Frederick Lowy
Encyclopedia
Frederick Hans Lowy, OC
(born 1933) is a Canadian
medical educator and President
and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University.
, Austria
in 1933, Lowy moved to Montreal
at age 13. After graduating from Baron Byng High School
, Lowy studied medicine at McGill University
, graduating in 1959. As an undergraduate, he was managing editor of the McGill Daily student newspaper. He was a psychiatric consultant
at the Royal Victoria Hospital and Neurological Institute
in the late 1960s.
Lowy moved to Toronto
in 1974 to become Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Director of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
and professor
at, and chair of, the University of Toronto
's Department of Psychiatry, succeeding Robin C.A. Hunter
. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine from 1980 to 1987. He was the founder and first Director of the University's Centre for Bioethics (now University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
). In 1995 he returned to Montreal to become the 4th Rector
and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. (In 2004 the English title of the position was changed to "President and Vice-Chancellor".) He held this post until August 1, 2005.
Lowy was the first Chair of Canada's Tri-Council (Medical Research Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) Working Group on Ethics of Research on Human subjects (1994-1995) and Vice-Chair, Hospital Restructuring Committee, Metro Toronto District Health Council (1994-1995). He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
, a Life Member of the Canadian and American
Psychiatric Associations and the American College of Psychiatrists
. He is also a member of the Canadian Medical Association
and the International Psychoanalytical Association
. Lowy's previous medical appointments include positions at the Cincinnati General Hospital, the Ottawa Civic Hospital and the Toronto Hospital
. He has also served as a consultant to numerous research foundations and hospitals.
Lowy has lectured and published widely. His most recent publications examine ethical issues that face modern physicians and health science researchers. Lowy was a member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Board of Trade and of Centraide (Montreal); Vice-President of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec; and a former board member of the National Ballet of Canada
. Lowy has been a trustee at Ontario's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
, the Mount Sinai
, St. Michael's
, and Toronto
Hospitals, and the Ontario Cancer Institute
. He chaired an Ontario Government inquiry into the pharmaceutical industry (1988-1990) and held numerous professional editorial posts, including Editor of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
.
Lowy sits on the board of directors of Dundee Corporation, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
, and Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, Canadian Centre for Architecture
, and the Sauve Scholars Foundation
.
In 2000 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada
. He has received honorary degree
s from the University of Toronto (1998), McGill University (2001), and Concordia University (2008). Lowy is married to Mary Kay Lowy (Dr. M.K. O'Neil). He has four children, David, Eric, Adam, and Sarah, and eight grandchildren.
Lowy served as President
and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University from 1995 to 2005.
He served as Interim Executive Director of the Sauve Scholars Foundation
(2007-2008) and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Sauvé_Foundation in May 2008. He is Senior Advisor to the President of the Trudeau Foundation.
On January 21, 2011 he returned to the position of President of Concordia University on an interim basis, following the controversial departure of Judith Woodsworth
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born 1933) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
medical educator and President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University.
Life and career
Born in GroßpetersdorfGroßpetersdorf
Großpetersdorf is a municipality in Burgenland in the district of Oberwart in Austria.- Geography :The municipality is composed of Großpetersdorf, Kleinpetersdorf, Kleinzicken, Miedlingsdorf, and Welgersdorf....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1933, Lowy moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
at age 13. After graduating from Baron Byng High School
Baron Byng High School
Baron Byng High School was located at 4251 St. Urbain Street, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was named after the Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, the Governor General of Canada from 1921 to 1926. Byng was a World War I hero at the battle of Vimy Ridge, an important battle...
, Lowy studied medicine at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, graduating in 1959. As an undergraduate, he was managing editor of the McGill Daily student newspaper. He was a psychiatric consultant
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
at the Royal Victoria Hospital and Neurological Institute
McGill University Health Centre
The McGill University Health Centre is a network of teaching and community hospitals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada affiliated with McGill University....
in the late 1960s.
Lowy moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1974 to become Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Director of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a psychiatric hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Much of their work focuses on forensic psychology, sex addiction, drug addiction, and research designed to shape public policy....
and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at, and chair of, the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
's Department of Psychiatry, succeeding Robin C.A. Hunter
Robin Hunter (psychiatrist)
Robin C.A. Hunter was a Jamaican Canadian psychiatrist who was Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Queen's University and University of Toronto, as well as Director and Psychiatrist-in-Chief at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry...
. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine from 1980 to 1987. He was the founder and first Director of the University's Centre for Bioethics (now University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
The University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, or JCB, is an academic research centre located on the downtown campus of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Joint Centre for Bioethics is a partnership between the University and 15 affiliated health care organizations in...
). In 1995 he returned to Montreal to become the 4th Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. (In 2004 the English title of the position was changed to "President and Vice-Chancellor".) He held this post until August 1, 2005.
Lowy was the first Chair of Canada's Tri-Council (Medical Research Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) Working Group on Ethics of Research on Human subjects (1994-1995) and Vice-Chair, Hospital Restructuring Committee, Metro Toronto District Health Council (1994-1995). He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ' , French: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada, is a national, private, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada...
, a Life Member of the Canadian and American
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
Psychiatric Associations and the American College of Psychiatrists
American College of Psychiatrists
The American College of Psychiatrists is an association of psychiatrists based in Chicago. It operates annual meetings, publishes a newsletter, presents awards, and organizes the PRITE exam for psychiatric residents and the PIPE exam for practicing psychiatrists...
. He is also a member of the Canadian Medical Association
Canadian Medical Association
The Canadian Medical Association , with more than 70,000 members, is the largest association of doctors in Canada and works to represent their interests nationally. It formed in 1867, three months after Confederation...
and the International Psychoanalytical Association
International Psychoanalytical Association
The International Psychoanalytical Association is an association including 12,000 psychoanalysts as members and works with 70 constituent organizations. It was founded in 1910 by Sigmund Freud, on an idea proposed by Sándor Ferenczi...
. Lowy's previous medical appointments include positions at the Cincinnati General Hospital, the Ottawa Civic Hospital and the Toronto Hospital
Toronto General Hospital
The Toronto General Hospital , is a part of the University Health Network, and a major teaching hospital in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is located in the Discovery District, directly north of the Hospital for Sick Children, across Gerrard Street West, and east of Princess Margaret Hospital and...
. He has also served as a consultant to numerous research foundations and hospitals.
Lowy has lectured and published widely. His most recent publications examine ethical issues that face modern physicians and health science researchers. Lowy was a member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Board of Trade and of Centraide (Montreal); Vice-President of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec; and a former board member of the National Ballet of Canada
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
. Lowy has been a trustee at Ontario's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, abbreviated SHSC and known simply as Sunnybrook, is an academic health sciences centre located in Toronto, Ontario....
, the Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto)
Mount Sinai Hospital is a hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Although it is physically linked by bridges and tunnels to two University Health Network hospitals , Mount Sinai is an independently operated facility...
, St. Michael's
St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto)
St. Michael's Hospital is a teaching hospital and medical centre in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1892, with the founding goal of taking care of the sick and poor of Toronto's inner city. The hospital provides tertiary and quaternary services...
, and Toronto
University Health Network
University Health Network is a medical centre that comprises three teaching hospitals affiliated with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine....
Hospitals, and the Ontario Cancer Institute
Ontario Cancer Institute
The Ontario Cancer Institute is the research division of Princess Margaret Hospital, part of the University Health Network of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. As Canada's first dedicated cancer hospital, it opened officially and began to receive patients in 1958, although its...
. He chaired an Ontario Government inquiry into the pharmaceutical industry (1988-1990) and held numerous professional editorial posts, including Editor of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry/Revue canadienne de psychiatrie is the official journal of the Canadian Psychiatric Association. It was established in 1956 as the Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal and obtained its current title in 1979....
.
Lowy sits on the board of directors of Dundee Corporation, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....
, and Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, Canadian Centre for Architecture
Canadian Centre for Architecture
The Canadian Centre for Architecture is a museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Phyllis Lambert is the Founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Mirko Zardini is the Director and Chief Curator....
, and the Sauve Scholars Foundation
Sauvé Foundation
The Jeanne Sauvé Foundation was established by the Right Honourable Jeanne Sauvé, the first female governor-general of Canada, to implement its mission "to develop the leadership potential of promising youth from around the world"...
.
In 2000 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. He has received honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s from the University of Toronto (1998), McGill University (2001), and Concordia University (2008). Lowy is married to Mary Kay Lowy (Dr. M.K. O'Neil). He has four children, David, Eric, Adam, and Sarah, and eight grandchildren.
Lowy served as President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University from 1995 to 2005.
He served as Interim Executive Director of the Sauve Scholars Foundation
Sauvé Foundation
The Jeanne Sauvé Foundation was established by the Right Honourable Jeanne Sauvé, the first female governor-general of Canada, to implement its mission "to develop the leadership potential of promising youth from around the world"...
(2007-2008) and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Sauvé_Foundation in May 2008. He is Senior Advisor to the President of the Trudeau Foundation.
On January 21, 2011 he returned to the position of President of Concordia University on an interim basis, following the controversial departure of Judith Woodsworth
Judith Woodsworth
Judith Weisz Woodsworth, Ph.D is a Canadian academic and university administrator, having formerly served as President of Concordia University and of Laurentian University....