2011 INDUCTEE Jonathan Meakins, MD Leadership in Organizational Development, Health and Medical Education & Training
May 18, 1882
(Hamilton, Ontario)
October 12, 1959
MD, McGill University (1904)
1926: Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
1949: Master of the American College of Physicians
See All AwardsAwards & Honours:
1926: Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
1949: Master of the American College of Physicians
Honorary MD, University of Sidney, Australia
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Advanced the status of academic medicine in Canada
An acclaimed clinical scientist
Graduating in medicine from McGill University, Dr. Meakins pursued post-graduate training in the United States before returning to Montreal. By 1912, Dr. Meakins was appointed assistant physician at the Royal Victoria Hospital, lecturer in medicine and pathology, and Director of Experimental Medicine at McGill. After serving in the First World War, he became the Christion Professor of Therapeutics at the University of Edinburgh. In 1924, Dr. Meakins was recruited back to McGill where he assumed the titles of professor and chair of Medicine, physician-in-chief at Royal Victoria Hospital and, perhaps his greatest legacy, director of the McGill University Clinic. It was at the Clinic that Dr. Meakins demonstrated his pioneering spirit by initiating collaborations between basic medical scientists and clinicians.
Key Facts
Was one of the first physicians to administer and study insulin in the UK
Transformed the Royal Victoria into McGill’s major teaching hospital
Became a fellow of multiple Royal Colleges in Britain and Canada
Authored over 230 publications
His textbook The Practice of Medicine was published in its 6th edition in 1956
Served as President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the American College of Physicians, and the Canadian Medical Association
Professional timeline
Impact on lives today
When Dr. Meakins began teaching at McGill University, most faculty members were focused on their private medical practices and had only limited interaction with the medical school. Dr. Meakins’ appointment as the first full-time professor of medicine at McGill and his advocacy of clinical research served as a catalyst for the rising prestige of academic medicine. His model of combined basic science research, teaching, and clinical investigation attracted graduates from across the country and laid out a model of excellence that continues to inform the organization of medical faculties. As a testament to his standards of excellence, many of his former students have become laureates of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
2011
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Jonathan Meakins was inducted posthumously into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
London, Ontario
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The Meakins-Christie Laboratories, a research centre for pulmonary pathophysiology, was opened
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After his retirement from McGill, Dr. Meakins served as the editor of the American Heart Journal from 1950-1958
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Return to War
Leadership in Organizational DevelopmentReturning to military service in World War II, Dr. Meakins became Deputy Director of the Canadian Medical services with the rank of brigadier.
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While at McGill University he became Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Leadership in Organizational Development, Health and Medical Education & TrainingHe held this position from 1941 to 1948
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The first edition of the Dr. Meakin’s renowned textbook, The Practice of Medicine, was published
Patient Care -
Dr. Jonathan Meakins - Pioneering Administrator
Leadership in Organizational Development, The Early Days - Health Care PioneersDr. Meakins returned to Montreal with appointments as Physician-in-Chief at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Chairman of the McGill Department of Medicine, and Director of the McGill University Clinic. At the Clinic, he was a pioneer in the application of scientific methods to the study of disease and was the first full-time member of McGill’s Faculty of Medicine.
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The University of Edinburgh
Health and Medical Education & TrainingAfter the war, Dr. Meakins was appointed Christison Professor of Therapeutics and Clinical Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and Physician to the Royal Infirmary.
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Service in WWI
During World War I, Dr. Meakins studied gas poisoning and Soldier’s Heart (now known as PTSD).
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Dr. Meakins was appointed assistant physician at the Royal Victoria Hospital, lecturer in medicine and pathology, and Director of Experimental Medicine at McGill
Health and Medical Education & Training -
Return to Canada
Leadership in Organizational DevelopmentDr. Meakins returned to Canada and became a demonstrator of medicine and bacteriology at McGill.
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Post-Graduate Training
After graduating from medical school, Dr. Meakins continued post-graduate training in the United States—first as an assistant resident in medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital and then as resident pathologist at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.
1906
His career highlights an innovative leader and a brilliant investigator.
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