Max Cynader, Founding Director of the Djavad Mowfaghian Centre for Brain Health and the Brain Research Centre, is being inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
Dr. Cynader, a neuroscientist and Professor in the Department Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, will be one of six inductees in 2014, joining 101 laureates who have received this prestigious national honour in recognition of their passion and innovative, visionary leadership to improve health worldwide.
Dr. Cynader’s scientific discoveries, biotechnology companies, and community outreach have led to new treatments and improved public understanding of the importance of brain health. A tireless proponent of multi-disciplinary brain research, he has led the Brain Research Centre, described by the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame as “one of Canada’s foremost neuroscience research communities,” since its creation in 1998. He also was instrumental in the creation of the new Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, which will incorporate clinical research into patient care when it opens early next year.
Born in Berlin, Dr. Cynader held numerous positions at Dalhousie University in Halifax before joining UBC in 1988. Last year, he received the Bill and Marilyn Webber Lifetime Achievement Award of the Faculty of Medicine. At the presentation ceremony for that award, Dean of the Faculty and Vice Provost Health Gavin Stuart saluted Dr. Cyander’s “willingness to think big, and let nothing get in his way.”
Established in 1994, the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame fosters future generations of health professionals through the celebration of our country’s rich medical history, scholarship program, and the delivery of both local and nationwide education programs for youth. Each year, up to six individuals are recognized for their extraordinary contribution to improving the health of Canadians and people world-wide. The stories of the laureates are showcased online, and in its portrait gallery, exhibit hall and media theatre in London, Ont.