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Faculty of Health Sciences

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

R.T. Weaver Departmental Research Day

The R.T. Weaver Scientific Day is attended by many obstetricians and gynecologists throughout the Hamilton-Wentworth Region, residents in the postgraduate medical education program and graduate research students.

The Annual R.T. Weaver Scientific Day was established in 1974 by the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology to honor the first academic obstetrician in Hamilton and the chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the Henderson Hospital. Dr. Weaver’s leadership pre-dated and facilitated the establishment of McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Who was Richard T. Weaver?

R.T. Weaver

Dr. Richard T. Weaver, MB, FACS, FRCSC, was born in North Western Canada in 1898 and raised by missionary parents in a remote part of Manitoba. He became fluent in Cree, the language spoken by the local Indigenous Peoples. At the age of eight he travelled by canoe and pony 500 miles to the South, which linked up to the rail line. From there he then travelled to St. Catharines to attend Ridley College. He was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Field Artillery in 1917 at the age of 19 and served in England and France from 1917–19. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1924 and practiced general medicine in St. Catharines for a few years, before doing postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynecology in New York, Salzburg and Vienna.

Dr. Weaver, one of the first consultant obstetricians and gynecologists in Hamilton. He established his practice in 1933 and was the first to limit his practice exclusively to this specialty. He was chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the Hamilton Civic Hospitals from 1942–58. During that time, he established a strong department and was responsible for training a number of obstetricians and gynecologists, who now practice in Hamilton and throughout Canada. He was a significant force in Canada in promoting gynecology as a specialty and in raising the standards of gynecological care. Dr. Weaver was especially skillful at vaginal surgery and was mainly responsible for its widespread use in Canada. He had a special interest in gynecological malignancy and served for many years on the Medical Advisory Committee of the Ontario Cancer Foundation.

Dr. Weaver retired from active practice in 1973. Just prior to his death in 1974, he was the guest speaker at this first dinner and made the initial presentation of the award.

Past Speakers

  • 2023: Dr. Amanda Selk MD, MSc, FRCSC (University of Toronto)
  • 2022: Dr. Jennifer Blake MD, MSc, FRCSC, FRCOG (University of Toronto)
  • 2021: Dr. John Kingdom MD, FRCSC (Mount Sinai, University of Toronto)
  • 2020: Event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
  • 2019: Dr. Wendy Norman MD, CCFP, FCFP, DTM&H, MHSc (UBC)
  • 2018: Dr. Emmanuel Bujold MD, MSc, FCRSC (Laval University)
  • 2016: Dr. Sukhbir Sony Singh MD, FRCSC, FACOG (University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital).
  • 2015: Dr. Graeme Smith MD, PhD, FRCSC (Queen’s University, Kingston General Hospital)
  • 2014: Dr. Glenn Posner MDCM, FRCSC, M.Ed (University of Ottawa)
  • 2013: Dr. Kellie Murphy MD, MSc (University of Toronto, Mount Sinai)
  • 2012: Dr. Bruce Murphy PhD, MSc (University of Montreal)
  • 2011: Dr. Alan Bocking MD, FRCSC (University of Toronto, Mount Sanai)
  • 2010: Dr. Jan Christilaw MD, FRCSC (University of British Columbia)
  • 2009: Dr. Robert Reid MD (Queen’s University)
  • 2007: Dr. Lisa Allen (University of Toronto, Mount Sinai, Hospital for Sick Children)
  • 2006: Dr. Andree Gruslin MD FRCS (University of Ottawa)