A transformative influence on health research in Canada
In 1965, Dr. Henry Friesen entered the Department of Medicine at McGill University, where he carried out research on human growth hormones which made successful replacement therapy in hormone-deficient children possible. Further endocrine research led to his isolation and purification of the hormone prolactin. As an administrator, Dr. Friesen served on the Medical Research Council of Canada as President, piloted the Council through challenging times with competence and diplomacy as well as envisioned and championed its transformation into the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.