Winter 2021 (Volume 31, Number 4)
Tribute to Dr. Peter Dent
By Tania Cellucci, MD, FRCPC, MScCH; Michelle Batthish, MD, FRCPC, MSc;
and Maggie Larché, MBChB, MRCP(UK), PhD
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1936-2021
It is with deep sadness that we announce
that our colleague, mentor and
friend Dr. Peter Dent has passed away
after a long illness. Peter was extraordinarily
humble, and many of you may be
unaware of his extensive contributions to
our community in Hamilton and beyond.
After training in both rheumatology
and immunology, Peter started his career
at McMaster in 1967 as a research scientist.
He created Canada’s first multidisciplinary
program in immunology and virology.
While he was chair of McMaster’s
Department of Pediatrics between 1980
and 1990, he had a vision of interdisciplinary
collaboration and integrated non-MD scientists
into the department of pediatrics, which remains one of its
strengths. He advocated fiercely against government and
other barriers to found what is now known as McMaster
Children’s Hospital in 1988. Soon after, he also established
Hamilton’s Ronald McDonald House to support
the families of sick children at the hospital. He has been
Vice-President of Medicine for Chedoke McMaster Hospitals,
Director of Research for Hamilton Health Sciences
from 1990 to 1997, and Associate Dean of Clinical Services
for the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University
from 2002 to 2012.
Throughout this career, he remained a dedicated, caring
clinician, looking after children and teenagers with
immune deficiencies and rheumatic diseases before retiring
in 2017. He developed a pediatric rheumatology listserve
in 2001, which is still facilitating pediatric rheumatologists
from around the world to share challenging cases,
resources and experiences. He served as chair of the section
of Pediatric Rheumatology of the American College
of Rheumatology (ACR) and on the sub-board of Rheumatology
of the American Board of Pediatrics. In 2004,
he received the James T. Cassidy Award for excellence in
teaching and care and became a Master of the ACR. For
his many achievements, he was invested to the Order of
Canada in 2017.
As the founder of pediatric rheumatology at McMaster,
mentorship was exceptionally important to him. He was always
able to find time to guide us, and many others before us,
through challenges during our professional lives. Thoughtful
words of wisdom were expressed with clarity and deep understanding.
He was unfailingly supportive of any initiative
that we proposed to expand the clinical and research programs
in pediatric rheumatology. He gave
the best advice and had a knack for asking
exactly the right questions to expand our
thought process.
On a personal note, Peter was a remarkably
kind, thoughtful, and wise leader
and friend. Conversations with Peter were
never dull, whether they covered personal,
professional or world matters. He would
often pop into our offices to share a story,
to check on us if we were going through a
difficult time, or to congratulate us on an
accomplishment. We will forever miss his
passion for medicine, his compassion for
people, his warm smile, his big hugs, his
surprisingly mischievous sense of humour, and everything
that made him such an inspiration. We hope to follow his
example and make him proud that he left this ship in our
hands.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Diane, his
three daughters, Jennifer, Ashley and Rebecca, his family,
and his friends during this difficult time.
In celebration of the deep impact of the work of
Dr. Peter Dent in the areas of education, research and
clinical practice, a collaborative fund is being created at
McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation.
The funds will be used to honour the legacy of
Dr. Peter Dent, as guided by the Dent family, the Department
of Pediatrics and the McMaster Children's Hospital. For
more information, please visit www.hamiltonhealth.ca/dent.
Tania Cellucci, MD, FRCPC, MScCH
Associate Professor,
Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University
Staff Pediatric Rheumatologist, McMaster Children’s Hospital
Hamilton, Ontario
Michelle Batthish, MD, FRCPC, MSc
Associate Professor,
Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University
Head, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology,
McMaster Children’s Hospital
Hamilton, Ontario
Maggie Larché, MBChB, MRCP(UK), PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine, McMaster University
Head of Service, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
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