AMS past Hannah Chair Jackie Duffin honoured with Order of Canada for career contributions

A hematologist and historian, Jacalyn Duffin, M.D., F.R.C.P. (C) Ph.D., held the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at Queen’s University, one of eight AMS funded Hannah Chairs in Canada, from 1988 to 2017. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada for “her leadership as an academic and mentor in the field of medical history.”

Jacalyn Duffin, CM, MD (Toronto), PhD (Sorbonne), FRCPC, FRSC, FCAH, is a hematologist and historian and professor emerita at Queen’s University where she occupied the Hannah Chair of the History of Medicine from 1988 to 2017. A former president of both the American and Canadian scholarly societies for the history of medicine, she is the author of eleven books and more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, holds several awards for teaching, research and service, including Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada (2012) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2013), and induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (2019). She was named to the Order of Canada in 2020. Her research focuses on disease, technology, religion, and health policy and she runs an activist website for information about the drug shortage. Her book Stanley’s Dream on Canada’s medical expedition to Easter Island was published in 2019 and her COVID-19: A History appeared in October 2022. She is editor-in-chief of the Oxford Bibliographies history of medicine module to be launched in spring 2025.

CEO Gail Paech noted “As Canada’s main source of support for the history of medicine, AMS is extremely proud of the role Jackie has played in elevating its standing in the academic community and beyond. We couldn’t be more pleased that her many contributions have been recognized with this honour.”