An international leader in surgical research and innovation
Dr. Meakins has transformed surgical thinking and practice, improving outcomes for patients worldwide. A pioneer in the immunology of surgical infections, his seminal work demonstrated the relationship between weakened immune responses and poor surgical outcomes leading to significant improvements in assessment and nutritional support for surgical patients. After a career spanning nearly 30 years as an outstanding academic surgical leader at McGill University, including Surgeon-in-Chief at the Royal Victoria Hospital and Chair of the Department of Surgery at McGill, Dr. Meakins was recruited to the University of Oxford in 2002 as Nuffield Professor of Surgery. The only Canadian to be honoured with this prestigious appointment, Dr. Meakins provided lasting contributions through his leadership of the Balliol Colloquium, an international consortium exploring basic principles and guidelines for the introduction of innovations in surgical practice, now a basic reference to guide the introduction of new techniques and technology in surgery. Member of numerous learned societies in executive leadership roles, Dr. Meakins influenced professional surgical practice and mentored many generations of surgical residents providing a powerful role-model for academic surgeons everywhere.