One of Canada’s highest awards of honour has some familiar Dal faces among its latest batch of appointees.
On December 31, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, announced 80 new appointments to the Order of Canada. Among them were Dalhousie President Kim Brooks and longtime Faculty of Medicine faculty member Dr. Patrick Croskerry.
President Kim Brooks was appointed in appreciation of her work as a tax lawyer, professor, and human rights advocate, and her efforts to advance equity, accessibility, and freedom of gender expression in higher education. Her formal citation as a new Member in the Order recognizes how “she champions Nova Scotia and is a thoughtful voice for inclusive leadership, transformative education and research that builds Canada’s future.”
Board Chair Cheryl Fraser says the honour is a testament to the contributions Dr. Brooks has made to higher education across her career. “It’s a recognition that reflects the spirit, enthusiasm, and pride with which Kim represents Dalhousie and its people each and every day in their efforts to advance scholarship, discovery, and impact in Nova Scotia and around the world.”
The Faculty of Medicine's Dr. Patrick Croskerry was also appointed as a Member of the Order. A retired professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, he is a leading researcher in emergeny medicine renowned for his work exploring the factors that contribute to diagnostic errors. His Order of Canada celebrates his work with the Critical Thinking Program at Dal, in which “he developed curricula and training to strengthen clinical judgment and risk assessment, shaping future health care practitioners by focusing on safety and precision.” (He was also an Olympic rower, too!)
Dr. Croskerry says he is honoured to be recognized for work that examines how health-care workers — particularly physicians — think and make decisions.
"I am very happy that the award has been directed at an area of health care that hasn't attracted a lot of attention in the past. It concerns how all health-care providers think, make judgements, and then decisions about how to best treat patients. These are complicated processes in health care that deserve close attention."
An esteemed honour
Drs. Brooks and Croskerry join several other Dalhousie Order of Canada honourees in recent years, including Dr. Ford Doolittle (2005, promotion in the order), Dr. Ken Rockwood (2024), Dr. Richard Kroeker (2024), the late Dr. Ronald Stewart (2024, promotion in the order), Dr. Patricia Livingston (2022), Dr. Mary Brooks (2022), and Dr. Allan S. MacDonald (2022).
Many Dal alumni have also been named to the Order of Canada in recent years, and this latest round of appointments includes three more:
Ellie Black (non-degreed alum), one of Canada’s most accomplished gymnasts. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Black finished fourth (beam) for Canada’s best-ever Olympic result in any women’s artistic gymnastics event. She’s credited as having “inspired young athletes to pursue gymnastics, while her mentorship continues to shape and support fellow gymnasts, leaving a legacy on Canada’s athletic and training landscape.”
Mark Dobbin (MBA’83), founder of Killick Capital Inc. A dedicated investor, mentor and entrepreneurship advocate, he is celebrated for his commitment to Newfoundland and Labrador’s economic and cultural vitality through philanthropy and volunteerism. His contributions span education, the arts and technology, reflecting a passion for community development and innovation across multiple sectors.
John Willinsky (PhD’82), the Khosla Family Professor Emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education and a professor at Simon Fraser University. Renowned for his efforts to foster public access to research, he founded the Public Knowledge Project, the world’s most widely deployed scholarly publishing platform, used by journals in 150 countries and 60 languages to publish freely accessible research.
Honorary degree recipient The Honourable Rosalie Silberman Abella (LLD’85) was also named as a Companion of the Order (the highest level in the Order). She was the first Jewish woman to serve on Canada’s Supreme Court.