In memoriam (April 2022)
Please note: All links that begin with “Read more” link to obituaries on external websites.
Peter Ashby, MBChB, FRCPC, died on September 2, 2021, in Toronto, Ont., at age 84. Dr. Ashby was certified by the Royal College in Neurology in 1969. A former neurologist at Toronto Western Hospital, he was also the director of the EMG Laboratory for many years. Dr. Ashby was a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto (Department of Medicine). Read more about Dr. Ashby.
Dennis Anthony T. Brisson, MD, FRCSC, died on March 1, 2022, in Windsor, Ont., at age 89. Dr. Brisson was certified by the Royal College in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in 1964. He maintained a private practice in Windsor for more than 50 years. After closing his practice, he continued to work assisting younger surgeons. Read more about Dr. Brisson.
Louise Choinière, MD, FRCSC, died on November 12, 2021, in Brossard, Que., at age 68. Dr. Choinière was certified by the Royal College in General Surgery (1980) and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (1985). She was a long-time member of the Royal College Thoracic Surgery and Cardiovascular Surgery examination boards. Read more about Dr. Choinère.
John George (Jack) Colbert, MD, FRCSC, died on December 14, 2021, in Trail, B.C., at age 99. Dr. Colbert was certified by the Royal College in Plastic Surgery in 1965. He worked for many years in Trail, after practising in Winnipeg, Man.; Dryden, Ont.; and England. For several years, he was the only plastic surgeon between Vancouver and Calgary. Read more about Dr. Colbert.
Roger A. Dufresne, MD, FRCPC, died on October 21, 2021, in Outremont, Que., at age 89. Dr. Dufresne was certified by the Royal College in Psychiatry in 1968. For more than 50 years, he worked in private practice in Montreal. He also practised at Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal and as a professor at the University of Montreal. Dr. Dufresne was a member of the Royal College Geriatric Medicine Examination Board in the early 1980s. Read more about Dr. Dufresne.
Neil Fraser Duncan, MD, FRCPC, died on December 7, 2021, in Edmonton, Alta., at age 96. Dr. Duncan was certified by the Royal College in Pediatrics. He was one of the first pediatric cardiologists in Alberta. The first director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at University Hospital, he also helped establish the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Read more about Dr. Duncan.
Terrence W. Fox, MD, FRCPC, died on October 23, 2021, in Uxbridge, Ont., at age 93. Dr. Fox was certified by the Royal College in Internal Medicine in 1961. Trained in Toronto and London, England, he spent most of his professional life working as an internist at Scarborough General Hospital. He retired in 1994. Read more about Dr. Fox.
Jacob (Jack) Friedberg, MD, FRCSC, died on December 11, 2021, in Toronto, Ont., at age 84. Dr Friedberg was certified by the Royal College in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in 1968. Remembered as a kind and intelligent colleague, he spent many years working at The Hospital for Sick Children. Read more about Dr. Friedberg.
Johannes Andreas Giede, MD, FRCPC, died on December 17, 2021, in Prince George, B.C., at age 59. Dr. Giede was certified by the Royal College in Psychiatry in 1999. Highly respected by friends and colleagues, he spent his career in service to the people of Northern British Columbia. Read more about Dr. Giede.
Richard B. Goldbloom, OC, MDCM, FRCPC, died on November 18, 2021, in Halifax, N.S., at age 96. Dr. Goldbloom was certified by the Royal College in Pediatrics in 1954. A former chancellor of Dalhousie University, he was also a past president of the Canadian Pediatric Society. He served as physician-in-chief of the IWK Children’s Hospital in Halifax. A renowned scholar, he was on Royal College Council from 1971-1974. Read more about Dr. Goldbloom.
John (Jack) Joseph Malloy, MD, FRCSC, died on February 15, 2022, in Thunder Bay, Ont., at age 90. Dr. Malloy was certified by the Royal College in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1963. For 34 years, he worked in Fort William until his retirement in 1997. A standout university football player, he was inducted into the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame in 2012. Read more about Dr. Malloy.
Raymond Lowry Matthews, MD, FRCPC, died on February 12, 2022, in Kingston, Ont., at age 94. Dr. Matthews was certified by the Royal College in Anesthesiology in 1959. A former head of the Department of Anesthesiology at Kingston General and Hotel Dieu hospitals (now, Kingston Health Sciences Centre) he helped establish stronger academic ties between his department and that of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Read more about Dr. Matthews.
David Carson Murray, MDCM, FRCPC, died on October 28, 2021, in Halifax, N.S., at age 83. Dr. Murray was certified by the Royal College in Internal Medicine. For 35 years, he worked as a nephrologist in Newfoundland. He also taught within the residency program at Memorial University. He was a member of the Royal College Internal Medicine Examination Board from 1988-1992. Read more about Dr. Murray.
Someshwar (Nick) Singh Nakai, MBBS, FRCSC, died on December 31, 2021, in Edmonton, Alta., at age 84. Dr. Nakai was certified by the Royal College in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in 1971. Born in Kotadu, India, he trained in various places in India, the United States and Canada before deciding to settle in Edmonton. An admired educator and skilled surgeon, he worked as a thoracic surgeon in Edmonton for many years. Read more about Dr. Nakai.
Donald Eric Newman, MD, FRCPC, died on December 7, 2021, in Vancouver, B.C., at age 85. Dr. Newman was certified by the Royal College in Diagnostic Radiology in 1970. He served as director of radiology at the B.C. Children’s Hospital and as a professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of British Columbia. He retired in 1997. Read more about Dr. Newman.
Walter Michael Podedworny, MDCM, FRCSC, died on September 22, 2021, in Hamilton, Ont., at age 88. Dr. Podedworny was certified by the Royal College in Ophthalmology in 1964. He practised in Hamilton where he was chief of Ophthalmology at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He was widely recognized for his expertise on laser eye surgery. Read more about Dr. Podedworny.
Gordon (Andrew) Robertson, MBBS, FRCSC, died on November 8, 2021, in Winnipeg, Man., at age 80. Dr. Robertson was certified by the Royal College in Plastic Surgery in 1981. Born in Bombay, India, he emigrated to Canada in 1977 to work in Winnipeg at the Health Sciences Centre in the Division of Plastic Surgery. He also taught at the University of Manitoba. Read more about Dr. Robertson.
Donald Campbell Ross, MD, FRCPC, died on October 4, 2021, in Windsor, Ont., at age 101. Dr. Ross was certified by the Royal College in Psychiatry (1950) and Pediatrics (1959). During his career, he worked at The Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Wayne State University Hospital in Detroit and in private practice in Windsor, Ont. Read more about Dr. Ross.
Michael Gamal Fahmy Stefanos, MD, FRCPC, died on February 13, 2022, in Mississauga, Ont., at age 50. Dr. Stefanos was certified by the Royal College in Diagnostic Radiology in 2006. He was a radiologist with Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville, Ont.
William (Bill) Charles Vaughan, MD, FRCPC, died on September 10, 2021, in Ancaster, Ont., at age 84. Dr. Vaughan was certified by the Royal College in Diagnostic Radiology in 1967. He worked for many years in Hamilton, Ont., at Wentworth X-ray and Hamilton Health Services. Read more about Dr. Vaughan.
H. Ovas Wagg, MDCM, FRCSC, died on February 16, 2022, in Collingwood, Ont., at age 93. Dr. Wagg was certified by the Royal College in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1959. He was a divisional surgeon of the St. John Ambulance in Calgary, eventually becoming provincial president and a member of the Privy Council. Read more about Dr. Wagg.
Desmond Maurice Webster, MBBS, FRCPC, died on November 3, 2021, in Oshawa, Ont., at age 95. Dr. Webster was certified by the Royal College in Psychiatry in 1958. He graduated from the University of London in 1950. Read more about Dr. Webster.
Douglass B. Yackal, MD, FRCSC, died on October 29, 2021, in Surrey, B.C., at age 82. Dr. Yackal was certified by the Royal College in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1970. He worked at the Richmond General Hospital in Richmond, B.C., and then at the Delta Hospital, where he practised for the rest of his career. Read more about Dr. Yackal.
