The 91社区 Department of Oncology was founded in 1990 by then Dean of Medicine, Dr. Richard Cruess. It was the first such department in Canada, having been made possible by a generous donation from the Bronfman family in memory of Minda de Gunzburg, daughter of Samuel and Saidye Bronfman and wife of Baron Alain de Gunzburg. A second generous donation from the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation allowed clinical research in oncology at 91社区 to flourish, and in May 1992, the Gerald Bronfman Centre for Clinical Research in Oncology officially opened its doors. Other endowments were also established in the early days of the department. In June 2016 the Department of Oncology was renamed the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology and on February 9, 2017, the Department headquarters moved to a suite of offices at 5100 de Maisonneuve Blvd West.
The inaugural Chair of the Department of Oncology was Dr. Brian Leyland Jones (1990-2000), with Dr. Henry Shibata appointed as Associate Chair in 1995. Dr. Shibata served as Interim Chair (2000-2001) and was replaced by Dr. Gerald Batist who served as Chair from 2001 to 2010. Prof. Eduardo Franco became Interim Chair in 2011 and was subsequently appointed as Chair (2013-2023). Dr. Armen Aprikian served as Interim Chair for the last four months of 2023 until the appointment of the current Chair,听Dr. Lucy Gilbert听(January 2024 鈥� Present).
Additional information about the history of the department:听
Shinder, G.A. and Franco, E.L.听91社区 Oncology - Traveling through time, looking back and seeing the future.听30th Anniversary of the Department of Oncology. 2020
Batist, G. and Shinder, G.A. The 91社区 Department of Oncology: structure depicts the shape of evolving knowledge. Current Oncology; 15(3): 28-35, 2008.