Eight outstanding McMaster community members are among the 80 recipients recently appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest civilian honours.
"To see so many members of the McMaster community recognized for their significant contributions to life in Canada is sincerely inspiring," says McMaster President Susan Tighe.
"On behalf of McMaster, I want to congratulate each of these deserving honourees. We can all take pride in their impressive achievements and hold them up as examples of what is possible."
Learn more about the McMaster faculty members, graduates and community members recognized for their extraordinary contributions to Canada:
Walter John Schroeder and Maria Schroeder
Devoted philanthropists Walter and Maria Schroeder have dedicated their lives to helping others. Through their private foundation, generous donations and hands-on involvement, they have enriched their community. Their contributions have sparked major initiatives in health care, culture and education, and have empowered Indigenous youth and supported underserved communities.
The Schroeder Foundation has supported research and education at McMaster University for many years. This includes a $10 million gift in 2020 to fast-track research aimed at finding a cure for allergic diseases. This gift led to the creation of the Schroeder Allergy and Immunology Research Institute, which supports scientific work focused on allergies.
It also enables researchers to use bioinformatics to study data from the CHILD Cohort Study, a national project that tracks the development of various childhood conditions in Canadian children, including the origins of allergy and asthma.
Most recently, the couple made a $2-million gift to enhance the student experience in the School of Nursing and the Physician Assistant Education Program.
Walter Schroeder, a 1969 MBA graduate, received an honorary degree from McMaster in 2024 and was inducted into the McMaster Alumni Association Alumni Gallery in 1984.
Rosalie Silberman Abella
The recipient of an honorary degree from McMaster in 1986, Rosalie Silberman Abella is an icon of Canadian values. Born in a displaced persons camp to Holocaust survivors, she became the first Jewish woman on Canada's Supreme Court.
She set the bar with her landmark constitutional law rulings and has helped advance equality and human rights worldwide. She is now a professor at the Harvard Law School.
John Cameron Bell
A proud McMaster graduate with a BSc (1977) and PhD (1983) in Biology, John Bell has helped develop oncolytic virotherapy treatments that harness the body's immune system to fight cancer. He has made an indelible mark on science and medicine.
As an entrepreneur, principal investigator, national research network lead and professor at the University of Ottawa, he has built Canada's foundation in the field while driving research that shapes international progress. In recognition of his exceptional contributions, McMaster awarded him an honorary degree in 2025.
Patrick George Croskerry
Patrick Croskerry, a proud McMaster graduate with a PhD in Psychology (1975) and an MD from the Faculty of Health Sciences (1982), is a leading expert in emergency medicine who has enhanced patient care by analyzing factors that contribute to diagnostic errors.
As the director of Dalhousie University's Critical Thinking Program, he developed curricula and training to strengthen clinical judgment and risk assessment, shaping future health care practitioners by focusing on safety and precision.
Charles A. Hopkins
A 1968 graduate from the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles A. Hopkins is at the forefront of education for sustainable development. The inaugural holder of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability at York University, Hopkins has been instrumental in promoting sustainability as a core education principle, inspiring generations of learners to help shape a better future.
Allison Joan McGeer
Awarded an honorary degree from McMaster in 2022, Allison McGeer is one of Canada's most trusted epidemiological policy advisors. She coordinated the Toronto hospitals' SARS response and worked with the WHO during the MERS and Ebola outbreaks. A key figure in the COVID-19 pandemic, she has shaped national and global strategies for preventing infections through science and leadership.
Karl Tomm
Karl Tomm (Postgraduate, Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, 1971) has played a pivotal role in shaping the field of family therapy. His groundbreaking frameworks of interpersonal patterns and interventive interviewing have significantly influenced therapy practices for helping families.
For decades, he has provided mentorship and compassionate care as a psychiatrist, university professor and founder of the Calgary Family Therapy Centre.
