Andre Picard was the speaker at the 2018 Barnet Berris Lectureship in Medicine. Andre is the health columnist at The Globe and Mail and the author of five books, including the current bestseller Matters of Life and Death: Public Health Issues in Canada. He spoke on the topic of “Fixing medicare: What are the impediments to health reform” to a live audience at Mount Sinai and to over 13 other sites via webcast.
The Barnet Berris Lectureship in Medicine is named for Dr. Barnet Berris, who in 1964 was Chief of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, a position he held until 1977. Dr. Berris was responsible for building the hospital’s foundations in research and education. He fostered the growth of a teaching program for medical students, interns and residents, supported the development and expansion of research activities including the Liver Research Unit, and recruited excellent clinical, teaching and research staff.
In 1998, in recognition of his outstanding and exemplary contributions to Medical Education at the University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital, his name was chosen to represent the partnership in education between Mount Sinai Hospital and the University Health Network, for the newly named Wightman-Berris Academy.
Colleagues at Mount Sinai Hospital established the lectureship in his honour.