Dr. Jacalyn Mary Duffin – “Jackie” Duffin – is a hematologist and historian of medicine who held the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at Queen’s University from 1988 to 2017. In this time, she established and integrated – in her words “infiltrated” – history of medicine into the medical curriculum, and held cross appointments in the philosophy and history departments, the school of nursing and the Faculty of Education. A former President of both the American Association for the History of Medicine and the Canadian Society for the History of Medicine, she authored eight books and many articles, holds several awards for teaching and research, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. In 2021, she was awarded the Order of Canada for “her leadership as an academic and mentor in the field of medical history.”
A dedicated educator and inspiring lecturer, Jackie Duffin, has taught generations of Queen’s medical students to think critically about the medical profession and practice, led hundreds on history of medicine field trips across North America, and mentored countless others. Recognizing that she is a devoted student advocate and champion of social causes – the Jacalyn Duffin Award for Advocacy was established by the medical graduates of the class of 2015. She loves students and her textbook A Scandalously Short History of Medicine was dedicated to “her students: past, present and future”. Dr. Duffin is currently working on the third edition of her textbook as well as a new book on the history of COVID-19.
The Jacalyn Duffin Health & Humanities Conference 