Eldon Smith receives Doctor of Laws Honorary Degree

May 2014 Honorary Degree Recipient

Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)

Eldon R. Smith has dedicated his life to improving the heart health of Canadians and is one of Canada’s pre-eminent academic cardiologists, earning widespread recognition for his research into hypertension and cardiac failure.

Born and educated in Nova Scotia, Dr. Smith received his medical degree cum laude from Dalhousie in 1967. He joined Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine in 1973. In 1980, he moved to Calgary, where he has spent the balance of his career and has helped define the direction that cardiovascular care has taken in southern Alberta as a physician, educator, researcher and administrative leader. He began as a professor and head of the Cardiology Division of Foothills Hospital and the University of Calgary, eventually becoming Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. From 1997 to 2010, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. In 2006, Dr. Smith took a lead role in defining the direction of Canada’s cardiovascular care, when he was appointed to chair the steering committee for a national task force on heart health.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Smith has published more that 250 papers and book chapters and has been a contributor to many national and international organizations. He has received numerous honours and awards, including the Keon Achievement Award of the University of Ottawa, the Achievement Award of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Dedicated Service Award of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and many more. In 2005, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and was admitted to Fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He was a 2007 recipient of the Graham Medal from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Source: Dalhousie University