Dr. Donald Rix to receive the CMA’s highest honour

OTTAWA, Aug. 12 – On August 19, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) will present the 2009 F.N.G. Starr Award to businessman, philanthropist and community volunteer Dr. Donald Rix from Vancouver, BC.

“His spirit of generosity is a source of inspiration to all health professionals,” said CMA president Dr. Robert Ouellet. “He is an exceedingly generous physician who is widely admired by the medical profession for his dedication to making his community and the world a better place.””I consider it a great honour to receive the F.N.G. Starr Award”, said Dr. Rix. “I always felt that being involved in the community was the right thing to do. By donating time and money, my wife and I have worked to try to meet educational challenges felt in isolated communities and to fulfill our international commitment to bring help and hope to the Khmer people of Cambodia.”

An innovator with a longstanding interest in linking science, technology, industry and education, Dr. Rix is chairman of the board of directors of LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services (British Columbia), Stirrat Laboratories (Alberta) and Trainor Clinical Laboratories (Manitoba). He is also chairman and director of CanTest Ltd., Prime Trials Inc., and Europa Ltd.

Dr. Rix studied arts and medicine at the University of Western Ontario, and earned his specialty certificate in general pathology in 1968. He is a fellow of the College of American Pathologists, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and the universities of Western Ontario, Simon Fraser, British Columbia, and Victoria. In 1992 he was admitted as a fellow in the Royal Society of Medicine.

A clinical assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at University of British Columbia for many years, he was awarded emeritus status in 2000. A lifetime member of the UBC President’s Circle, he has been a member of the board of the UBC Foundation since 2004 and serves on the advisory council of the graduate studies faculty. He is also a member of UBC’s board of governors.

Dr. Rix is also a generous financial supporter of medical and science education. In 2009 he donated $4 million to UBC, half of which will endow bursaries for medical students in financial need. In a press release announcing the gift, UBC President Martha Piper said: “This generous gift will significantly advance student access to medical education and is a farsighted contribution to efforts to ease B.C.’s doctor shortage in rural and remote communities.”

Dr. Rix’s generosity contributed to the establishment of UBC’s Northern Health Sciences Centre, which uses state-of-the-art technology for training northern physicians and nurse practitioners. Three years ago he also established the BC Leadership Chair in Aboriginal Environmental Health at University of Northern British Columbia so that health and environment data could be linked in an effort to identify potential health risks in the aboriginal population.

Dr. Rix was involved with the British Columbia Institute of Technology for more than 25 years. In addition to being a member of the faculty, he chaired the board of directors and served on various committees. He is a charter member of the BCIT President’s Club and a former director of its Foundation. He has also been a strong supporter of Simon Fraser University, serving as chair of the council of the Segal Centre for Graduate Management Studies and as a director of the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.

Dr. Rix is well known for his business acumen and vision for technology, particularly as it applies in the field of medicine. Former chair of the BC Innovation Council and chair of its international committee, he has led a number of science-technology delegations and trade missions to China and other Pacific Rim countries. He has served on a federal advisory group on international trade in health care and medical products. A member of the Premier’s Technology Council, Dr. Rix also is a past chairman and director of Genome BC.

Dr. Rix serves on the boards of many biotechnology companies, where his leadership is highly valued. Currently he also is a member of the board of BC Technology Social Venture Partners and its Industries Association, which presented him with a technology impact award (2005). In 2005 Ernst and Young awarded him and CanTest Ltd. its Entrepreneur of the Year honour for health sciences, as well as a national citation for promoting entrepreneurship. He has been inducted into the Business Laureates of British Columbia Hall of Fame (2006), and is an honorary fellow of the Sauder School of Business (2007). In addition, he has received a lifetime achievement award from Biotechnology Alliance (2001).

Dr. Rix has chaired the Vancouver Board of Trade, and chairman and director of the Sunny Hill Health Centre Foundation, and acting as a director of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and the BC Cancer Foundation. Dr. Rix and his family are patrons of the arts in British Columbia, with particular interest in the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Opera and Festival Vancouver.

Dr. Rix found time for his medical associations during his busy career. A former member of the BCMA board of directors and various committees, he continues to chair the finance committee. At the national level, he served on the CMA’s finance and allied health professional committees. His generous spirit extended to his colleagues: Dr. Rix established a physician’s benevolent fund to help those in the profession who are unable to look after themselves due to illness. A senior member of both the British Columbia and Canadian medical associations, he was awarded the BCMA Silver Medal of Service Award (2004).

Other accolades include investiture in the Order of British Columbia (2004) and the Order of Canada (2007). He is a member of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller and in 2002 was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award.

Dr. Donald Rix will become the 44th recipient of the CMA F.N.G. Starr Award at a special ceremony at the TCU Place in Saskatoon, Sask. as part of the CMA’s 142nd annual meeting.

For further information: Lucie Boileau, Manager, Media Relations, (800) 663-7336 or (613) 731-8610, ext. 1266, Mobile: (613) 447-0866