David F Hardwick

The University of British Columbia

In 2001, UBC awarded Hardwick an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his commitment to the principles of academic freedom. In his acceptance speech he spoke of " ...the opportunity to chase one's own rainbow's end...", noting that such opportunity does not exist widely outside the university environment, and exhorting new graduates to do what they can to preserve academic freedom.

Hardwick attributed his achievements to his ability to build connections with multiple institutional entities, and to strengthen connections among different generations of medical practitioners. He spoke publicly of the importance of collegial activity in an article "Our Academy as an Exciting Academic Forum":

As Associate Dean, Research and Planning, in the UBC Faculty of Medicine from 1990 to 1996, Hardwick helped build government relationships that advanced the academic and scientific missions of UBC and its teaching hospitals. In addition, Hardwick also improved relationships between UBC and its teaching hospitals and for establishing teaching and research facilities at these sites. Among those achievements are:

Hardwick has served the University and the wider community in many capacities, including

Awards

Hardwick's achievements and service include:

Early years and education

Hardwick was born in 1934 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a family of educators. He received his education, including his medical education, at The University of British Columbia graduating in 1957. Hardwick pursued post graduate training in Montreal, PQ; Charlotte, NC; Vancouver, BC, and Los Angeles, CA, first in Pædiatrics and then in Pathology, Medical Biochemistry and Developmental Physiology. He began his teaching, research and administrative career at The University of British Columbia in 1963 in the Department of Pathology.

Researcher

Hardwick's research training in Physiology and Pathology led to numerous publications including an early conclusion that the histological appearance of Wilms' tumours affected clinical outcome—at that time a new observation—and in 1971 to an elucidation of the pathogenesis of Methionine toxicity. His work in the area of pædiatric pathology includes a study of metabolic diseases of childhood. His research into methods for screening inborn errors of metabolism has led to the investigation and reporting, with co-workers, of numerous cases. In the field of pathophysiology his research focused on the effect of vasomotion or lack of vasomotion on tissue pathology and viability in normal tissues and in tumours. Hardwick's ongoing interest in governance led to his research on inter-dependent relationships in inter-institutional systems, and in the area of clinical pathology his research into physician behaviour has led to practical hypotheses of laboratory test ordering patterns with testable interventions.

Later studies have focused on economic effects of clinical laboratory testing. His second book, Directing the Clinical Laboratory, is a summation of 27 years' experience in this aspect of his research.

Educator

Hardwick received the Certificate of Excellence Master Teaching Award in 1974, and the University Teaching Excellence Award and Prize in 1994. Students' fondness for him is illustrated by the number of nominations he has received for teaching awards determined by the student body, which has elected him as Faculty Advisor to the Medical Advisory Undergraduate Society for 20 consecutive two-year terms. In 1994, the Committee for Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) review of the UBC Faculty of Medicine congratulated the Department of Pathology for the design of the undergraduate pathology course that Hardwick directed, and noted that it was the students' "recognized best course in the School of Medicine" and one that "all other Departments should emulate".

Administrator and innovator

Since the 1960s, Hardwick has been a major influence in the Faculty's decision-making. He was Head of Pathology for 14 years from 1976, attracting and producing many talented educators, researchers, and practitioners during his tenure. He then became Associate Dean of Research and Planning and on retiring was invited to stay on as Special Advisor on Planning. He has been heavily involved in the expansion of the undergraduate medical program since 2003; a provincial government supported initiative to address the shortage of medical practitioners, especially prevalent in rural areas.

Hardwick has been quick to grasp the potential of information technology, and serves on UBC's E-Strategy Committee, examining how new technologies can best be employed in learning and research. He implemented training changes early on at UBC, creating a University administration system to switch from hospital to university administrated Residency Programs (1971), followed by the creation of an administrative structure to support the combined Women's and Children's Hospital as Chief of Medical Staff (1982). He conceptualized, and Fred Silva of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) worked to implement the Knowledge Hub for Pathology. This is an interactive repository of current knowledge that provides knowledge to pathologists worldwide (76 million hits in 2010), free, until its "best before" date at which time it is replaced by more up-to-date information.

International career

Hardwick taught, lectured and presented at conferences around the globe. In recognition of his international work he was awarded the Gold Medal of the International Academy of Pathology (IAP) in 2003. Awarded only every second year, this honour recognizes individuals who have contributed international service to the Academy and to the field of pathology in the areas of education, research and service. He is currently responsible for hospital campus facility creation and AV/IT provision for UBC's distributed Medical School expansion throughout BC, and is the International Secretary for the International Academy of Pathology (IAP), the world's largest and oldest pathology society.

Hardwick served as IAP President in 1994 at the Hong Kong Congress and remained engaged as a Vice-President, North America to enhance international education. He was instrumental in putting the Inter-congress Education Committee in place and began to re-structure the IAP. In 2005, he was asked by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) to work with them and others to determine a strategy for preserving the AFIP in an era of drastic budget cuts. Ultimately, the medical function was transferred to "Joint Services", and the museum repository, unique in the world, was maintained.

Current activities

Presently, he works with the BC Government Ministries of Health Services and Education Advancement to create new academic facilities at hospitals and clinics throughout British Columbia. This process began in early 2002 in response to the BC Government's decision to more than double the enrolment of undergraduate students, from 128 per year to 285 per year, and postgraduate residency trainees by a small number. In addition to overseeing the planning and implementation of approximately $50,000,000 of structural facilities, Hardwick advises on creation of the advanced video conference, lecture and seminar facilities for the program.

These facilities (structural and AV/IT) are also used extensively for interdisciplinary education at all the sites, with special implementation at partner university campuses (University of Victoria, University of Northern British Columbia, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus (UBCO)) and at the major clinical academic campuses of the Vancouver Fraser Program, Island Medical Program, Northern Medical Program, and Southern Medical Program.

He serves as the Secretary to the International Academy of Pathology, and is working to monitor and support web information, divisional programs worldwide and to administer the international office with special emphasis on biennial congresses in underserved countries: São Paulo in 2010, Cape Town in 2012, and Bangkok in 2014. He is Chair of the US Canadian IAP Division Long-term Planning Initiative.

British Columbia Children's Hospital

The first British Columbia Children's Hospital owes its existence in part to his efforts. As Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee of the original Children's Hospital Hardwick brought various medical and lay community groups together in achieving the new Children's Hospital. After the Children's Hospital amalgamated with Women's Hospital, forming the new Children's and Women's Hospital, Hardwick served on the Board of Directors from 1998 to 2001. The UBC David F. Hardwick Pathology Learning Centre (DHPLC) in the Diamond Health Care Centre, which houses the pathology medical museum specimens, is an example of educational resource for learning about the causes and mechanisms of human disease, and for studying clinicopathologic correlations.