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Quebec City, Quebec. Doctor Ricky Kanee Schachter was honoured as the Canadian Dermatology Foundation Practitioner of the Year 2005 and was presented with a commemorative plaque by Dr Neil Shear, President of the Foundation. The award bestows Life Membership in the Foundation on the recipient and this year it was sponsored by L’Oréal Research. The nomination was proposed by Dr Neil Shear, Professor of Dermatology, University of Toronto, who noted that Dr Schachter became a Fellow of the Royal College in Canada in 1950. Dr Schachter became one of the first few women in the Canadian Dermatology Association and had many obstacles to overcome. She secured a staff position at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and “had a tremendous impact on dermatological care, and developed novel models of care that are still best practice leaders. Her energy, commitment and vision stimulated many students to enter the field of dermatology.” Doctor Schachter is the first female physician honoured as CDF Practitioner of the year and still cares for patients in the phototherapy unit that she founded in 1976 as the Phototherapy Education and Research Centre (PERC) at Women’s College Hospital. The unit is unique in that it is supported by Nurse Practitioners giving the care and providing education throughout the process. This has revolutionized the way chronic diseases are treated, such as psoriasis, and is a role model for many of the other diseases seen by dermatologists. Her administrative responsibilities have included President of the medical staff at the hospital, Chief of the Division of Dermatology, President of the Section of Dermatology in the Academy of Medicine and President of the Toronto Dermatological Association. She was also President of the Canadian Dermatological Association 1978-1979.
“Dr Schachter is an outstanding role model for all her younger colleagues. She has had a strong interaction with the leadership at the hospital and the University of Toronto throughout her career and has always represented dermatology at the highest level possible.” 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. Previous recipients of the award are 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 to date total nearly $4 million. Current advances in knowledge of skin disease are leading to improved methods of diagnosis and treatment, which benefit dermatologists and their patients. |
During her more than 50 years as a dermatologist, Dr Schachter has earned many honours, including Lifetime Achievement Award of Merit from the Toronto Dermatological Society in 1989, the Award of Merit from the Federation of Medical Women of Canada in 1994, the Rose Hirschler Award, as Woman of the Year 1995, culminating in election to Membership of the Order of Canada in 1998.
