née Grimsley. Born April 1, 1890 London, England. Died April 26, 1990 Daniel’s Harbour, Newfoundland. As a girl she studied nursing and continued courses as a midwife.  During World War l She worked in North London slums.  She was persuaded by Lady Harris, wife of the governor of Newfoundland to immigrate and on April 13, 1921 she sailed for St. John’s, Newfoundland. She worked caring for the people of the great northern peninsula, a 200 mile stretch of isolated coastline in colony. In 1922 she married Angus Bennett, a former merchant marine. The couple had three children. One her paid contract ran out Myra worked free lance. She served as nurse, midwife, dentist veterinarian and educator and was known as the Florence Nightingale of Newfoundland. She retired in 1953 but still continued to care for folks. In 1935 she was presented with the King George V Jubilee Medal and in 1937 the coronation Medal of George VI. She was made a member of the Order of the British Empire and the order of Canada. In 1974 the CBC made a documentary on her life.  In 1991 the province of Newfoundland and Labrador declared her home in Daniel’s Harbour an Historic Site. ^{Source: 100 more Canadian Heroines by Merna Forster, Dundurn Press, 2011. ; Heritage Newfoundland heritage.nf.ca accessed June 12, 2012.}
 

née Polson. Born August 22, 1893, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Died Gladstone, Manitoba November 12, 1979. her family moved to Gimli, Manitoba  in 1901 where she taught school for five years before taking nursing training at the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1916. He nursed privately and worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) until her marriage in 1922. She continued to provide nursing support to her community and especially to residents of the Sandy Bay First Nation, where she was known as “Mrs. Barney”. In 1969 she was presented a Good Citizenship Award for meritorious service to Manitoba. ^{Sources: Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 17 November 1979, page 28 : Memorable Manitobans Online (Accessed December 2011)}

Born Brantford, Ontario September 27, 1888. Died July 4, 1988. After completing her studies at the University of Toronto, Constance taught school in Saskatchewan. She took additional studies in nursing at the Royal Victoria Hospital at McGill University and began working in Hamilton, Ontario in 1925. From 1934 through 1953 she was Director of the School of Nursing at the Hamilton General Hospital. During her career she improved working conditions, strove for shorter working hours, better accommodations and fought for a higher rate of pay for the nurses under her charge. She also served as President of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario from 1938-1940.

née Buck. Born Port Rowan, Ontario 1898. Died April 5, 1988. A talented hospital administrator she took her early nursing training in the United States. She became the first Superintendent of the Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe, Ontario in 1925 and remained in the position until 1943. She was an active member national nursing organizations, the I.O.D.E., the University Women’s Club and the Norfolk Historical Society.
 

Born  Saskatchewan 1917. Died November 9, 1988. Between 1957-1977 she was the Director of Nursing at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. She was internationally renowned for developing nursing strategies for the treatment of cancer patients. She would pioneer programs to meet physical and emotion needs of the hospital’s cancer patients. For her contribution to ontological nursing she was presented with the Civic Award of Merit from the city of Toronto.  She would also serve on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Cancer Society of Ontario for 2o years. In 1988 she was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Canadian Women’s Breast Cancer Foundation.
 

née Ingimundon .Born February 25, 1930.Lundar, Manitoba. Died April 8,  2008. She trained to be a nurse then worked at Whitehorse, Edmonton and Winnipeg with the federal government working in Aboriginal and Northern Health and in Occupational Health. In 1978, she led a national federal nurses’ strike resulting in salary increases and other benefits for nurses. In the 1980s, she was instrumental in developing national guidelines for occupational health nursing certification and she initiated the Nurses-at-Risk program, the first of its kind in Canada. In 1992 she was awarded the Confederation Medal. ^{Sources: Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 2008.Memorable Manitobans. Online (Accessed December 2011)}

Born April 13, 1923 Wilmot Township, Wellington County, Ontario. Died September11,  2012, New Hamburg, Ontario.  Elsie attended Goshen College in Indiana, and Easter Mennonite College, Virginia, U.S.A. and studied nursing at St Mary’s Hospital, Kitchener, Ontario. Later in life she took extra midwifery training in England. As a Mennonite medical missionary from 1953 through to the mid 1970’s she established  a number of health clinics in East Africa. She also established a Leprosarium in Shirati, Tanzania and the Tom Mboya Memorial Health Centre in Kenya. Elsie was also responsible for setting up midwifery program at various Canadian Universities such as Mc Master University, Hamilton, Ontario, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario and Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario. All of these universities offer a bachelor degree in midwifery. Her efforts earned her recognition with the Order of Ontario. She retired from birthing babies in 1998 at 75 years of age.  In 2010 she was the subject of a documentary aired on CTV.  Source: Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. Online (Accessed July 2014) ; “Elsie Cressman was staunch advocate of midwifery in Ontario.” The Record, Kitchener/Waterloo September 13, 2012. Online (Accessed July 2014) ; “Elsie Cressman” . Global Anabaptist Mennonite Enclcyloedia Online. (Accessed July 2014) Book: Elsie Cressman: A trailblazing life by Nancy Silcox, 2012
 

née Matheson. Born September 27, 1892, St Barnabas Mission, Onion Lake, Died 1968, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Gladys was the daughter of Dr. Elizabeth Scott Matheson (1866-1958) who was the 1^st woman licensed Doctor in the area.  From 1906 through 1909 she attended Kilborn Sister’s School at Dunham Ladies College, Ottawa, Ontario. She returned home to work at her parent’s mission for 2 years before she began training as a nurse at Memorial Hospital in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  Again she returned home to work. She taught at the mission school for 3 years while helping in her mother’s hospital. In 1914 she went to Winnipeg General Hospital to complete her nurses training. In 1916 both her father and her fiancé died but she continued her studies graduating in 1917. She worked at Tuxedo Military Hospital in Winnipeg prior to enlisting on May 25, 1917 for overseas war service as a lieutenant nursing sister at the Eastborne, England hospital for Canadian soldiers. On May 6, 1918 she was ordered to serve at no 3 Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne, France which was a series of huts near the front line of the war. In May 1919 she was back serving at the Winnipeg Tuxedo Military Hospital. In 1920 she was worn out and went to Vancouver, British Columbia for 3 months. In 1926 she married U.S. Infantry officer Stirling Crim (1891-1980) in Hawaii. The couple settled in San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.. After the death of her husband she returned to live in Winnipeg. Source: The Story behind the Statue, Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association. Online (Accessed June 2014)
 

née Rennie. Born November 1953, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Wendy earned her BSc (Nursing) at the University of Saskatchewan in 1975. She married Tom Duggleby and the couple have two children. She furthered her education with a Master’s in Nursing at the University of Alberta before heading to The University of Texas Health Sciences Centre, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. to earn her PhD in 1999. She returned to Saskatoon in 2001to work at the College of Nursing. Her main efforts in research have been on eldercare. She is the founder of Living in Hope Program with the mandate to explore and foster hope in terminally ill health. In 2006 she earned the Distinguished Researcher Award from the University of Saskatchewan before moving to become Professor and acting Vice Dean, for the Endowed Nursing Research Chair in Aging and Quality of Life at the University of Alberta. She is a regular contributor to medical and scholarly journals on her area of expertise and she has contributed several chapters to books on this topic as well. In January 2013 she was presented with the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal. ^{Source: Herstory 2012: The Canadian Women’s Calendar (Coteau Books, 2011)} 
 

Born Kingsbridge, Devon, England. Died November 1972. She studied to be a nurse. She worked at the nursing station at Spence Bay in the Canadian North. In the seclusion and solitude of the far north, nurses were forces to also serve as dentists, Public health inspectors and take care of serious heath cases that had to be flown out to Yellowknife hospital. It was during such an attempt of evacuation that Judy Hill was killed in an aeroplane crash. The pilot survived the crash but spent a month in the wilderness before being located. The incident was surrounded by controversy as pilot Hartwell decided to use Judy’s body as nourishment to survive. The controversy forced action. The Spence Bay Nursing Station became a hospital, communications to the North were investigated and improved. Evacuation of the extremely ill was written into formal procedures. A foundation in Judy Hill’s name finances specialized northern nursing training. ^{Source: Angel of the snow: the story of Judy Hill by Jim McDangall (London, Frederick Muller Ltd., 1977.}
 

Born November 17, 1889, Brookfields, Nova Scotia. Died December 12, 1918, North Finchley, Great Britain. In 1901 Lenna and her family moved to Halifax when her father was hired on as minister at North Baptist Church. About 1910  she attended nursing school, perhaps at the Victoria General Hospital. Lenna joined the VAD – Volunteer Aid Detachment for service in World War l. These units were formed to provide medical assistance in time of war. By April 1917 Lenna was working at a military Hospital in Kentville, Nova Scotia where nurses were know to work 12 hour days. She went on to work at the West Cliff Canadian Eye and Ear Hospital in Folkstone, Great Britain. In October 1918 she complained of lack of strength and was diagnosed with tubercular peritonitis and she was sent to Clarence House, North Finchley for an operation where she died of septicemia. Source Debbie Marshall, War Changes Everything. Rememberingfirstworldwarnurses.blogspot.ca. (Accessed July 2015)
 

Born July 21, 1880, Sarnia, Ontario. Died December 16, 1959, Calgary, Alberta. Roberta was a graduate from Macdonald Institute of the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario (Now University of Guelph.) In 1912 she was hired by the Alberta Government to offer “institute” courses for rural women across the province. As well the Alberta Department of Agriculture had her conduct a survey to determine the viability of a provincial Women’s Institute. Roberta was what was called a new woman participating in society out of the home in non-traditional ways through education, employment and civic engagement. In 1914-1916 she worked for the Edmonton Public School Board creating the 1^st Department of Domestic Economy (Home economics) in Alberta. In 1916 she left her job to serve as a lieutenant during World War l. She served as a dietitian in the Canadian Military Hospital in Orpington, England. In 1917 the Alberta Military Representation Act allowed the 38,000 Alberta soldiers and 75 nurses overseas to elect 2 representative to the Provincial legislature. On September 17, 1917 Robert Pearson and Roberta MacAdams were elected. Roberta was the second woman in the Empire after fellow Albertan Louise McKinney to be elected to office. In 1918 she became the 1^st woman in the British Empire to introduce legislation when she brought forward a bill to incorporate the War Veterans Next of Kin Association Bill. After the 1^st legislative session she was back in Britain with the Khaki University which provided women’s staff for continuing education for overseas Canadian forces. Back in Alberta in 1919 she served as district Director of the Soldiers Land Settlement Board. After this position Roberts married lawyer Harvey Price and was less prominent in the public eye. Source: Our Future, Our Heritage. The Alberta Heritage Digitization Project. Online (Accessed May 2014) ; Roberta MacAdams and the New Woman. Alberta’s Women’s Institute. Online (Accessed May 2014).
 

Born 1894, Toronto, Ontario. Died December 31, 1918, Surry, United Kingdom. A trained nurse she worked with the Canadian Imperial Detachment during World War l. She not only worked at secretarial duties but as a trained chauffeuse she was a driver to help transfer wounded soldiers. In 1918 she took a brief break from the war to return to Canada and visit family in Ottawa. She returned to service in England where she died. Source: Finding the forty seven: Canadian nurses of the 1^st world war. Online accessed August 2015. 
           

Born January 7, 1886 Middlesex County, Ontario. Died 1975, California, U.S.A. She studies at the Saint Boniface Training school for Nurses in 1906. In 1915 with World War l raging on the European front she joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and was posted to a Canadian Casualty Station No 3 near the front lines in Boulogne. The Station had 800 beds and was extremely busy. She watched her 1^st patient die a horrible death from the effects of gas and she never forgot it. Another time serving in the operating room the surgeon was shot dead as he operated and she had to finish the operation. After the War she worked with refugees and Canadian soldiers. At home in Canada once again she became restless and relocated north to Dawson City to set up the 1^st hospital in the Yukon Territory. She later worked at various executive positions for several tuberculosis societies in Canada and in the United States. She did not retire until she was 79 years old when she entered a retirement home in California. Susan Taylor Meehan penned an novel based on Martha’s life entitled Maggie’s Choice. Sources: Canada’s Great War Album. Canada’s History. Online (Accessed July 2015); Library and Archives Canada LAC RG 150 Accession 1992-3/166 Box 6376-75.
 

Born Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island 1862. Died June 6, 1938.  She graduated from the Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing, in New York. and served in various administrative positions at hospitals in the US. With the Canadian involvement in the South African War , she volunteered for nursing services with the British forces in October 1899. In fact she headed the first group of four Canadian nurses. In 1902 she returned to South Africa , leading a small nursing force, the third such group, but this time they were officially the Canadian Army Nursing Service, a part of the Canadian Army Medical Corp. In 1903 she was the first Canadian to receive the Royal Red Cross for conspicuous service in the field of battle.   By 1906 she was working with the permanent forces at Halifax and in 1908 she became the first Matron of the Canadian Army Medical Corp. She served in World War I in 1917 -1918.  In 1983 Canada’s National Historical Sites and Monument Board declared her a National Historic Person of Canada.
 

née Marshall. Born November 14, 1946, Lindsay, Ontario. Died July 12, 2013, Vancouver British Columbia. She studied at St Joseph’s School of nursing, Peterborough, Ontario. After graduating in 1967 she continued her nursing studies at the University of Alberta. One of her early work postings was in Kingston, Ontario where she met a military Cadet. In 1968 she and Craig Riddell were married. The couple had one son. Eventually the family moved for Craig’s work to British Columbia.  In 1983 she began working at St Paul’s Hospital. Although she knew little of the gay lifestyle she soon became a hardworking advocate for people suffering with HIV/Aids. She worked from the early days of the advent of the virus for 30 years devoted to helping those who suffered. In 1993 her dedication was honoured by the British Columbia Persons with HIV/Aids with the AccolAids Award. In 1996 she was written up in the Globe and Mail highlighting her pragmatic approach with chaos of addicts. It was this same year that she completed her Master’s degree at the University of British Columbia having written her this on HIV/Aids patients. In 1997 she organized a special addiction team at St Paul’s Hospital caring for 30 patients a day. In 2008 she was named one of British Columbia’s outstanding nurses. In 2011 she was honoured with an advocacy award from the College of registered Nurses of British Columbia. ^{Source: “Seeing beyond the stigma…” by Rod Mecklenburg in the Globe and Mail, September 11, 2013}. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon.  
 

Born July 20, 1922 New Waterford, Nova Scotia. Died July 2, 2016, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. After studying nursing at the St Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia  in 1945 Eileen entered the Sisters of St Martha and took the name Sister Marie Simone. She took her final vows in 1950. Simone then went on to obtain a degree in nursing from St Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia.. She also studied administration and clinical supervision at the University of Toronto and earned a Master’s in Nursing from Boston University, Massachusetts, U.S.A. In 1970 she earned her doctorate in education from the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C., U.S.A. She would also spend time as a post-doctoral scholar in ethics at Harvard Divinity School, U.S.A. She acted as a community leader and liaison between the Congregation of St Martha’s Corporation and the Corporation of St John’s Hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.A.   From 1971 through 1979 she spent time building the nursing department at St Francis Xavier University. It was in 1971 that she established the 1^st code of ethics for nurses in Canada. The code is composed of 6 c’s: compassion, competence, conscience, confidence and commitment. Simone. Over the years she was a welcome lecturer internationally. In 1993 she returned to Bethany, the Sisters’ of Martha’s House in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Source: Allison Lauton, Obituary, Globe and Mail, July 15, 2016. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon Ottawa, Ontario. .  
 

Born Lucknow, Ontario. In 1953 she graduated in nursing having trained at Owen Sound General and Marine Hospital. In 1954 she enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a Pilot Officer. Her career in the military would span 30 years. She graduated from the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College course. With the rank of Lieutenant Colonel she retired in 1984 as Deputy Director of Women Personnel at National Defense Headquarters in Ottawa. She spent much of her time assuring equality for women serving in the armed services. In 1985 she was a founding member of the Association for Women’s Equality in the Canadian Armed Forces (AWECF). She was also active outside of her military duties serving a President of the Nursing Sisters Association of Canada and serving as a member of the Council for Canadians, The Human Rights Institute and the Ontario College of Nurses. In October 1992 she was presented with the Governor General Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case which honours work that improves the equality of life for Canadian Women.  ^{Source: Lt. Col. Shirley M. Robinson, CD (Retired) – Nurse. By Carolyn Gossage, November 6, 2000 Section15.ca Online (Accessed March 2014)}
 

Born 1894, Toronto, Ontario. Died 1981. Mona attended Havergal Ladies College followed by St. Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing. In 1918 she joined the Red Cross and served in Serbia and the Balkans. Back in Canada in 1922 she trained as a Public Health at the University of Toronto. That same year she began working as Chief Public Health Officer for the Red Cross in Prince Edward Island. In her second year she visited 110 schools and addressed 148 meetings! In 1931 when Public Health was taken over by the provincial government she became a superintendent. In 1940 she served in St. John’s , Newfoundland on loan to work with Canadian soldiers and merchant marines. She became known as the Florence Nightingale of St John’s. In 1946, back in PEI, she worked in Public Health until 1960. An outdoor enthusiast, she helped established Girl Guides in the province. She was also a founding member of the Zonta Club. There is a monument dedicated to her in PEI recognizing her as a person of National Historical Significance. ^{Source: Herstory: The Canadian Women’s Calendar, 2008. Saskatoon Women’s Calendar Collective (Coteau Books, 2007) ; 100 more Canadian Heroines by Merna Forester. : Book; She answered every call: the life of Public Health Nurse Mona Gordon Wilson by Douglas Baldwin.}
 

Born August 15, 1929 Toronto, Ontario. Died August 13, 2016. At 18 when she  was considered too young by most schools she enrolled in St Michael’s Hospital School of Nursing graduating in 1950. As a working nurse she was known for being blunt and practical, always to the point. She studied for her Bachelor of Nursing at New York University in the U.S.A. in 1964 and earned her Master’s degree at Cornell University in New York State, U.S.A. in 1969. She was an early proponent of patient-centered care. She favoured hand on training and projects. In the 1970’s she worked at various leadership roles at Scarborough Centenary Hospital, Sunnybrook and at the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. In 1978 she served as Vice-president of Nursing at Toronto General, the largest Hospital in the country at that time. Hel helped to launch the Ontario Provincial Nurse Administrators Interest Group and also the Journal of Nursing Administration which eventually was renamed the Canadian Journal of Nursing. She was elected as the president of the College of Nurses of Ontario. In 1982 she became a Fellow at Ryerson University, Toronto and taught at the University of and in 1989 she was associate professor at the University of Toronto. She retired from teaching in 1994. In 1885 she earned a second master’s degree in human resources development at American University in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. In 2001 3 women she mentored founded the Dorothy Wylie Health Leaders Institute that offers leadership education for nurses. Source; Obituary Globe and Mail September 9, 2016. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa Ontario.
 

Born 1910. Died July 12, 2002. Dorothy highly respected the nurse who often visited their country home to tend to herself and her brothers and sisters. In 1932 she graduated from Women’s College School of Nursing in Toronto. At the outbreak of WW ll she enlisted with the Royal Canadian Medical Corp, where by the end of the war in 1945 she had achieved the rank of Major. King George Vl presented her with the Royal Red Cross Medal for her war services. A skilled nurse, she also had proven herself to have exceptional administrative skills. In 1946 she began a 29 year appointment as Superintendent of Woman’s College Hospital. She would oversee the new construction of the school buildings and introduce a 2 year educator program. An ardent activist, she led the school to become fully accredited and part of the University of Toronto graduating program. She came out of retirement to serve as Executive Director at West Park Hospital for five years. In 1980 she was appointed to the Order of Canada. In 2001 Sunnybrook Hospital opened the Dorothy Macham Home, a 10 bed care and research Centre for veterans suffering from dementia. Source: Dorothy Macham: Nurse and war veteran by Eilis Quinn. Toronto Star July 31, 2002.
 

Born August 29, 1941, southern Ontario. Died October 1, 1998.  She graduated with a B.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario, receiving the Gold Medal in Zoology, an M.A. in Human Genetics , University of Toronto and a Ph.D. Galton Laboratory, University College, London, England. Phyllis was appointed as Research Associate in the Section of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba in 1972.  In 1993 she was appointed head of the Department of Genetics. She carried out strong independent research in the mapping of human genes before the Human Genome Project existed. A successful and highly productive researcher she published 100 papers during her career. She was one of the founding members and co-chaired the Human Gene Nomenclature Committee from 1977 - 1991. 1992 to 1996, she chaired the committee on nomenclature for the Annual Human Gene Mapping Chromosome Coordinating Meetings. It was under her that human gene nomenclature became a single language and not a series of dialects. When she retired from the Nomenclature Committee in 1996 she was replaced with the equivalent of three full-time staff. She was particularly committed to helping women in science, where she felt it was often difficult to get recognition as a female. She served as President of the Canadian Association of Women in Science, Manitoba Chapter, 1993-94. She was presented with the Founders Award in 1998, given by the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists: ^{Government of Manitoba. Status of Women. Women working for Healthy Communities by Ada Ducas et all October 2001. Online (Accessed December 2011)} Birthrate is recorded as 1942 in some resources.
 

Born 1877 Minnedosa, Manitoba. Died January 21, 1959 Winnipeg, Manitoba. She taught school to finance her education. She started to study law but eventually decided to study medicine. She won the Isbister First Year Scholarship, and when she graduated in 1915, at the age of thirty-seven, she won the Dean's Prize, the Hutchison Gold Medal, and the Surgical Case Report Prize. After graduation, she began her career in the Manitoba Provincial Laboratory and then accepted the position of Provincial Bacteriologist in the Saskatchewan Department of Health, later becoming Provincial Pathologist for Saskatchewan and Laboratory Director. She was appointed Honorary Surgeon at the RCMP Laboratory in Regina and was a lecturer in forensic medicine at the RCMP Training Academy. She became one of Canada's best known criminologists helping to solve hundreds of murder investigations. She was respected and admired by the male members of the RCMP who thought she was a "real lady" but also considered her "one of the boys" for the way she was able to endure the hardships and fatigue of her job. In some cases they traveled thousands of miles by dog team, snowmobile, and rickety floatplane in order to reach the most remote parts of the province. The Province of Saskatchewan decided to honour her memory by officially naming McGill Lake, north of Lake Athabasca, in her memory. She was inducted into the Science and Technology Hall of Fame. ^{Government of Manitoba. Status of Women. Women working for Healthy Communities by Ada Ducas et all October 2001. Online (Accessed December 2011) ; Canada Science and Technology Museum. Hall of Fame. Online (Accessed December 2011)}
 

née Reichbaum . Born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Died September 5, 2005. A determined mother who “had” to ease her daughter’s pain she went back to school at 47 earning a bachelor’s and a masters degree in biology biochemistry, nutritional biochemistry and cellular biology. She became a hero to hundreds of thousands of people as she wrote Breaking the Vicious Cycle (1987). This book was the first to connect intestinal health with died. As a Mom, she could not allow her youngest child to suffer and through her work with diets, she healed her daughter’s intestinal problems. She then shared her findings to help others. The book ran for 10 editions and was translated into 7 different languages.
 

Born April 4, 1917, Vancouver, British Columbia. Died July 30, 2013, Toronto, Ontario. Her childhood piano teacher could not pronounce her given name and called her Irene. The name stuck. She began her studies at the University of British Columbia. With the onslaught of World War ll and the war against Japan, Irene was swept up with 20,000 Japanese Canadians and placed in internment camps. Here she would become the principal of a grade school with 500 students. After the release from the camp and with the help of the United Church of Canada she studied at the University of Toronto. She had to work at such jobs as dishwasher to live.  She graduated in 1946 and pursued further studies of the human chromosomes. She graduated with a PhD in Zoology in 1951. She worked at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children until 1959. After a short fellowship in Wisconsin, U.S.A. she started the 1^st National Cytogenetics Lab in Canada at the Winnipeg Children’s Hospital. Here in the 1960’s she was the first person to link radiation exposure in women throughout their lives to Downs Syndrome births of the women’s children. The practice of medicine was forever changed. By 1970 she was in the international spotlight. She was awarded the Woman of the Century from the Manitoba National Council of Jewish Women and the Founder Award from the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists. She worked briefly as a visiting scientist at the University of London, England and returned to Canada in 1969 to work at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario for the next twenty years. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1993. She retired in 1995 from Oshawa General Hospital. ^{Sources: Canadian Encyclopedia online; Obituary by Olesia Plokhii, The Globe and Mail, September 14, 2013:  Book, Seeing the invisible: the story of Dr. Uchida by Terry Watada}. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa Ontario.
 

née Negricz Winnipeg, Manitoba 1900. Died 1938. Marie’s family believed all their children should have a strong education at a time when women did not always have a chance for education. After high school she worked for three years as a pharmacist’s apprentice before att4ending the University of Manitoba. When she acquired her degree she was the first Ukrainian-Canadian woman to become a pharmacist. She became a true role model for young immigrants. Her proud father built the Ideal Drug Store for his daughter in 1926. Shortly after the store opened Marie married Donald Matheson. Marie was busy at work but she also found time to be active in the Women’s Auxiliary in the Druggists of Manitoba organized in 1931 and served as the organizations secretary from 1935-1936. Source: Saskatoon Women’s Calendar Collective. Herstory 2007: the Canadian Women’s Calendar (Regina: Couteau
 Books, 2006)  pg. 72..
 

Born December 17, 1896, Montreal, Quebec. Died January 24, 1974, Toronto, Ontario. Enid studied, for the beginning of her medical training, Medical Gymnastics in Heidelberg, Germany. She followed this with studies in physiotherapy at the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Institute and School of Mechanotherapy. She returned to Montreal to work at the Belmont Convalescent Home for war veterans and taught massage at McGill University. When it opened in 1918 Enid worked at the Military School of Orthopedic Surgery at Hart House, University of Toronto. Shortly after it opened, the government, which saw no need for such a centre, closed it down. By February 1, 1919 Enid was working at the Dominion Orthopedic Hospital for Veterans as supervisor. In January 1918, Dr. Lawrence Bruce Robertson (1885-1924) was sent home from the European front to rest and recuperate. He began working at the same hospital as Enid. On April 17, 1940 the couple were married. They would have two children. After her marriage Enid  returned to efforts towards the formation of what would become the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. As a widow by 1924, Enid took the children to Europe, returning only when they were old enough for school. She worked to establish a two year diploma program in physiotherapy at the University of Toronto which opened in 1920. In 1930 she married Dr. Duncan Graham. At the beginning of World War ll she convinced the Canadian Military to formerly acknowledge the need for physiotherapists. 138 physiotherapists volunteered for overseas service with pay and privileges equal to male volunteers of the same rank.
 

In 1960 she attended McGill medical school in Montreal specializing in schizophrenia. She has written over 200 scientific articles and in 1995 she published Gender and Psychopathology. She served as Psychiatrist in Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital and Vice Chair of the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry. She was the inaugural Tapscott Professor and was chair of Schizophrenia Studies. In 2001 she received the Gold Award for Advancement of Psychiatric Research from the Canadian Psychiatric Society. In 2002 she received the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In 2006 she was awarded the Order of Canada. ^{Source: Order of Canada. Online. Accessed 2007.}

Born Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Died 1987, Ottawa, Ontario. She attended Acadia University where she established herself as a capable athlete from 1912-1916. She was active in student government and in literary societies and was editor of the Aftenaeum , the student newsletter. She attempted to teach at Port William, Nova Scotia but said she would rather scrub floors than teach! Her mother encouraged her to study medicine and she attended the University of Toronto after which she worked at the Banting Institute for Insulin Research. From 1924 through 1942 she practiced medicine in Regina and was known for her  expertise with Diabetics. During World War ll she served in the Royal Canadian Medical Corps. After the war she practiced medicine in Toronto and became affiliated with Women’s College Hospital. She founded the Canadian Diabetic Association and in 1967 she became a “senior member” of the Canadian Medical Association. After she retired she moved to Ottawa to be closer to her family. ^{Sources: Turn out and Cheer! Sports in Wolfville 1970-1950 Acadia University website Accessed April 2013: Herstory: The Canadian Women’s Calendar 2006. Saskatoon: Coteau Books, 2005.}
 

Born 1931, Montreal, Quebec.  She relocated with her family to grow up in Toronto. In 1955 May earned her medical degree from the University of Toronto where she earned a gold medal for academic excellence. May 1^st practiced family medicine in Toronto and then in 1977 joined McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario. May Married Dr. Gary Cohen and the couple had 3 children.  May co-founded the Women's Health Office at McMaster, the 1st of its kind in Canada and also the Women's Health InterSchool Curriculum Committee for Ontario's medical schools. From 1991 to 1996 she served the Faculty of Health Sciences as associate dean of Health Services. Her work has garnered her numerous awards including: the Federation of Medical Women of Canada Ortho Award for the Promotion of Women's Health, the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Person's Case, the Leadership Development Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges, the Hamilton Academy of Medicine Distinguished Service Award and the Hamilton Woman of the Year award in the field of health, sports and fitness. She has also had a research chair named after her at the Faculty of Health Sciences. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. The May Cohen Award for Women Mentors is presented to a woman physician who had demonstrated outstanding mentoring. The Federation of Medical Women of Canada offers the May Cohen Award annually to the full member who best personifies the legacy of Dr. May Cohen. In 2014 she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
 

(Baptized Jane Dow) Born June 25, 1870, Fergus, Ontario. Died January 16, 1927, Peking, China (Now Beijing). By 15 she had earned her teaching certificate. By 1895 she had graduated in medical studies from Trinity College, University of Toronto. She became a medical missionary with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission in chine. She quickly learned the local Chinese language and in 1897 she opened the 1^st women’s hospital in Honan, China treating 400 patients in her 1^st month of service. In 1900 she was forced to take furlough during the Boxer Rebellion and used her time away from China to take updating medical courses in New York City in the U.S.A. She was back in China in April 1902 opening a women’s hospital in Changte. She was the only woman doctor practicing medicine in the area for almost 20 years. In 1918 she was joined by Dr. Isabelle McTavish (1881-1953)  and both women worked through the 1920-21 famine. The Chinese government honoured Jean with a medal for her work during the famine. Jeannie was among the 1^st to isolate the organism which caused a local disease Kola Azar. In 1925 she took another force furlough during civil unrest but by 1926 she was back in China to open her hospital. Sources: The Indomitable Lady Doctors by Carlotta Hacker (Clarke Irwin, 1974) : The Dictionary of Canadian Biography Vol. XV (1921-1930. Online (Accessed April 2014)
 

Born 1875 (?) Saint John, New Brunswick. Died 1966. In 1900 she completed her medical studies at the University of Toronto. In 1904 she was serving as a medical missionary in China under the Missionary Society of London, England. Back in New Brunswick by 1919 she  served through to 1935 as medical inspector of Schools. In 1920 alone she had 8,000 children under her supervision. In 1927 she organized and served as the corresponding secretary for the Mental Hygiene Council of New Brunswick. In 1933-1934 she was the President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. Source: The indomitable Lady Doctors by Carlotta Hacker. 1974.
 

Born  1921, Poland. She earned her first medical degree at the university of Heidelberg, Germany, 1951. Since it was not acceptable for foreigners to practice medicine in Germany, Daria and her new husband Heinz L. Haust emigrated to Canada and she began the process of earning the right to practice in Canada. In the early 1950’s she enjoyed being at home with her tow sons born in 1953 and 1955, while working part time towards her goals of practicing medicine. In 1959-1960 she worked as a post doctoral Fellow in Cincinnati, returning to Kingston in 1960 to become the first woman on the Medical Faculty at Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario. In 1965 the family moved to the University of Western Ontario , London, Ontario. She became a welcome lecturer internationally and as well as a multitude of medical committees she was soon on the boards of five prestigious medical journals. Of all her positions she enjoyed working with her students and is perhaps proudest of her award as best teacher at UWO. Her list of awards is impressive and long: The Canada Council Killam prize in Medicine; the Gold Medal Award from the International Atherosclerosis Society; the Andreas Versalis award, University of Padua; Distinguished Pathologist Award, US/Canadian Academy of Pathology(2004) to name a few. In 2007 she received the Order of Canada. She is still involved with teaching as Professor emeritus at UWO. ^{Sources: Science.caProfile (Accessed June 2011); Canadian Who’s Who 2006 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005.}
 

1st woman doctor in Quebec

Born January 18, 1878. Died January 22, 1964. Young Irma wanted to study medicine but no schools in Canada would accept women, so Irma headed to New York in the U.S.A. to earn her medical education. She returned to Quebec in 1900 but it would take three years before a private members bill would pass the legislature allowing her to join the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Province of Quebec as the first woman doctor. She found a lack of knowledge about childhood medical practices and traveled to Europe to gain more knowledge in 1908. She and Mme De Gaspé-Beaubien founded Hôpital Sainte-Justine for the care of children. In 1915 she responded to the request of doctors to serve in World War l returning to New York to work for the Red Cross in the USA. In 1922, using her won savings, she founded Hôpital de L’Enfant-Jésus. By 1927 she had her own clinic for handicapped children and also opened a school for disabled youth. In order to relax from the rigueur of medicine and hospital administration she worked with her other passion of painting and took classes at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in the 1920’s becoming an accomplished artist. In the 1950’s she was celebrated for her 50 years of medical service by the Circle des femmes universitaires, however, she would die in poverty largely and unknown pioneer in pediatric medical care. Sources: Irma LeVasseur http://grandquebec.com/gens-du-pays/irma-levasseur(accessed June 30, 2008) ; Celebrating women’s achievements: Canadian women in science: Irma LeVasseur http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/   also available in French. (Accessed June 30, 2008)  This entry suggested by Pat Land.
 

Ann graduated medical school in Scotland at the age of 22! From 1993 through to 2008 she was an Associate Professor for the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University. In 1995 she joined as a fellow, the College of Family Physicians. In 2008 the College named Macaulay Family Medicine Researcher of the Year. She has made significant contributions to the study of prevention of type 2 diabetes in the aboriginal population in Canada as well as being an Advisory Board Member for the Institute of Aboriginal People’s Health. She also served 35 years as a family physician in the Mohawk Community of Kahnawake. In 2006 she was awarded the Order of Canada. ^{Source: Order of Canada Online accessed June 2011.}

1st woman neurosurgeon in Canada

Born 1941, Montreal, Quebec. She originally did her undergraduate studies in physical education and then switched to continue her studies in medicine at the University of Toronto In 1982 the young medical doctor moved to Calgary to practice as Canada’s first woman neurosurgeon. She is know for being straightforward and “tells it like it is” with all her patients. She is also an examiner with the Royal College of Physicians. She is married with two stepchildren and is discovering the joys of being a new grandmother. She works with the Canadian National Ski Team and enjoys mountain climbing. Retirement is perhaps on the horizon but for now she is dedicated to the profession that she says was where she was meant to be even if some men did not think so! Suggested source: Herstory: the Canadian Women’s Calendar 2007.

Born Stratford, Ontario. Died 1948, Calgary, Alberta. In 1912 she earned her medical degree from the University of Toronto. In 1915 she was appointed medical superintendent of the new 21 bed hospital, The Woman’s College Hospital and Dispensary, in Toronto. In 1918 she relocated to Calgary , Alberta where she was appointed as Medical Inspector with the Calgary Public Schools. She held regular clinics in all the area schools and at the same time ran a baby clinic at the Calgary City hall. Little did she know that by doing her job in visiting school children that she would be a mentor to future women doctors in the province. In 1935 the School and City Health Services were combined and Geraldine was appointed Calgary’s Assistant Medical Health Officer. The Independent Order of the Daughters of the Empire in the Province took to naming their local chapters after prominent Calgary medical doctors. In 1951 the Dr. Geraldine Oakley Chapter was formed. On October 6, 1960 the Dr. Oakley School was named in her honour. Source: The Indomitable Lady Doctors by Carlotta Hacker, 1974.
 

Died December 21, 1997. After Marion earned her medical degree she went on to earn her  Diploma in Public Health at the University of Toronto. In the 1970’s she assisted in establishing the Bay Centre for Birth Control which was the first hospital supported street centre to make information about contraception widely available. From 1980-1990 the Woman’s College Hospital appointed her as Director of the Bay Centre. By the time of her retirement in 1990 her efforts had been recognized by the YWCA with the Woman of Distinction in Health and Education in 1984. She received the 1988 Persons Award from the Canadian Government and in 1990 she was inducted into the Order of Canada. In 1994 the City of Toronto presented her the Gardina Award in recognition of her contributions to the development of the well-being of the city. In 1998, Women’s College Hospital created the Marion Powell Award in her honour.
 

Born March 3, 1907, Rockland, Ontario. Died December 8, 1989, Rockland, Ontario. Annie earned the BA from the University of Ottawa in 1930. She started teaching and until 1941 she served at Hawkesbury, Ontario. She decided that the wanted to follow the career paths of her father and brothers and become a doctor. In 2945 she had received her medical diploma from the University Laval making her one of the 1^st Francophone women in Ontario to become a doctor. She worked as a rural doctor and often provided free services for those in need who could not pay. She soon took over her father’s clients and became the doctor in residence Saint Joseph in Rockland. Here she established connections with L’hopital Montfort in Ottawa. At her own expense she often had patients in the hospital and even made certain that they had TV’s to watch. In 1971 she was Citizen of the year in Rockland and same year she received the Order of Canada. The medical library at the Montfort hospital was named in her honour and the town of Rockland named Le Centre Powers, supported by the Chevaliers de Colomb as a tribute. Source: Dr Annie Powers Biographies des Médecins Hôpital Montfort Online (accessed August 2015. )

née Reynolds. Born June 7, 1860, Mount Forest, Ontario. Died July 9, 1947, Victoria British Columbia. She attended Queen’s University in the second class that allowed women students in 1881.  Helen would have to withstand abuse from some of the male students and faculty but she still graduated at the top of her class in 1885. She opened her first practice in Toronto. While struggling to establish herself she met and married Thomas John Ryan. The couple settled in Sudbury, Ontario  where he would become elected mayor (1899 to 1901). She was the first woman doctor to practice in Northern Ontario. Together they raised a family of five children.  In 1907 the family relocated to British Columbia where Helen, unable to practice medicine in the province, became active in public life. She worked for women’s franchise. (right to vote). She was the 1st woman member of the Canadian Medical Association. Sources: Greater Sudbury 125 1883-2008 the story of our times (Bilingual) ; South Side Story, January 2005. Additional information provided by Queen’s University Archives. ; The indomitable Lady Doctors by Carlotta Hacker (Toronto: Clarke Irwin, 1974)
 

née Smith. Born October 26, 1841, Blissville, New Brunswick. Died July 4, 1916.After here early schooling Elizabeth earned her teaching Certificate at Normal School. After teaching for awhile she met and in 1869 married John Secord (Died 1874). The couple had one son in 1872. Elizabeth attended medical school in Keeokuk, Michigan and spent her internship at the Women’s Medical College in Chicago in 1882. Returning home she registered in June 1883 as the 1^st woman doctor in New Brunswick before leaving for Dublin and London, England for post graduate studies. At first she opened a practice in Frederick, New Brunswick but moved on to Norton and finally settled in Farmerston (now Jacksonville) for her 33 years of practicing medicine. In 1908 at the age of 67 she took in 2 British Home Children, Herbert Morris and Elsie May Morris. The children were sent to Canada by caring organizations in England. Elizabeth signed a contract to care for and educate the children. Sources: The Indomitable Women Doctors by Carlotta Hacker, (Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1974) : Elizabeth Caroline (Smith) Secord by John Wood, Online (Accessed March 2014)
 

née Stowe. Born  July 27, 1857, Mount Pleasant, (Toronto) Canada West (Now Ontario) . Died September 25, 1943, Toronto, Ontario. Augusta’s mother and mentor was Dr. Emily Stowe(1831-1903). Augusta was the 1^st woman to earn a medical degree in Canada. She graduated from Victoria College, (an affiliate of the University of Toronto) Cobourg, Ontario in 1883. Upon graduation she married Dr. John B. Gullen, a future founder in 1896 of Toronto Western Hospital. After their marriage the couple did post graduate coursed in children’s medicine in New York, U.S.A. Augusta taught at the Ontario Medical College for Women (known 1883-94 as the Woman's Medical College, Toronto) and was on U of T Senate 1910-22. Both she and her mother were leading figures in the suffrage movement. Augusta succeeded her mother as president of the Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Assn in 1903. She was also a founder of the National Council of women. In 1935 she received the Order of the British Empire. Sources: Carla Hacker. The Indomitable Women Doctors. (1974) ; K. Smith. Dr. Augusta Stowe-Gullen; a pioneer of social conscience in The Canadian Medical Association Journal, January 15, 1982 ; The Canadian Encyclopedia. Online (Accessed June 2003)
 

Born July 18, 1891, New Westminster, British Columbia. Died July 31, 1972, West Vancouver, British Columbia . She graduated with her B.A. from McGill University, Montreal in 1913. During World War l she worked in military hospitals and earned her  MD at McGill in 1927. She  also studied in Europe, before she practiced in Vancouver. Using her own money, set up a centre to prove the benefits of radiotherapy in 1937. From 1939-1944 she served as Director, B.C. Cancer Institute.  She was the  1st woman president of the B.C. Medical Association in 1946/7 and in 1952 she was the 1^st  woman president of the  National Cancer Institute of Canada. She was also president of the Federation of Canadian Medical Women. In 1963 she was awarded a citation from the Canadian Medical Association for her cancer research. She was inducted into the  Order of Canada in 1968. An art collector, she deeded her home, Klee Wyck, named for her artist friend Emily Carr, to West Vancouver as an arts centre. ^{Source: Vancouver Hall of Fame (Accessed December 2012)}
 

Born August 29, 1866, Melrose, Upper Canada (Now Ontario)Died January 5, 1907, Neemuch, India. In the 1880’s her family relocated to Quebec. In 1885 Agnes earned her teacher’s certificated from the McGill Normal School. By 1887 she was contacting the Women’s Foreign Mission Society of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. She was encouraged by the Society to complete medical studies before becoming a missionary. From 1888 to 1982 she studied at the Women’s Medical College at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. Upon graduation she took a couple of months post graduate studies in New Your State, U.S.A. In November 1882 she arrived in India to serve as a medical missionary. She would serve first at the Women’s Medical Hospital in Indore and by 1895 she was in Neemuch. Her she also pioneered medical work at an outstation in Jawad, At the turn of the century she took some leave back in Canada and returned in 1903 in the midst of an outbreak of the plague. For her service during the plague she was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind medal from the Imperial Government which acknowledged service in the advancement of public interest in India. A local Anglican Church in Indore, India has a brass plaque tribute to Agnes and her work. Sources: The Indomitable Women Doctors by Carlotta Hacker (Toronto: Clarke & Irwin, 1974) : The Dictionary of Canadian Biography vol. Xii Online (Accessed April 2014)
 

née Stewart. Born April 29, 1926, Croydon, England. Died March 11, 2012. Jan earned her medical degree from the University of Toronto  in 1952. She had interned at St. Paul’s hospital in Vancouver returning to Toronto to marry Ed Turner. The couple had three children. Jan held a variety of medical positions, including being Hamilton’s 1^st District Health Officer, physician for the Borough of East York and doctor at the students’ heath clinic at the University of Toronto. In later career years, after training at the Institute for Human Relations she turned to administering to her patients’ emotional and mental health needs through psychotherapy .  Source: Obituary Globe and Mail March 15, 2012. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa, Ontario.
 

Born 1911, Merlin, Ontario. Died 1995. She completed her B.A. at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario in 1933 and went on to earn her M.A. in 1935 and a PhD in 1942. During the time she worked on her post Graduate studies she worked at the University. She interned at the London Mental Hospital. In 1946 she was appointed Dean of Women at the University of Western Ontario as well as holding a position of professor with the Psychology Department. In 1949 she served as the 1^st female President of the Ontario Psychological Association and in 1951 she was the second woman to serve on the Board of the Canadian Psychological Association. Source:: Perlin Gull & Jacy L. Young: Leola Ellen Neal. In A. Rutherford (Ed.), Psychology's Feminist Voices Multimedia Internet Archive. Retrieved from http://www.feministvoices.com Online (Accessed August 2014)

Pioneer Transplant patient

Born Trinidad 1954. Died June 30, 2006. Immigrating to Canada she worked with Employment Canada. Carol was told by her doctors that she needed a lung transplant. Since she was going through a divorce the hospital but off listing her the needed operation. When told she needed a stress free support system for after the operation and that a divorce and having teen children at home was not what was required.  Carol established a strong support team of women and she got her operation in the spring of 1991. She was one of Ontario’s first recipients of a single lung transplant. Usually patients can expect an addition five years but remarkably Carol had 15 years! She wanted to see her children graduate and she lived long enough to see her first grandchild. A year or two after her operation she began to speak to groups about the importance of organ donation in support of the Trillium Gift of Life network. She counted each day as a blessing and never forgot to be thankful to her creator on a daily basis.  Source: ‘Carol Trotman, 52: Transplant pioneer’ by Catherine Dunphy. The Toronto Star, August 21, 2006. Online (accessed September 2006)