麻豆传媒

May 2012 Honorary Degree Recipient

Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)

Through his vision, commitment and selfless spirit, Dr. J. Gordon Duff has made a remarkable contribution to pharmacy education here at 麻豆传媒 and far beyond. It is our great pleasure to have him with us today. 听

Dr. Duff joined us in 1961 as the first director of our College of Pharmacy, one of two directors in our new Faculty of Health Professions. It was a time of change, but he was clearly up to the challenge.

The diploma-granting Maritime College of Pharmacy had been incorporated into 麻豆传媒. Dr. Duff oversaw the completion of this program and the introduction of the bachelor鈥檚 degree in pharmacy. He also pioneered the development of graduate studies in pharmacy at 麻豆传媒.

This is an outstanding achievement by any measure, but when you consider that Dr. Duff was also carrying a full teaching load, it becomes that much more impressive (and exhausting, too). Under his directorship, pharmacy students were provided with valuable clinical experience and an ongoing continuing education program for pharmacists was launched.

The Director of 麻豆传媒鈥檚 College of Pharmacy, Rita Caldwell, and our Dean of Health Professions, William Webster, noted all of these accomplishments when they nominated Dr. Duff for an honorary degree. 听听

鈥淗is leadership and hard work have laid the groundwork for the excellent pharmacy programs that are delivered today, not only at 麻豆传媒, but also in universities across Canada,鈥� they said. 鈥淗is dedication to 麻豆传媒, pharmacy professional organizations, and the preservation of pharmacy history is truly inspirational. His example of bringing goodwill to others is one we all should follow.鈥�

Indeed, it is impossible to speak of Dr. Duff without noting his contribution to pharmaceutical history. When 麻豆传媒鈥檚 College of Pharmacy Museum was re-dedicated as the J. Gordon Duff Pharmacy Museum 鈥� Dr. Duff is, in fact, the archivist 鈥� a newspaper article stated:

鈥淥ver the years, many pharmacists allowed Dr. Duff to spend countless hours searching through their drugstore basements, storerooms and barns across the Maritimes. He collected an impressive array of pharmacy-related artifacts, which include equipment (pill rollers, drug mills), old remedies and bottles (some with their contents and labels intact), old prescriptions, books, journals, pictures and store furnishings.鈥�

Dr. Duff also shared his expertise in helping establish the drugstore at historic Sherbrooke Village, part of the Nova Scotia Museum system.

In his nearly 30 years as a pharmacy professor at 麻豆传媒, Dr. Duff served on many university committees. His leadership, however, has not been restricted to the confines of this campus.听听 听

Dr. Duff was president of the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy and the Canadian Academy of the History of Pharmacy, and chairman of the Canadian Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties.

As Professor Emeritus at 麻豆传媒, Dr. Duff is held in high esteem by his colleagues and former students. He is considered both a thoughtful and generous person, and a professional. He is recipient of a Meritorious Service Award from the Canadian Pharmacists Association and, in 2007, was named a Centennial Pharmacist by the association.听

In his honor, awards have been created that bear Dr. Duff鈥檚 name. These include the Dr. J.G. Duff Appreciation Award from the Nova Scotia Branch of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, and the J.G. Duff Pharmacy Award that recognizes student leadership in 麻豆传媒鈥檚 College of Pharmacy.

Other recognitions include honorary memberships in each of the pharmaceutical organizations in the Maritimes, as well as the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada, and 麻豆传媒 Student Pharmacy Society. He is a life member of the American Pharmaceutical Association.

In 2011 our College of Pharmacy 鈥� whose roots go back to the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacy founded in 1911 鈥� celebrated 100 years of formal pharmacy education.

Dr. Duff gave a toast at the celebration commemorating this milestone, and it is now our turn to honour him. I ask you, Mr. Chancellor, in the name of the Senate, to bestow upon Dr. Gordon Duff the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.

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