Hilary Mary Weston is an Irish–Canadian businesswoman and writer who served as the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002. During her five-year tenure, Weston focused on issues related to women, volunteerism and young people, drawing public attention to people working with the homeless, in hospices and as mentors to at-risk youth.
Pauline Mills McGibbon served as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1974 to 1980. In addition to being the first woman to occupy that position, she was also the first woman to serve as a viceregal representative in Canadian history.
Dafydd Rhys "David" Williams is a Canadian physician, public speaker, author and retired CSA astronaut. Williams was a mission specialist on two Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight, STS-90 in 1998, was a 16-day mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia dedicated to neuroscience research. His second flight, STS-118 in August 2007, was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station. During that mission he performed three spacewalks, becoming the third Canadian to perform a spacewalk and setting a Canadian record for total number of spacewalks. These spacewalks combined for a total duration of 17 hours and 47 minutes.
James Jude Orbinski is a Canadian physician, humanitarian activist, author, and scholar in global health. Dr. Orbinski began his role as principal of Massey College at the University of Toronto in the 2024-2025 academic year, where he is also Full Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and is cross-appointed to the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, as well as the Dalla Lana School of Public Health,. Previously a professor in the Faculty of Health Science at York University, Dr. Orbinski founded the Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research.
Eric William Hoskins is a Canadian physician and former politician who served as an Ontario cabinet minister from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Ontario Liberal Party, he represented Toronto—St. Paul's in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2009 to 2018. Before entering politics, Hoskins was the president of War Child Canada and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2008 for his humanitarian work.
Emily Howard Stowe was a Canadian physician who was the first female physician to practise in Canada, the second licensed female physician in Canada and an activist for women's rights and suffrage. Stowe helped found the women's suffrage movement in Canada and campaigned for the country's first medical college for women.
Landon Carter "Lucy" Pearson was a Canadian Senator and a children's rights advocate. She was the daughter-in-law of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, through her marriage to his son Geoffrey Pearson.
Lorna Marsden, is a Canadian sociologist, academic administrator, and former politician. She is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of both Wilfrid Laurier University and York University, and a former member of the Senate of Canada.
Margot Franssen, is a philanthropist, activist and former Canadian entrepreneur, the founder, partner and president of The Body Shop Canada. During the years that she ran and co-owned the Body Shop with her husband Hall "Quig" Tingley and her sister Betty-Ann Franssen the company raised more than $1.3 million for violence prevention and recovery programs in Canada. They led their team in using innovative communication techniques to achieve a brand recognition just behind McDonald's Restaurants Canada building a strong awareness without the use of traditional advertising. In 2004 The Body Shop Canada was sold to Body Shop International. Franssen is now a leading voice on the issues of funding women's rights and social justice for women and girls.
Ricky Kanee Schachter, FRCP(C), CM was a dermatologist who practiced in the Toronto area, and was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998, as "a researcher, teacher, administrator and healer, whose work in the areas of skin cancer and psoriasis has improved the lives of her patients, and inspired fellow researchers across Canada."
Marilyn McHarg, is a humanitarian executive. She was President and CEO of Dignitas International, as well as a founding member and General Director of the Canadian section of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders, the world's leading independent medical humanitarian organization.
Ann Augusta Stowe-Gullen, was a Canadian medical doctor, lecturer and suffragist. She was born in Mount Pleasant, Ontario as the daughter of Emily Howard Stowe and John Fiuscia Michael Heward Stowe. A plaque regarding her work can be found in Brant County, Ontario.
Ray Fletcher Farquharson was a Canadian medical doctor, university professor, and medical researcher. Born in Claude, Ontario, he attended and taught at the University of Toronto for most of his life, and was trained and employed at Toronto General Hospital. With co-researcher Arthur Squires, Farquharson was responsible for the discovery of the Farquharson phenomenon, an important principle of endocrinology, which is that administering external hormones suppresses the natural production of that hormone.
May Cohen, OC is a Canadian physician and educator. She is best known for initiating the creation of a women's health curriculum in Ontario medical schools and for her work as a women's health advocate.
Helen Lucas was a Canadian artist whose work features Greek Orthodox icons, female sexuality, and flowers. Her career as an artist spanned over six decades.
June James is a Canadian pediatrician and professor at the University of Manitoba. James was the first Black woman admitted to the University of Manitoba College of Medicine. She was president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba from 2002 to 2003 and has received multiple awards for her work, including YWCA Woman of the Year Award (1981), the Queen Elizabeth 50th Jubilee Medal, and the Order of Manitoba (2004).
Jean Flatt Davey OC, OBE was a Canadian physician. In August 1941, Davey joined the medical branch of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and became the first female doctor to be granted a commission in the medical branch of any Canadian armed force. From 1950 to 1965 she was the Physician-in-Chief of the Department of Medicine at Toronto's Women's College Hospital.
Jean Gray is a Canadian academic and retired physician, who is professor emeritus of medical education, medicine and pharmacology at Dalhousie University. She has served as president of the Canadian and American Society of Clinical Pharmacology. She was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2005, and has been a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians since 2007. She was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2020.
Ruth L. Collins-Nakai is a retired Canadian cardiologist, educator, researcher, physician leader, healthcare advisor, and public health advocate.
