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Founders' Day 2011 - Dr. Donald Baxter
Donald W. Baxter (August 24, 1926 – July 24, 2012) was a Canadian neurologist Emeritus Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University and former Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro).
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Early life and education
Baxter was born in Brockville, Ontario and received his medical degree in 1951 from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. As an intern, he spent two months at the Montreal Neurological Institute, becoming acquainted with neuroanatomist Jerzy Olszewski. He returned to The Neuro in 1952-53 as a research fellow with Olszewski to complete the atlas, "Cytoarchitecture of the Human Brain Stem" and in 1954 moved to Boston City Hospital for training in neuropathology and neurology.
He died in July 2012 and his funeral was held on August 3, 2012.
Academic career
In 1957, Baxter was recruited to the medical school and hospital at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where he helped to build the neurology service. In 1962 Baxter become Associate Professor at the School of Medicine at Temple University and the Philadelphia General Hospital but after only 14 months, he was recruited back to McGill University as Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Neurologist-in-Chief at the Montreal General Hospital (MGH).
Baxter was named chairman of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University (1979–1984) and moved to the Montreal Neurological Hospital as Neurologist-in-Chief. He served as Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) from 1984 to 1992 and Interim Director from 2000 to 2002.
Baxter authored a large number of scientific papers on neurological diseases and is known as a teacher and a physician. In 1995 the annual Donald Baxter Lecture in Neurology was established at The Neuro to honor his career achievements.
Baxter was President of the Canadian Neurological Association (1969–1970) and Chairman of the Committee on Neurology at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (1970–1975). He was a long serving member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association and the Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences. He was also active in the Montreal community as a volunteer board member at the Mackay Center. Baxter lived in Montreal, Quebec with Anne Bieler, whom he married in 1988.