and Children

  9. 1896

    In 1896, Sir Charles Tupper was appointed Prime Minister of Canada and remains the only physician to have served in that role.

  10. 1900

  11. 1910

  12. 1911

    Maud Menten graduated from the University of Toronto and was among one of Canada’s first women to earn a medical degree

  13. Years Later

    To facilitate industrial development, Dr. Grenfell established numerous co-operative stores and created a commerce for local handicraft

  14. 1920

  15. 1923

    Despite her groundbreaking work in the field, Dr. Menten could not attain a research professorship in Canada

  16. 1930

  17. 1931

    Elizabeth Bagshaw became Director of the Planned Parenthood Society

  18. 1935

    Dr. Bethune left for a medical conference in Russia where he learned more about socialized medical care

  19. 1940

  20. 1945

    Dr. Burton was recruited to the University of Western Ontario

  21. 1950

  22. 1960

  23. 1970

  24. 1975


  25. 1978

    Dr. Grenfell’s fortitude, kindness and aptitudes made him a local hero

  26. 1980

  27. 1990

  28. 1991

    May Cohen co-founded the Women's Health Office at McMaster University, the first of its kind in Canada

  29. 1997

    Inaugural May Cohen Lecture in Women’s Health was delivered by the Hon. Monique Begin at McMaster University

  30. 2000

  31. 2010

  32. 2020

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