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Congratulations Dr. Michael Klein for being appointed to the Order of Canada!

Published: 22 July 2016

Dr. Michael Klein

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Klein, who has been appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his pioneering work integrating family medicine and maternity care in Canada. Dr. Klein is an Investigator Emeritus at BC Children’s Hospital and an Emeritus Professor Department of Family Practice and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia.

Michael Klein has played a vital role in placing maternity care at the heart of family medicine. Refusing to serve in the United States Medical Corps during the Vietnam War, he fled to Canada in 1967 with his wife Bonnie, and went on to become a family practitioner, pediatrician, advocate, professor, and researcher at McGill University and the University of British Columbia. He began his award-winning work at the Herzl Family Practice Centre of the Jewish General Hospital, while a faculty member at McGill, and was one of the founding members of the McGill Department of Family Medicine. Concerned by the harmful effects of certain medical interventions, he advocated for now widely adopted family-friendly birth practices, including the re-introduction of midwifery, the promotion of doulas and the elimination of routine intrusive interventions such as episiotomy. An influential mentor to many, his approaches are now widely adopted in maternity care.

In honour of his efforts in involving family physicians in family centred maternal and infant care, a fellowship has been established at the Department of Family Medicine and The SMBD Jewish General Hospital in Montreal: The Dr. Michael Klein Fellowship in Maternal and Infant Care in Family Medicine.

“Much of what I did to have this award started at McGill and the Jewish General Hospital. I want to be able to thank all those who helped.” – Dr. Michael Klein

 

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