SickKids clinicians and researchers receive prestigious national honours

In recognition of The Hospital for Sick Children’s (SickKids) continued academic excellence, five esteemed clinicians and researchers have received prestigious national honours through their appointments to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). Drs. David Malkin and Steven Miller have been elected Fellows of the RSC and Drs. Meredith Irwin, Paul Frankland and Lisa Robinson have been elected Fellows of the CAHS.

“I’m thrilled to congratulate Drs. Malkin, Miller, Frankland, Irwin and Robinson on their fellowship appointments to the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences,” says Dr. Ronald Cohn, President and CEO of SickKids. “This is well-deserved recognition of their leadership and individual contributions to Canadian health sciences and paediatric medicine. These impressive appointments are among the highest academic honours in Canada and reflect the exceptional work being done across SickKids to advance children’s health.”

Meet the Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

The RSC is Canada’s National Academy to promote Canadian research and scholarly accomplishments, recognize academic and artistic excellence and advise on matters of public interest. Each year, the RSC awards Canadian researchers with one of the most prestigious academic honours in the country, a fellowship, in recognition for their outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement:

Dr. David Malkin, Senior Staff Oncologist in the Division of Haematology/Oncology, Director of the Cancer Genetics Program, Lead of SickKids Precision Child Health initiative, and Senior Scientist in the Genetics & Genome Biology program

Dr. David Malkin is the foremost Canadian expert in the field of childhood cancer genetics. His pioneering studies have enhanced our understanding of the molecular basis for genetic predisposition to childhood and young adult cancer. Through the methodical introduction of gene testing and development of early tumor detection strategies, Dr. Malkin’s research has created a global paradigm shift in the care of children at genetic risk for cancer.

Dr. Steven Miller, Adjunct Scientist, Neurosciences & Mental Health program and former Head of the Division of Neurology

Dr. Steven Miller is a physician-scientist leader whose brain-imaging studies of critically-ill newborns identified the power of early-life intensive care unit experience to shape the trajectory of brain development through childhood. His findings led a paradigm shift from brain injury as a fixed-event to a focus on “everyday” interventions that he showed are modifiable to promote brain maturation across the life-course. Earlier this year, Dr. Miller was appointed as the Head of the UBC Department of Paediatrics following a long and accomplished career at SickKids.  

The 2022 Fellows will be welcomed into the RSC this November during the RSC's 2022 Celebration of Excellence and Engagement. Learn more about all the Fellows on the RSC website.

Meet the Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Established in 2004, the CAHS brings together Canada’s top-ranked health and biomedical scientists and scholars to make a positive impact on the urgent health concerns of Canadians. The CAHS Fellowship is also recognized one of Canada’s highest academic honours in the health sciences community to celebrate leadership, academic performance, scientific creativity and commitment to advancing the field.

Dr. Paul Frankland, Senior Scientist in the Neurosciences & Mental Health program

Dr. Paul Frankland’s research has addressed classical questions in the memory field: Why do we lose our earliest childhood memories? Are memories are broadly distributed or localized in the brain? How does the brain forget? Is it possible to implant memories? In addressing these questions, Frankland has combined an acute grasp of history with the early adoption of powerful new technologies in neuroscience. This has enabled his group to visualize and manipulate neural ensembles involved in memory encoding, consolidation and storage and, in doing so, shed new light on these classical questions. Frankland is also a professor in the Departments of Psychology and Physiology and Institute of Medical Science at University of Toronto and holds a Canada Research Chair in Memory Research.

Dr. Meredith Irwin, Paediatrician-in-Chief and Senior Scientist in the Cell Biology program

Dr. Meredith Irwin was appointed Chief of Paediatrics at SickKids and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at University of Toronto in 2020. Her research focuses on genes and pathways involved in the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. As Chair of the Neuroblastoma Biology committee of the Children’s Oncology Group, Irwin leads the identification of biomarkers and optimization of risk classification and precision medicine clinical trials for patients in North America. She received her MD from Harvard Medical School and completed training at Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She joined SickKids as a clinician-scientist oncologist in 2002.

Dr. Lisa Robinson, Staff Physician in the Division of Nephrology and Senior Scientist in the
Cell Biology program

Dr. Lisa Robinson is Staff Physician and former Head of Nephrology as well as Senior Scientist, Cell Biology at SickKids. Robinson’s research actively explores the mechanisms by which the immune system contributes to progressive kidney disease and to cardiovascular disease. As a clinician-scientist and paediatric nephrologist, Robinson aims to use the new knowledge generated from her research to transform the care that children with kidney disease receive. In addition to her roles at SickKids, Robinson is Vice-Dean, Strategy & Operations at University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine and serves as the Vice-Dean lead for the faculty’s Offices of Inclusion and Diversity, Indigenous Health, and Outreach and Access. She is also a Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Medical Science at University of Toronto and holds a Canada Research Chair in Vascular Inflammation and Kidney Injury.

Learn more about the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellowship.