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St. John’s, Newfoundland Dr Sophie Hofstader, MDCM, FRCPC of Toronto was honoured as the Canadian Dermatology Foundation “Practitioner of the Year 2010” at the President’s Banquet of the Canadian Dermatology Association’s Annual Meeting held earlier this year in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Dr Shear, President of the CDF said Dr Hofstader was a pillar of the medical community and has given back a lot to the medical community in many ways for many years, and shows no signs of letting up. As a delighted Dr Hofstader was presented with a commemorative plaque, her colleagues spontaneously joined in giving her a standing ovation. Dr Hofstader was born in Warsaw, Poland, where she attended veterinary and medical school and immigrated to Canada in January 1949. Overcoming many obstacles, not least of which was the tendency of medical schools to give priority to male students, Dr Hofstader graduated from Dalhousie Medical School in 1967 and was one of the first certified members of the College of Family Practice. Qualifying in Dermatology in November 1971 Dr Hofstader first joined Toronto Western Hospital, and subsequently moved to Women’s College Hospital in 1981, where she continues to be an active member of staff. The CDF bestowed on Dr Hofstader a Benefactor Life Membership in the Foundation, the highest level in the organization, recognizing contributors of $10,000 or more. The award was made possible by a Corporate Benefactor Contribution of $10,000 made by Abbott. The CDF Practitioner of the Year is an annual award which was established in 1992 to honour Canadian dermatologists whose major income is produced from clinical practice and who have made a major contribution to dermatology and the community at large. The nomination for the Practitioner of the Year is made by an independent peer group consisting solely of members of the Canadian Dermatology Foundation and the dermatology community. The final selection is made by the Board of Directors of the Canadian Dermatology Foundation. Previous recipients of the award are Dr Richard Cloutier, Dr. Ralph Wilkinson, Dr. Peter Hull, Dr. John Toole, Dr. Ricky Kanee Schachter, Dr. W. Stuart Maddin, Dr. Pierre Ricard, Dr. Tom Enta, Dr. William Pace, Dr. Don Rosenthal, Dr. Bob Lester, Dr. J. Barrie Ross, Dr. William N. McEachern, Dr. W. Alastair McLeod and Dr. Donald C. Montgomery, who was the first recipient in 1992. The Canadian Dermatology Foundation was established in 1969 to further scientific knowledge of skin diseases. The CDF is the leading source of funding for peer-reviewed dermatological research in Canada and grants awarded to date total over $5 million. Current advances in knowledge of skin disease are leading to improved methods of diagnosis and treatment, which benefit dermatologists and their patients. |
