Unsolicited advice for newly minted paediatricians

Dick, as he was universally known, was recruited from Sick Kids in Toronto to McGill and the MCH in 1986 to be Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatrician-in-Chief of the Montreal Children's Hospital. Then Dean Cruess, a long-time friend, was instrumental in this recruitment. Dick served a full 10-year term in these positions. He was a man of impeccable manners and demeanor, some would say courtly, who was measured in his speech and his words. He led in a quiet way, seeking consensus before proceeding forward. Most of the present senior medical and research leadership of the Department and hospital (myself included) were recruited during his term, so time has validated his skill at talent spotting. Aside from his intensive administrative roles, Dick was at the forefront of pediatric gastroenterology as both a clinician and a laboratory scientist, developing animal models for the study of human disease. He forged international collaborations in low resource settings long before global health was a buzz word or facilitated by the instant connectedness of the Internet. For his multiple contributions to health and the Canadian community, Dick was awarded an Order of Canada in 2002. It also should be realized that Dick’s lifetime of substantial accomplishments took place against a continual backdrop of significant medical challenges.