The McGill University Department of Oncology was founded in 1990 by then Dean of Medicine, Dr. Richard Cruess. It was the first such department in Canada, having been made possible by a generous donation from the Bronfman family in memory of Minda de Gunzburg, daughter of Samuel and Saidye Bronfman and wife of Baron Alain de Gunzburg. A second generous donation from the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation allowed clinical research in oncology at McGill to flourish, and in May 1992, the Gerald Bronfman Centre for Clinical Research in Oncology officially opened its doors. Other endowments were also established in the early days of the department. In June 2016 the Department of Oncology was renamed the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology and on February 9, 2017, the Department headquarters moved to a suite of offices at 5100 de Maisonneuve Blvd West.
The Department of Oncology was formed at a time when, as nearly everywhere in Canada, clinical oncology was largely invested in a department of radiation therapy while medical oncology was either a subunit of hematology or else a standalone division within a department of medicine. With the creation of the new department, radiation oncology was folded in to become the Division of Radiation Oncology, the McGill Cancer Centre became the Division of Basic Cancer Research, and McGill Cancer Centre Clinical Research was recognized as the new Division of Clinical Oncology. To these were added the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and the Division of Palliative Care. Furthermore, within the first 18 months, “Clinical Trials Operations” was established, and a Pediatric Oncology division was created, as was a transdivisional section of Experimental Therapeutics, with the goal of generating a greater number of investigator-initiated trials. Further changes followed, such that by 1995, the Division of Clinical Oncology was split into the divisions of Medical Oncology and Surgical Oncology. In addition, 13 trans-hospital multidisciplinary research sections were created to develop, review, and oversee clinical research activities for various tumour types—for example, leukemia, lymphoma, melanoma, neuro-oncology, endocrine/biologics, breast cancer etc.
As clinical care and research in oncology were being structured and expanded, the department also gave top priority to oncology teaching and training. By the mid-1990s, a Medical Education Committee to address undergraduate education and four oncology residency training programs (medical, radiation, surgical, and hematologic oncology) were established. Furthermore, a new lecture series, the bi-annual Cedars Visiting Professorships was created in the early 1990s to supplement Oncology Grand Rounds. Over the years, that lecture series changed and evolved to become the Visiting Speakers Program in Oncology. The latter program, a joint effort with Université de Montréal, sponsors visiting professors throughout the year.
The inaugural Chair of the Department of Oncology was Dr. Brian Leyland Jones (1990-2000), with Dr. Henry Shibata appointed as Associate Chair in 1995. Dr. Shibata served as Interim Chair (2000-2001) and was replaced by Dr. Gerald Batist who served as Chair from 2001 to 2010. Prof. Eduardo Franco became Interim Chair in 2011 and was subsequently appointed as Chair (2013-2023). Dr. Armen Aprikian served as Interim Chair for the last four months of 2023 until the appointment of the current Chair, Dr. Lucy Gilbert (January 2024 – Present).
Batist, G. and Shinder, G.A. The McGill University Department of Oncology: structure depicts the shape of evolving knowledge. Current Oncology; 15(3): 28-35, 2008.
Shinder, G.A. and Franco, E.L. McGill Oncology - Traveling through time, looking back and seeing the future. 30th Anniversary of the Department of Oncology. 2020