Winter (Volume 28, Number 4)
The Dunlop-Dottridge Lectureship: A Heritage of Excellence
By Elvira Bangert, MD, FRCPC; and Ronald M. Laxer, MDCM, FRCPC
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The Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) annual
Dunlop-Dottridge Lectureship is presented by giants
in the field of rheumatology on an international
scale.1 Initially established in 1973 as the Dunlop Annual
Lectureship (later Dunlop-Dottridge), this started a long
tradition of excellence, through which world leaders in
rheumatology (Table 1) have been awarded this prestigious
honour at the time of the Annual Scientific Meeting.1
Named after arthritis care pioneers Mr. Edward Dunlop
and Mrs. Rita Dottridge, the Dunlop-Dottridge lectureship
has a rich history. Mr. Edward Dunlop (June 27, 1919-January
6, 1981) was a soldier, politician, and public servant
who served as the initial Executive Director of the Canadian
Arthritis and Rheumatism Society (CARS), now known
as The Arthritis Society. He was a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963
to 1971, representing the Toronto ridings of Forest Hill and
York-Forest Hill. He also served as a cabinet minister in the
government of Bill Davis.2 In 1943, in a heroic attempt to
protect his soldiers by attempting to dispose of a grenade
during a training exercise, he was blinded and lost part of
his right hand.3 Mr. Dunlop was awarded the George Medal
as well as the Order of the British Empire for World War II
service, and was named a member of the Order of Canada
in 1980. Queens University granted him a Legum Doctor
(L.L.D.) and organized an International Scientific Symposium
in 1983, “In Memory of Edward Dunlop.” 3
 
Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Edward A. Dunlop, GM, OBE, CM, 1919-1981.
Under the leadership of Mr. Dunlop, CARS, a voluntary
health agency composed both of lay and medical scientific
representatives, offered bursaries and raised funds to support
research, education, and treatment of rheumatologic
conditions. Mr. Dunlop played a crucial role in establishing
Rheumatic Disease Units (RDU) promoting education in
the field of rheumatology at all medical schools in Canada.4
It was 1975 when CARS achieved its major objective and
the last of these units was established at Université Laval.
Each of these RDUs was supported by inpatient beds and
provided medical students, students in the allied health
professions, residents and fellows with a wide range of clinical,
educational and research opportunities. In addition,
CARS actively supported patient education initiatives in
the arthritis care field. It also offered bursaries and educational
support to increase the number of allied health professionals‒
in particular physiotherapists and occupational
therapists.4
It is not surprising at all given the outstanding accomplishments,
services and significant commitment and contribution
of Mr. Edward Dunlop to the field of rheumatology
that the Dunlop Annual Lectureship was named in his
honour. The lectureship was initiated by the CRA to recognize
a rheumatologist who was deemed as having made a
major contribution to the advancement of rheumatology
on an international scale. With humility, Mr. Dunlop was
hesitant at first to accept the recognition of the lectureship,
but reluctantly agreed, providing that Rita Dottridge
be co-named. Mrs. Rita Dottridge was his devoted personal
assistant and due to his blindness, he relied on her for
much of his administrative work.5
Today, we are proud that the CRA has chosen to honour
the legacy of Mr. Dunlop and Mrs. Dottridge with the annual
Dunlop-Dottridge lectureship recognizing excellence in
rheumatology on an international scale.
Acknowledgements:
The authors would like to thank Dr. Tassos
Anastassiades for his review and helpful
comments, as well as Dr. Murray Urowitz
for providing us with supplemental
information. A special thanks to Claire
McGowan of the CRA for her support and
assistance as well.
References:
1. Canadian Rheumatology Association. Awards. Available at rheum.ca/
awards/. Accessed November 2018.
2. Wikipedia entry on Dr. Edward Dunlop. Available at https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Edward_Arunah_Dunlop. Accessed November 2018.
3. The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archives.
4. The Canadian Rheumatism Association. History section. Accessed
November 2018.
5. Personal communication with Dr. Paul Davis. November 2018.
Elvira Bangert, MD, FRCPC
Clinician Investigator Program (CIP)
Queen’s University
Kingston, Ontario
Mount Sinai Hospital
Division of Rheumatology
Toronto, Ontario
Ronald M. Laxer, MDCM, FRCPC
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine,
University of Toronto
Staff Rheumatologist,
The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario
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