Nine USask faculty members named distinguished professors
The honorary title of distinguished professor recognizes exceptional achievements in research, scholarly, and artistic work.
By SHANNON BOKLASCHUKNine University of Saskatchewan (USask) faculty members have been awarded the title of distinguished professor, a designation that honours and celebrates outstanding achievements in research, scholarly, and artistic work.
“On behalf of the University of Saskatchewan, I congratulate our esteemed colleagues who have been awarded the distinguished professor designation during the 2023/24 academic year,” said Professor Airini, USask’s provost and vice-president academic.
“In the University Plan 2025, USask has articulated the bold ambition to be the university the world needs. These nine distinguished professors now join those recognized previously for having made a significant impact locally, nationally, and internationally through their outstanding research, scholarly, and artistic work.”
Professors emeriti and current USask faculty members who hold academic qualifications corresponding with an appointment at the rank of full professor are eligible for appointment to the distinguished professor position. Recipients of this lifetime award become distinguished professors emeriti upon retirement.
“On the selection committee, I was joined by senior leaders, faculty, and members of the community. We examined submissions for evidence of meaningful impact on and off campus,” said Dr. Scott Walsworth (PhD), vice-provost, faculty relations. “The nine new distinguished professors represent the best qualities of faculty at our leading university.”
This year’s distinguished professors are Dr. Gregg Adams (DVM, PhD), Dr. Barry Blakley (DVM, PhD), Dr. John Gordon (PhD), Dr. Jim Handy (PhD), Dr. Jill E. Hobbs (PhD), Dr. Vikram Misra (PhD), Dr. Vivan R. Ramsden (PhD), Professor Susan Shantz, and Dr. Terry Wotherspoon (PhD).
Dr. John Gordon – College of Medicine
Gordon earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1977 and his PhD in 1984 at USask before engaging in fellowships at the National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill, U.K., and the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School in allergy/mast cell biology. In 1991, he joined USask as a faculty member and is currently a professor in the Division of Respirology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, while also seconded as a special advisor (clinical research) to USask’s Office of the Vice-President Research.
Gordon is an expert in the field of airway disease and immune regulation, including translational work in examining immunotherapies, reversal of asthma and food allergen sensitivities, and the development of anti-inflammatory agents, for which his lab holds eight patents and has obtained $7.9 million in grants or industry contracts. The central focus of Gordon’s lab is the development of immunotherapeutics for allergic and other inflammatory diseases, but they have collaborated with numerous groups locally, across Canada, and internationally, having obtained another $32 million in collaborative research, infrastructure, or training grants.
Gordon is a leader in immunotherapies nationally and internationally and is involved in top clinical allergy-related organizations, such as the Collegium Internationale Allergologicum (CIA). He was one of just 250 members worldwide selected for membership in the prestigious CIA in 2008 and has been a standing member of the organization’s executive committee since 2018. In 2019, he was inducted as a fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He is also the past president of the Canadian Society for Immunology.
Dr. Vivian R. Ramsden – College of Medicine
Ramsden earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at USask and her Master of Science degree at the California College for Health Sciences before earning her PhD in interdisciplinary studies at USask in 2004. She is a registered nurse, a professor, the director of the Research Division in the Department of Academic Family Medicine at the College of Medicine, and an honorary member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Widely recognized for her community-engaged work, Ramsden’s participatory health research in primary care is helping to transform health outcomes in inner-city communities in Saskatoon and Regina, in several Indigenous communities in northern Saskatchewan, and in several villages in south India, as well as for individuals with incarceration experience. She is a passionate advocate for research that partners with individuals and communities to create solutions for issues that affect their health. In 2022, Ramsden was inducted as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS)—one of the highest honours for a health scientist in this country.
Ramsden’s CAHS induction follows a significant track record of recognition at the university, provincial, national, and international levels. Some highlights include being named as the 2021 recipient of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) President’s Award for developing a new committee on patient and clinician engagement. In 2020, she was honoured as Family Medicine Researcher of the Year by the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). In 2015, the CFPC named Ramsden one of the Top 20 Pioneers in Family Medicine Research in Canada, after recognizing her in 2012 as an honorary member—the college’s highest honour for a non-physician.
Read the full article on the University of Saskatchewan news site.