Lifetime achievement award, 2019

Hélène Boisjoly, CM, MD, MPH, FRCSC, DABO

After obtaining her degree in ophthalmology from Université de Sherbrooke in 1981, Dr. Hélène Boisjoly specialized in cornea research at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Schepens Eye Research Institute, affiliated with Harvard University (1981-1983). In 1992, she obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She was a researcher and fellow at the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQ-S) from 1986 to 2001, and she worked at Université Laval (1983-1993) before becoming head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, affiliated with the Université de Montréal (1993-1998). She was the first scientific director of the FRQ-S Provincial Vision Health Research Network (1996-2002). A full professor since 1998, she served as the chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Université de Montréal from 2000 to 2008.

Dr. Boisjoly’s research interests include transplant immunology, viral diseases such as ocular herpes, and functional outcomes after corneal transplantation. She received funding without interruption until 2013, publishing more than 80 original scientific articles. She has trained 120 residents and 50 graduate students, including a number of fellows. Since 2011, she has served as dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal; she has also been a member of several boards of directors and organizations for the advancement of science and medical education. In this capacity, she was president of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (2014-2016) and since 2012, has been a member of the prestigious M8 Alliance, an international network of universities dedicated to improving global health. In December 2018, Dr. Boisjoly became a member of the Order of Canada.