E120 Officer of the Order of Canada Jonathan Meakins on Art and Surgery

Cold Steel: Canadian Journal of Surgery Podcast

Dr. Jonathan Meakins is former Chair of the Department of Surgery at McGill and is an Officer of the Order of Canada for his outstanding work in immunobiology, laparoscopic surgery, and transplantation. Among his many interests is his love of art, and at the age of 73 Dr. Meakins has gone back to school to obtain his Masters in Fine Arts.

Check out the links to see some of the fascinating work Dr. Meakins has done to demonstrate how the critical viewing of art can perhaps make us better clinicians.

Links:

1. Wide-ranging textbook of surgical research. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673610614717/fulltext?rss=yes

2. Surgical Infection in Art. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/596694

3. Reflective of the physician’s eye. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/183/10/1176.full.pdf

4. Renowned surgeon Jonathan Meakins goes for master’s in art history. http://www.theseniortimes.com/renowned-surgeon-jonathan-meakins-goes-for-masters-in-art-history/

5. Art at the McGill University Health Centre. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/190/49/E1457

Bio (from https://muhc.ca/news-and-patient-stories/news/dr-jonathan-l-meakins-inducted-canadian-medical-hall-fame#:~:text=For%20his%20contributions%2C%20he%20was,of%20the%20McGill%20University%2C%20Dr.):

Dr. Jonathan L. Meakins is an expert in immunobiology and surgical infections. Former Chair of the Department of Surgery at McGill University (1989-1993, 1998-2002) and former Surgeon-in-Chief of the Royal Victoria Hospital (1988-1998), he has safely and effectively advanced surgical technologies and demonstrated a relationship between compromised immune responses and poor surgical outcomes, leading to significant improvements in clinical assessments and nutritional supports for surgical patients.

Over the course of his career, he has published over 225 articles and edited or co-edited 6 books. He was co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Surgery for 10 years. For his contributions, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, as a leader in the development of laparoscopic surgery and transplantation surgery in 2000.

Third generation of his family to work in the field of medicine for the Faculty of Medicine of the McGill University, Dr. Meakins now oversees the Jonathan Campbell Meakins and Family Memorial Scholarship program, originally established by his father, Dr. Jonathan Fayette Meakins. This is a scholarship that recognizes excellence in medical education.

An art-loving doctor, Dr. Meakins has worked for many years to develop the arts within the MUHC. He plays an active role in the MUHC's Arts and Heritage Centre as Director, helping to bring the arts into clinical settings. He believes that art within the institution helps to humanize the sometimes sterile hospital environment and can have an impact on patients and their families.