VCH Medical Staff Hall of Honour, 2023 inductees

From left to right: Drs Morad Hameed, Richard Simons, Alison Harris, Robert McGraw, Bassam Masri, Jerilynn Prior, Marshall Dahl, Celine Bergeron, Chris Carlsten, Penny Ballem, and Eric Yoshida.

The fourth biennial induction ceremony into the VCH Medical Staff Hall of Honour was conducted at Vancouver General Hospital on 26 June 2023 under the auspices of the Vancouver Medical Dental & Allied Staff Association. The event was well attended by the family, friends, and colleagues of the inductees. Ms Kristin Narvaez, RN (VGH ICU), opened the ceremony with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem followed by Dr Penny Ballem, chair of the Board of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), who provided an inspiring keynote address along with personal reminiscences of the inductees. 

The inductees into the VCH Medical Staff Hall of Honour for 2023 are:

Dr Jerilynn Prior, professor of medicine, award winning endocrinologist, pioneer in women’s health, and advocate for women in medicine. Dr Prior is world renowned as a researcher in the endocrinology of the menstrual cycle and ovulation as well as metabolic bone disease. Dr Prior was also a medical leader in the world peace movement and is a prize-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction books. 

Dr Richard Simons, professor of surgery and pioneering trauma surgeon. Dr Simons restructured and re-organized the delivery of trauma services in the province and within Vancouver General Hospital. He created the UBC Training Program in Trauma Surgery and has been a leader in trauma surgery nationally as he is a past president of the Trauma Association of Canada. His outstanding contributions to the specialty of trauma surgery have been recognized internationally.

Dr Robert McGraw, professor of orthopaedic surgery and past head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery UBC/VGH. Dr McGraw established VGH’s Joint Replacement Service and, with Dr Frank Patterson (a 2021 Hall of Honour inductee), performed the hospital’s first hip replacement. Dr McGraw was renowned nationally and is a past president of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association. In his retirement, he is a vintner in Naramata, BC.

Dr John Marcus (Mark) Fitzgerald (1955–2022), professor of medicine, past head of the Division of Respirology UBC/VGH. Dr Fitzgerald was an outstanding clinician and researcher who was nationally and internationally renowned in the area of asthma, tuberculosis, and respiratory outcomes. During his distinguished career at VGH/UBC he held many leadership appointments and was the recipient of many academic awards. His Hall of Honour award was accepted by his widow, Dr Celine Bergeron.

All inductees were pioneers in their specialties and enhanced the profile of the Vancouver General Hospital/UBC Hospital as well as the university itself. On behalf of the institution, we sincerely thank them for their service. 
—Eric M. Yoshida, OBC, MD, FRCPC
Hall of Honour Committee Chair
Past President, VMDAS and VPSA
—Alison Harris, MD, FRCPC
President, VMDAS and VPSA
—Stephen Nantel, MD, FRCPC
Hall of Honour Committee Member
—Marshall Dahl, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Past President, VMDAS
—Nadia Zalunardo, FRCPC
Hall of Honour Committee Member

Acknowledgments
The Hall of Honour Committee sincerely thanks Drs Marshall Dahl, Morad Hameed, Bassam Masri, and Christopher Carlsten for composing the inductees’ biographies and for participating in the induction ceremony. A special thank you to Ms Precious Amaya (VMDAS), Mr Andrew Pinfold (Vancouver Physician Staff Association), as well as the entire staff of the VPSA for their exceptional organizational skills, which made for a successful event.

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