Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

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The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in London, Ont., says it celebrates the accomplishments of "Canadian medical heroes."

The six laureates for 2011 are:

Born in Argentina, Dr. Albert Aguayo trained in neurology at the University of Toronto and McGill University in Montreal, where he was a pioneer in neural regeneration. Aguayo and his team were the first to show that nerve fibres and function in the central nervous system of adult mammals could be restored after injury.

Dr. John Bienenstock was born in Budapest, Hungary, and accomplished his landmark research into immunization and how the nervous and immune systems interact at McMaster University in Hamilton.

The late Dr. Paul David was considered Quebec's father of cardiology for establishing the Montreal Heart Institute in the city of his birth. The institute was home to Canada's first heart transplant and first coronary angioplasty under his direction. David was appointed to the Senate.

The late Dr. Jonathan Campbell Meakins was born in Hamilton. He was a teacher and promoter of clinical research who wrote a renowned textbook. The former dean of medicine at McGill University was an advocate of universal health insurance and was a founder and the first president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Allan Ronald was born in Portage la Prairie, Man. Ronald was instrumental in creating the Manitoba Infectious Disease Program, an internationally recognized centre of excellence in research and training in the treatment of infectious diseases. With his wife, a nurse, Ronald provided antiretroviral therapy and training in HIV care to thousands in Africa, and he oversaw Hong Kong's SARS epidemic.

Edmonton-born Dr. D. Lorne Tyrrell's groundbreaking research led to the discovery of 3TC or lamivudine, the first antiviral therapy drug for the treatment and control of hepatitis B virus. Tyrrell and his colleagues developed a mouse model to test potential drugs against hepatitis C. In 2010, he secured the University of Alberta's largest donation, enabling him to found the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology.