Thursday 22 June 2023
Pilot, physician and decorated peacekeeper who overcame systemic racism to become a much-honoured authority on aviation medicine
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.
Advanced technologies, such as aviation, create unique health challenges. Stephen Blizzard, MD, himself a military pilot, developed standards and practices in aviation and aerospace medicine still used today, including publications such as Flight Times and Flight Duty Times in Canada, and the globally used Patient Care in Flight, covering pilot fatigue, jet lag, and inflight care. As an active-duty officer, Dr. Blizzard served in Operation Magnet mission, airlifting Vietnamese refugees to Canada, the United National Peacekeeping mission in Egypt, and as an advisor to the Air Force in Zimbabwe. A first-generation Black Canadian, and with the integral work and support of his wife Merle, Dr. Blizzard overcame systemic racism to become a pilot, physician, and decorated peacekeeper, serving as President of the International Civil Aviation Medical Association, the Canadian Society of Aerospace Medicine, and the Canadian Aerospace Medicine and Aeromedical Transport Association. He served with the NATO Advisory Group on Aerospace Research and Development and became a member of the prestigious International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine. Much honoured and decorated, his courageous legacy lives on in such awards as the Dr. Stephen Blizzard Trailblazer Award at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, commemorating a lifetime of exceptional achievement.
Source: Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
For more info, visit: Stephen Blizzard, MD | CMHF (cdnmedhall.ca) Remembering Dr. Stephen Blizzard – Black Ottawa Scene