Born: January 25, 1881, Spokane, Washington
Died: April 5, 1976
Education: Princeton University; Johns Hopkins University; Oxford University
Category: Builder in Medicine

Wilder Penfield, with degrees from Princeton, Johns Hopkins and Oxford universities, was already a noted success in neurosurgery before he was invited to Montreal. Dr. Penfield was asked to try integrating neurology, neuropathology and neurosurgery. He and colleague Dr. William Cone established the Montreal Neurological Institute, whose workers have made major progress in diagnosis and treatment of brain-related disorders.

In his personal research, Penfield made major breakthroughs in the understanding and treatment of various forms of epilepsy and of brain scars resulting from trauma. In addition to being one of Canada's pre-eminent medical scientists and surgeons, Wilder Penfield was a noted author and humanist, displaying broad interest and talents in biography and ethics.