Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Understanding the body and disease process Brain & Mind

The brain is the central processing unit of the body and plays a key role in translating the content of the mind (your thoughts, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, memories and imagination) into complex patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release. It is responsible for movements of all parts of our bodies, from our first steps to the fine movements of our hands to the smiles on our faces.

Researcher text book diagram of the brain

Brain & Mind

  1. 1930

  2. 1935

    While working on his University of Paris thesis, Herbert Jasper set up one of the first clinical electroencephalograph labs at Brown University

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  3. 1939

    The EEG Department at MNI opened in January of 1939

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  4. 1940

  5. 1940's

    Over the next two decades, Drs. Jasper and Penfield studied epilepsy and worked to develop functional maps of the human brain

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  6. 1949

    Dr. Donald O. Hebb published "The Organization of Behavior"

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  7. 1950

  8. 1950s

    Henry Barnett described a new clinical syndrome: post-traumatic syringomyelia

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  9. 1952

    Alongside his colleague, Dr. Herbert Jasper, Penfield refined a surgical technique named the “Montreal Procedure”

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  10. 1950s

    While developing the Montreal Procedure, Penfield was able to create functional maps of the brain

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  11. 1954

    Brenda Milner authored a now renowned publication, “Intellectual Function of the Temporal Lobes"

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  12. 1955

    Brenda Milner began working with “HM”

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  13. 1956

    C. Miller Fisher continued to make significant contributions to the field of neurology with the descriptions of many cerebrovascular syndromes

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  14. 1957

    Brenda Milner published another groundbreaking article

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  15. 1960

  16. 1962

    Dr. Hubel and Dr. Wiesel published one of their earliest ground-breaking papers

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  17. 1963

    Dr. David Hubel published his first book, The Visual Cortex of the Brain

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  18. 1966

    Dr. Tulving published an influential paper on retrieval processes

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  19. 1967

    A rising star in the field of neurology, Henry Barnett established the Department of Neuroscience at Sunnybrook Hospital

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  20. 1970

  21. 1972

    Dr. Tulving published a book chapter in which he argued that memory for specific events and memory for general knowledge were the manifestations of two distinct memory systems

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  22. 1973

    Dr. Tator demonstrated that post-traumatic ischemia is a major second injury mechanism after experimental spinal cord injury

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  23. 1975

    Dr. Hachinski co-founded the first acute comprehensive stroke unit in the world

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  24. 1978

    Dr. Tator developed one of the first experimental models of spinal cord injury in small laboratory animals

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  25. 1980

  26. 1983

    Dr. Tulving published his book “Elements of Episodic Memory"

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  27. 1985

    Dr. Weiss and colleagues identify ionotropic and metabotropic receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate.

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  28. 1989

    Dr. Melzack’s fascination with phantom limb pain led to a publication in 1989 of the “neuromatrix theory of pain”

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  29. 1990

  30. 1992

    On the space craft DISCOVERY, Dr. Bondar circled our planet at thirty thousand kilometres per hour, situated three hundred kilometres above Earth

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  31. 1992

    Pivotal paper published in Science in 1992 announces seminal discovery that the adult mammalian central nervous system contains neural stem cells.

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  32. 1994

    The Neuroscience Division of the Douglas Hospital Research Centre was formed with Dr. Quirion serving as its first scientific director

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  33. 1998

    After a decade at UBC, Dr. Cynader was appointed Founding Director of the Brain Research Centre

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  34. 2000

  35. 2000

    NeuroVir was sold to a German biotechnology company that took NeuroVir’s technology into clinical trials

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  36. 2000

    The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) appointed Dr. Quirion as the first Science Director for the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), one of Canada’s 13…

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  37. 2004 - 2017

    Founding Director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute

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  38. 2010

  39. 2011

    Dr. Hachinski became the Inaugural chair of the World Brain Alliance

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  40. 2020

  41. 2021

Herbert Jasper, MD PhD

Brain & Mind, The Early Days - Health Care Pioneers

Dr. Herbert Jasper played a leading role at the Montreal Neurological Institute with his exploration of the brain's…

Read more about Herbert Jasper, MD PhD
Picture of Herbert Jasper, MD PhD

Herbert Jasper, MD PhD

Brain & Mind, The Early Days - Health Care Pioneers

Dr. Herbert Jasper played a leading role at the Montreal Neurological Institute with his exploration of the brain's…

Read more about Herbert Jasper, MD PhD
Picture of Herbert Jasper, MD PhD

Herbert Jasper, MD PhD

Brain & Mind, The Early Days - Health Care Pioneers

Dr. Herbert Jasper played a leading role at the Montreal Neurological Institute with his exploration of the brain's…

Read more about Herbert Jasper, MD PhD
Picture of Herbert Jasper, MD PhD

Donald O. Hebb, PhD

Brain & Mind, Brain & Mind

Born in Chester, Nova Scotia, Dr. Donald Hebb went on to career as a world-renowned scientist and was responsible for the…

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Henry J.M. Barnett, MD

Evidence-based Medicine & Clinical Trials, Blood, Brain & Mind

Dr. Henry Barnett's boundless curiosity and desire for evidence-based knowledge resulted in an outstanding career in…

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Wilder Penfield, MD

Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development, The Early Days - Health Care Pioneers, Health and Medical Education & Training

Dr. Wilder Penfield’s dream was to create a center of research and treatment that integrated neurology, neuropathology…

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Wilder Penfield, MD

Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development, The Early Days - Health Care Pioneers, Health and Medical Education & Training

Dr. Wilder Penfield’s dream was to create a center of research and treatment that integrated neurology, neuropathology…

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Brenda Milner, PhD

Brain & Mind, Women in Medicine

Dr. Brenda Milner’s pioneering work contributed to a greater understanding of how the brain works. She is considered to…

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Brenda Milner, PhD

Brain & Mind, Women in Medicine

Dr. Brenda Milner’s pioneering work contributed to a greater understanding of how the brain works. She is considered to…

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C. Miller Fisher, MD

Brain & Mind

With a strong belief in clinical observation and an interest in cerebrovascular pathology, Dr. C. Miller Fisher brought…

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C. Miller Fisher

Brenda Milner, PhD

Brain & Mind, Women in Medicine

Dr. Brenda Milner’s pioneering work contributed to a greater understanding of how the brain works. She is considered to…

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David H. Hubel, MD

Brain & Mind

Dr. David Hubel has been described as one of the major medical scientists of the latter twentieth century and is…

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David H. Hubel, MD

Brain & Mind

Dr. David Hubel has been described as one of the major medical scientists of the latter twentieth century and is…

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Endel Tulving, PhD

Brain & Mind

Dr. Endel Tulving has arguably had the greatest impact of any single scientist on the understanding of human memory…

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Henry J.M. Barnett, MD

Evidence-based Medicine & Clinical Trials, Blood, Brain & Mind

Dr. Henry Barnett's boundless curiosity and desire for evidence-based knowledge resulted in an outstanding career in…

Read more about Henry J.M. Barnett, MD
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Endel Tulving, PhD

Brain & Mind

Dr. Endel Tulving has arguably had the greatest impact of any single scientist on the understanding of human memory…

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Charles Tator, MD PhD

Brain & Mind, Public Health, Health Promotion & Advocacy, Health and Medical Education & Training

Since the early 1970s, Dr. Charles Tator has had a resounding impact on spinal cord injury research, prevention and…

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Vladimir Hachinski, MD

Brain & Mind, Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development

Dr. Vladimir Hachinski is a world-renowned neurologist, a foremost authority in the field of stroke, dementia and…

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Charles Tator, MD PhD

Brain & Mind, Public Health, Health Promotion & Advocacy, Health and Medical Education & Training

Since the early 1970s, Dr. Charles Tator has had a resounding impact on spinal cord injury research, prevention and…

Read more about Charles Tator, MD PhD
Picture of Charles Tator

Endel Tulving, PhD

Brain & Mind

Dr. Endel Tulving has arguably had the greatest impact of any single scientist on the understanding of human memory…

Read more about Endel Tulving, PhD
Picture of Endel Tulving

Samuel Weiss PhD

Patient Care, Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development

Trailblazer in establishing neurogenesis research as a pathway to treatments for wasting…

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Samuel Weiss

Ronald Melzack, PhD

Brain & Mind, Evidence-based Medicine & Clinical Trials

Dr. Ronald Melzack revolutionized the study and treatment of pain. His pioneering theories in pain mechanisms and pain…

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Roberta Bondar, MD PhD

Brain & Mind, Women in Medicine

When Dr. Roberta Bondar reached for the stars, she broke a glass ceiling for women in Canada. As the first Canadian woman…

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Samuel Weiss PhD

Patient Care, Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development

Trailblazer in establishing neurogenesis research as a pathway to treatments for wasting…

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Samuel Weiss

Rémi Quirion, PhD

Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development, Health Policy

Scientist-administrators like Dr. Quirion help ensure that great projects of science, grounded in basic research, will…

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Picture of Dr. Remi Quirion

Max Cynader, PhD

Brain & Mind

Dr. Max Cynader is a world-renowned neuroscientist who has made significant contributions to our understanding of how…

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Picture of Max Cynader

Max Cynader, PhD

Brain & Mind

Dr. Max Cynader is a world-renowned neuroscientist who has made significant contributions to our understanding of how…

Read more about Max Cynader, PhD
Picture of Max Cynader

Rémi Quirion, PhD

Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development, Health Policy

Scientist-administrators like Dr. Quirion help ensure that great projects of science, grounded in basic research, will…

Read more about Rémi Quirion, PhD
Picture of Dr. Remi Quirion

Samuel Weiss PhD

Patient Care, Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development

Trailblazer in establishing neurogenesis research as a pathway to treatments for wasting…

Read more about Samuel Weiss PhD
Samuel Weiss

Vladimir Hachinski, MD

Brain & Mind, Brain & Mind, Leadership in Organizational Development

Dr. Vladimir Hachinski is a world-renowned neurologist, a foremost authority in the field of stroke, dementia and…

Read more about Vladimir Hachinski, MD
Picture of Dr. Vladimir Hachinski

About the CMHF

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.

This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON.