The Late Dr. Irene Uchida Inducted to the Faculty’s Community of Distinction
Three visionary leaders, whose research and contributions furthered the reputation of McMaster University and its Faculty of Health Sciences, are being inducted into the Faculty’s Community of Distinction next month.
One of the three inductees is the late Dr. Irene Uchida, professor emeritus of the Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology and Molecular Medicine. She joins previous inductees from Pediatrics: Oded Bar-Or, Peter Dent, Alvin Zuprisky, and Saroj Saigal.
She pioneered the field of cytogenetics in Canada and her work led to the development of a test to detect early chromosomal abnormalities. She also discovered that Down Syndrome can be passed down by both parents. Her foundational work on the effect of X-rays on chromosome behaviour during pregnancy led to them being used more cautiously on pregnant mothers worldwide.
In 1969, Dr. Uchida came to McMaster as a professor of Pediatrics and Pathology and retired as a professor emerita in 1985. She died in 2013 but is remembered as an inspirational medical educator and trailblazer for women in science, and her clinical medical geneticist trainees went on to lead major genetics programs across Canada. Her awards include being one of 1,000 Canadian Women of Note in Canada’s first century.
Dr. Irene Uchida, along with Sue Baptiste, MHSc, and Stephen Walter, PhD, will be celebrated at a special ceremony on Friday, November 4, 2022, at 4 p.m. in the Ewart Angus Centre of McMaster’s Health Sciences Centre and is open to all faculty, staff and learners of the Faculty, as well as the colleagues, family and friends of the inductees.
Please RSVP by Friday October 28, 2022 at fhsevents4@mcmaster.ca or by calling 905-525-9140, ext. 27400.
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