Surgeon inducted into Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

MONTREAL – It is with great honour that the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announces that Dr. Jonathan Larmonth Meakins (pictured) has been selected for induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) for 2022 for his outstanding contributions to medicine and the health sciences.

The CMHF recognizes the work of Canadian health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of healthcare in Canada and beyond and who are sources of inspiration. The announcement of six new inductees, including Dr. Meakins, was made on September 29, 2021, by William L. Orovan MD, CMHF president.

Dr. Meakins is an expert in immunobiology and surgical infections. Former chair of the department of surgery at McGill University (1988-1993) and former surgeon-in-chief of the Royal Victoria Hospital (1998-2002), he has safely and effectively advanced surgical technologies and demonstrated a relationship between compromised immune responses and poor surgical outcomes, leading to significant improvements in clinical assessments and nutritional supports for surgical patients.

Over the course of his career, he has published over 225 articles and edited or co-edited 6 books. He was co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Surgery for 10 years. For his contributions, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, as a leader in the development of laparoscopic surgery and transplantation surgery in 2000.

Third generation of his family to work in the field of medicine for the Faculty of Medicine of the McGill University, Dr. Meakins now oversees the Jonathan Campbell Meakins and Family Memorial Scholarship program, originally established by his father, Dr. Jonathan Fayette Meakins. This is a scholarship that recognizes excellence in medical education.

Dr. Meakins has worked for many years to develop the arts within the MUHC. He plays an active role in the MUHC’s Arts and Heritage Centre as Director, helping to bring the arts into clinical settings. He believes that art within the institution helps to humanize the sometimes sterile hospital environment and can have an impact on patients and their families.