Martin Schechter MD PhD

Dr. Martin Schechter is a UBC Professor and was the founding director of the School of Population and Public Health. He was trained in mathematics (PhD), medicine (MD) and epidemiology (MSc), and combines interests in clinical epidemiology and health services research with HIV/AIDS and urban health research. Leadership has been the hallmark of his career. He co-founded the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and served as its first director of epidemiology and population health, and he is a former director of the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS). Nationally, he was the founding president of the Canadian Association for HIV Research and was a co-founder of the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network, a national network of investigators conducting trials of HIV therapies, preventions, and vaccines and served as national director of the Network from 1993 to 2014. He was also president of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences from 2007 to 2009 and served on the Board of Governors of the Council of Canadian Academies during that time. Martin joined the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research in 2006 as its first chief scientific officer. He is now co-director of the recently established Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health at UBC.

As the author of more than 350 peer-reviewed publications he was invested into the Order of British Columbia for his contributions to research. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

About the CMHF

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.

This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON