Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine

Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at Queen's University Kingston Ontario Canada

The Dr. David M. Robertson Lecture Series


Dr. David Murray Robertson (1932 - 2012)

David Robertson was born in Melville, Saskatchewan. He graduated with an MD from Queen's University in 1955 and was awarded the WW and Susan Near Prize for the second highest standing throughout the then six-year medical course. Following residency in General Pathology at Queens he undertook fellowship training in research and diagnostic neuropathology at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, London and at Duke University Medical School, NC. He achieved FRCPC specialty qualifications in General Pathology in 1960 and in Neuropathology in 1968.

Dr. Robertson returned to Kingston in 1962 as Assistant Professor (Neuropathology) at Queen's and Neuropathologist at Kingston General and Hotel Dieu Hospitals, He rose rapidly through the academic ranks, becoming Full Professor in 1969. He had a major role in founding the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada specialty of Neuropathology and he developed the Division of Neuropathology at Queen's into one of the premier training and academic neuropathology centres in Canada.

Dr Robertson had a very successful investigative career, authoring approximately 100 publications in many areas of neuropathology, including the pathogenesis of Wernicke's encephalopathy, toxic and diabetic peripheral neuropathies and hypertension-induced changes in the blood-brain-barrier. Along with his co-investigators Dr. Sukriti Nag and Dr. Henry Dinsdale, he received the Weil Award in Experimental Neuropathology from the American Association of Neuropathologists in 1976. He was a member of the editorial boards of Modern Pathology and Laboratory Investigation and was Associate Editor of the latter journal from 1972 to 1975.

Dr. Robertson held numerous leadership positions in national and North-American organizations; including as President of the Canadian Association of Neuropathologists (1971-73), President of the Intersociety Council of Laboratory Medicine of Canada (1973-74), President of the Canadian Association of Pathologists (1974-751 and Vice-President (1982-84) and President of the United States/Canadian Division of the lnternational Academy of Pathology (1984-85).

Dr. Robertson was Head of the Department of Pathology at Queen's and Pathologist-in-Chief at Kingston General Hospital from 1979 to 1986. He was Vice-President (Medical) of KGH (1986-92), Medical Director of KGH (1992-94) and subsequently acted as Special Advisor to the President of KGH. Dr. Robertson held the rank of Professor Emeritus after his retirement from the Department of Pathology in 1992. Following a dignified struggle with prolonged illness, Dr. David Robertson passed away at home in 2012 in his 81st year.

Through this lectureship series the Department honours David Robertson's many extraordinary contributions to our Department, Queen's University and Kingston General Hospital and to Neuropathology and Laboratory Medicine nationally and internationally.

Tuesday 2023 May 16th

The Third David M. Robertson Memorial Visiting Lecturer

Dr. James T. Rutka
Professor of Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Neurosurgeon, Division of Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children

"Human malignant gliomas: Clinical and research advances beyond the cutting edge"
Richardson Lab Amphitheatre, inperson and online with Zoom
4pm Tuesday 2023 May 16th
Queens' University
88 Stuart St, Kingston, Ontario

  • Lecture Publicity Brochure
  • Image Gallery
  • robertson-3rdlecture-2023may16-720p.mp4 67min, 139MB
  • Previous David M. Robertson Lecturers

    2018 November 14

    The Second David M. Robertson Memorial Visiting Lecture was delivered by Anthony E. Lang, OC, MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FCAHS, FRSC - Professor and previous Director of the Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto. It occurred in Etherington Auditorium at 16:00 and was on "Parkinson's Disease 2018: Selected Important Developments Over the Past 30 Years"
  • Lecture Publicity Brochure

    2016 September 20

    The First David M. Robertson Memorial Visiting Lecture was delivered by Cynthia E. Hawkins, MD, FRCPC, PhD, Neuropathologist at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. It occurred on Tuesday in Richardson Lab Amphitheatre at 16:00 and was on "The Genetics and Epigenetics of Paediatric Astrocytoma"
  • Lecture Publicity Brochure



  • Page Created: 2018 November 16
    Page Last Updated: 2024 November 12