U of S ‘Father of Agricultural Medicine’ named to Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Distinguished Research Chair Dr. Jim Dosman—the ‘father of agricultural medicine in Canada’—is among six Canadians named to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for contributions to medicine and the health sciences that have led to extraordinary improvements in human health.
“A pioneer in his field, Jim has been devoted throughout his career to improving and protecting the health of agricultural workers in Canada and the world,” said U of S Vice-President Research Karen Chad.
“He has been an outstanding leader at the forefront of agricultural health and safety efforts, policy, and research. He is a visionary, a builder of teams and organizations, and a truly collaborative partner with farmers, industry and government to advance health and safety of rural Canadians.”
Born in rural Saskatchewan, Dosman saw that farming can be a hazardous industry—for producers, workers, and their families. As a physician and specialist in respiratory medicine, he undertook foundational work on the effects of dust exposure among grain workers, which led to the establishment of a nationwide database supporting research and training.
He spear headed international symposia that led to standards for dust exposure in the grain industry. He led the International Labour Organization’s effort to design an international code, Safety and Health in Agriculture (2011), bringing health care standards to millions of farmers and agricultural workers worldwide.
Dosman is the founding director of the university’s Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture—a unique-in-Canada centre for research, education and health promotion, with particular focus on the health effects of agricultural exposures on rural populations. The centre includes more than a dozen Canadian universities and worldwide partners.
Founded in 1986, the centre conducts wide-ranging research such as farm injury, rural health, childhood asthma, dementia and chronic back pain studies, and partners with the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities through the Agricultural Health and Safety Network to reduce injuries and illness on farms. Housed in the new Health Sciences Building E-Wing, the centre includes the national agricultural industrial hygiene laboratory for studying high-risk exposures and health issues.
Dosman has held more than $18 million in research grants since 2000 and has authored more than 280 peer-reviewed publications. He is currently president and CEO of Agrivita Canada Inc., a non-profit company he helped form, promoting research, public health and safety in agriculture through the Canadian AgriSafety Applied Research Program.
Dosman has received many honours including an Officer of the Order of Canada, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has been inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.
Dosman will be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Montreal on May 2 2019. Previous U of S laureates include Harold Johns, Sylvia Fedoruk, and Emmett Hall.