To be appointed to the Order of Canada is among the highest honours any Canadian can receive.
It鈥檚 not the sort of recognition evolutionary biologist W. Ford Doolittle necessarily had in mind for himself, especially as someone born, raised, and educated in the United States. But ever since the early 1970s, when his scholarly endeavours brought him north of the border to Canada鈥檚 East Coast, his remarkable legacy has flowed outwards from our shores.
On Monday (June 30), just ahead of national Canada Day celebrations, Dr. Doolittle was . Presented by the Governor General, the Order honours people from all sectors of society who鈥檝e made 鈥渆xtraordinary and sustained contributions鈥� to the country.
Dr. Doolittle鈥檚 appointment was particularly noteworthy as he was one of two individuals announced as a Companion (pictured) 鈥斅爐he highest honour within the Order. He becomes only the seventh Nova Scotian ever to be awarded the status of Companion.
鈥淚t is very nice to join the Order of Canada and be recognized in this particularly Canadian way,鈥� says Dr. Doolittle, who today is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 鈥淲hen I first joined the Faculty of Medicine, more than a half-century ago, it felt like coming home. It feels that way even more so now.鈥�
A trailblazer unafraid to ask bold questions, Dr. Doolittle is credited with fundamentally upending our understanding of the workings of DNA and the human genome. His theories about the 鈥渟elfish鈥� nature of DNA and the role of gene-swapping in early evolution were once radical interventions into conventional scientific thought; today, they are not just commonplace but foundational theories that help explain how our natural world has come to be the way it is. As director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research鈥檚 Evolutionary Biology Program for more than two decades, Dr. Doolittle helped make Canada a global leader in early cell and genome evolution.
His appointment notice to the Order reads:
Evolutionary and molecular biologist Ford Doolittle has fundamentally altered our understanding of the origins of life. Today鈥檚 geneticists and microbiologists continue to build on his foundational research, notably on the evolution of microorganisms and their genomes. This 17吃瓜网在线 professor emeritus is equally renowned for his mentorship of young scientists.
Dr. Doolittle鈥檚 appointment as a Companion to the Order of Canada adds to a long list of impressive accolades, many of which are the highest honours a Canadian scientist can receive. These include membership in the Royal Society, the Canada Council Killam Prize (2017) and the Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal (2013).
Other honourees
Two of the five other Nova Scotians announced this week as appointments to the Order of Canada are 17吃瓜网在线 alumni.
- Dr. Elizabeth Rollins Epperly (MA鈥�74) is the past president of the University of Prince Edward Island renowned for her scholarship on the beloved works of fellow Dal alum Lucy Maud Montgomery.聽
- The Honourable J. Michael MacDonald (LLB鈥�79) is former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia and Chair of the Mass Casualty Commission, which investigated the April 2020 mass casualty in Nova Scotia.
Additional Dal alumni being appointed to the Order include:
- Dr. Earl Bogoch (PGM鈥�74),聽orthopaedic surgeon who developed the Fracture Screening and Prevention Program, a model of care that has been implemented in hospitals across Canada.
- Dr. Bonnie Henry (MD鈥�90, LLD鈥�22), leader and scholar in public health and preventative medicine who was at the forefront of British Columbia鈥檚 response to the COVID-19 pandemic as provincial health officer.
- Maureen McTeer (LLM鈥�93), lawyer and author whose work has shaped policy in women鈥檚 health and equality, pollution, the international rule of law, fertility rights, and individual autonomy in end-of-life care.
- Dr. Timothy Whelan (PGM鈥�81),聽radiation oncologist whose research has redefined radiation therapy鈥檚 use in the treatment of breast cancer, improving survival rates and limiting side effects.