Summer 2016 (Volume 26, Number 2)

Awards, Appointments, Accolades

Download PDF



It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Dr. Heather McDonald-Blumer as the new Departmental Division Director (DDD) of Rheumatology. She will take over from Dr. Claire Bombardier on July 1, 2016.

Dr. McDonald-Blumer is a University of Toronto alumna. For the past 12 years, she has been a member of the Division of Rheumatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital/University Health Network. Her clinical interests include osteoporosis and inflammatory joint diseases. Dr. McDonald-Blumer is an active member of the rheumatology community locally and nationally having served as the University of Toronto Program Director for Rheumatology, Chair of the Specialty Committee in Rheumatology, Chair of the Examination Board for Rheumatology for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Associate Director of the Osteoporosis Program at University Health Network, and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee and Chair of the Guidelines Committee for Osteoporosis Canada. Heather is widely recognized for her collaborative leadership style and for her interest and ability to support and mentor students, residents and faculty colleagues. She will bring these outstanding attributes to her new role as DDD Rheumatology.

Dr. Paul Davis was recently inducted as a Master of Rheumatology by the Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) at their 2016 annual meeting in Panama City. This award was an acknowledgement of 36 years of service to rheumatology on both a national and international level. Dr. Davis has provided clinical, educational, and research contributions to the division of rheumatology at the University of Alberta since 1975. At the national level he has been recognised with the Distinguished Rheumatologist Award from the CRA and an Award of Merit by The Arthritis Society of Canada. On the international scene, Dr. Davis has been the scientific program chair for PANLAR and the World Congress of Rheumatology of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR). He was previously the treasurer for ILAR and, more recently, the Editor-in-Chief of the ILAR-sponsored journal, Clinical Rheumatology. Along with his Edmonton colleagues, he has been involved in training numerous international fellows and students and was, until recently, the external examiner for the University of Nairobi Medical School.

Dr. Davis admits that “the involvement with international colleagues has been one of the highlights of his career, and he is honoured to receive this peer-reviewed award for doing what he likes doing best.”