Hundreds of alumni reconnect with old friends at the MUHC/McGill Homecoming and Medical Symposium

To celebrate the medical heritage of both the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, the two institutions joined forces to host three days of events, comprised of homecoming celebrations, a medical symposium and guided tours of the new Glen site for current and former physicians, nurses, health professionals, researchers and residents. 

The event kicked off on Thursday, March 26 with the Homecoming dinner at Le Centre Mont-Royal attended by more than 250 alumni, including Professor Suzanne Fortier, McGill University Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. David Eidelman, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) at McGill and Normand Rinfret, President and Executive Director of the MUHC. 

A full-day Medical Symposium followed on Friday, March 27 for more than 450 attendees. Honorary degrees were conferred upon two exceptional leaders: Dr. James Hogg, widely recognized as the world’s leading authority on the pathology of chronic obstructive lung disease, and Dr. Jonathan Meakins, renowned for his pioneering work on infection and immunobiology and former Nuffield Professor of Surgery at the University of Oxford, considered one of the most prestigious positions in surgery internationally.  

Some of the MUHC’s and McGill’s foremost experts in their respective fields offered insight into the future of health care and science through a variety of engaging presentations, including  Dr. Brenda Milner’s talk, Memory and the brain: Looking back and looking forward. Dr. Milner is the Dorothy J. Killam Professor at the Montreal Neuroligical Institute and Hospital and whose work has had extraordinary influence on the shape of neuroscience around the world.   

Professor Suzanne Fortier,  McGill University Principal and Vice-Chancellor	Dr. David Eidelman, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) at McGill	Normand Rinfret, President and Executive Director of the MUHC
Dr. Phil Gold, Chair of the MUHC Alumni Association	Drs. Richard and Sylvia Cruess, Co-chairs of the MUHC Legacy Committee	Dr. David Goltzman, Chair of the Homecoming & Medical Symposium

Also presenting was Dr. Henry Friesen, a renowned endocrinologist credited with the discovery of human prolactin and an inductee to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. He presented, Both in health sciences and health institutions, change is inevitable: Celebrating the past, embracing the future.  

The events concluded on Saturday, March 28 with exclusive guided tours of the new Glen site hospital and research facilities for more than 800 people. 

This is the first time an alumni event has been held jointly between the MUHC and McGill. Leaders from both institutions were involved and supported the initiative, including: Dr. David Goltzman, Chair of the Homecoming & Medical Symposium; Dr. Phil Gold, Chair of the MUHC Alumni Association; Drs. Richard and Sylvia Cruess, Co-chairs of the MUHC Legacy Committee; Dr. David Eidelman, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) at McGill University; Professor Suzanne Fortier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at McGill University; Normand Rinfret, President and Executive Director of the MUHC.  

“We’re proud to present this timely celebration of our alumni’s accomplishments and dedication,” said Dr. David Goltzman, Chair of the Homecoming & Medical Symposium.

“It was a fantastic chance for all of us to reflect on the future of medicine alongside some of today’s greatest physicians, nurses, health professionals, researchers and residents.” 

These events wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of the following presenting sponsors: BLG and RBC Royal Bank, as well as gold sponsors Canadian Medical Association, Monit, Paladin Labs and Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton.