Document View http://proquest.umi.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/pqdlink?index=0&s... Databases selected: Multiple databases... Scientific giants of integrity; [ONT Edition] Eric Meslin . Toronto Star . Toronto, Ont.: Oct 5, 2005. pg. A.21 Abstract (Summary) Canadians James Till and Ernest McCulloch are more than just lab geniuses, The recent celebration of James Till and Ernest McCulloch's groundbreaking stem cell research in the early 1960s pays homage to two Canadian scientific giants, whose work went largely unnoticed by the general public until the pair were given a long overdue 2005 Lasker Award, North America's most coveted medical prize. I quickly learned what many other students and colleagues of his had learned over the decades This was a person who oozed ethical integrity from every pore of his body. Not the simple- minded kind of integrity that we still foolishly assume will prepare our students for careers in science - where they must learn the proper rules and procedures of the scientific process, of authorship, or the ethics review committee process. No, Till oozed the real stuff the type of integrity that can't be learned in a book. Canadians James Mill, above, and Ernest McCulloch, both from the University of Toronto, received the 2005 Lasker award for their groundbreaking work with stem cells. Canadians James Mill, above, and Ernest McCulloch, both from the University of Toronto, received the 2005 Lasker award for their groundbreaking work with stem cells. Full Text (803 words) (Copyright (c) 2005 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved. ) Canadians James Till and Ernest McCulloch are more than just lab geniuses, The recent celebration of James Till and Ernest McCulloch's groundbreaking stem cell research in the early 1960s pays homage to two Canadian scientific giants, whose work went largely unnoticed by the general public until the pair were given a long overdue 2005 Lasker Award, North America's most coveted medical prize. The news reports went out of their way to report on this achievement with typical Canadian hubris; had their work been carried out south of the border, McCulloch and Till might have already been awarded a Nobel prize. Efforts also were made to compare their accomplishments to other, arguably more "famous" scientific duos, such as James Watson and Francis Crick who first explained the structure of DNA. McCulloch is quoted in one story as saying that the pair did not "seek celebrity." This is reminiscent (with apologies to Shakespeare) of that wonderfully humbling line in Twelfth Night and paraphrased here - some scientists are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. McCulloch and Till seem to have situated themselves squarely in the second category and for their accomplishments we Canadians are justifiably proud. But something important is missing from this story. As it is with much of science, society tends to learn about the successes (e.g., sequencing the genome or finding a new planet) or, in rare cases, the failures (e.g., patient deaths in a clinical trial or a case of scientific misconduct). But missing from the reports of the McCulloch/Till accomplishment was any sustained mention of the kind of scientists these men were and, more importantly, their approach to science and the pursuit of truth. I have never met McCulloch, but I had the opportunity in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a new assistant professor at the University of Toronto, to work with Till. By this time, Till had long since left the lab to begin investigating, with Heather Sutherland, how to measure "quality of life" experiences with cancer patients. As someone working in bioethics I had no prior knowledge of Till's work on stem cells, the most important of which occurred the year I was born. 1 of 2 7/27/2008 8:50 PM Document View http://proquest.umi.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/pqdlink?index=0&s... But I quickly learned what many other students and colleagues of his had learned over the decades This was a person who oozed ethical integrity from every pore of his body. Not the simple- minded kind of integrity that we still foolishly assume will prepare our students for careers in science - where they must learn the proper rules and procedures of the scientific process, of authorship, or the ethics review committee process. No, Till oozed the real stuff the type of integrity that can't be learned in a book. If he were a subject of a moral philosopher's assessment, he might be described as a virtuous scientist, the type of researcher who can habitually be relied upon to do the right thing without being told what to do. The "right thing" applied to all phases of his work, from the initial conception of an idea, to the meticulous description of an outline of the idea, to working out the problem to the solved, designing and conducting an experiment, analyzing the data, writing up the results, and submitting them to a journal for publication. At each step, Till's integrity was on display. It may have been the smallest matter, such as the proper order of authorship, to the largest - the constructive criticism he would offer to help refine what you already thought was an exquisitely thought-through research question. I was privileged to publish four academic papers with him and each paper was better than the one before. In those few years, I got a small taste of what many before, and many still, are learning from him. These qualities of scientific rigour and ethical integrity make for a potent combination. Liberally sprinkled with an infectious laugh and sense of humour, there are few who can match Till's mentoring ability. So while we celebrate the scientific accomplishments, let us not forget that truly good science also involves good scientists. Sure, it would be nice to have more Canadians win Laskers and Nobels, but the true measure of Canadian greatness in science might also be measured by the number of students whose ethical integrity in science approaches that of people like Jim Till. Eric M. Meslin, Ph.D., is director of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics, and assistant dean at the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. [Illustration] Canadians James Mill, above, and Ernest McCulloch, both from the University of Toronto, received the 2005 Lasker award for their groundbreaking work with stem cells. Canadians James Mill, above, and Ernest McCulloch, both from the University of Toronto, received the 2005 Lasker award for their groundbreaking work with stem cells. Indexing (document details) Author(s): Eric Meslin Section: Opinion Publication title: Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Oct 5, 2005. pg. A.21 Source type: Newspaper ISSN: 03190781 ProQuest document ID: 906746951 Text Word Count 803 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/pqdlink?did=906746951&sid=18&Fmt=3&c lientId=12520&RQT=309&VName=PQD Copyright © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. 2 of 2 7/27/2008 8:50 PM Document View http://proquest.umi.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/pqdweb?index=3&s... Databases selected: CBCA Business, CBCA Current Events, CBCA Education, CBCA Reference RSC/2005 Centenary Medal Awarded to Co-winners of Lasker Award: Ernest A. McCulloch & James E. Till CCNMatthews Newswire . Toronto: Oct 27, 2005. pg. 1 Abstract (Summary) [Ernest A. McCulloch], FRSC, and [James E. Till], FRSC, of the Ontario Cancer Institute are the 2005 recipients of the Centenary Medal of the Royal Society of Canada celebrating the continued contributions their research has made to stem cell research. Co-winners of the 2005 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Research, Drs. McCulloch and Till are recognized for their revolutionary research in experimental haematology. Their most prominent discovery, that of hemopoietic stem cells in 1961, was rapidly followed by a classic set of papers describing their nature and the genetics that control these cells. Full Text (287 words) Copyright CCNMatthews Oct 27, 2005 OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Oct. 27, 2005) - Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till will be presented the 2005 Centenary Medal, one of the prestigious honours of the RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. The Centenary Medal was created in 1982 to honour individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to the object of the Society and to recognize links to international organizations. Those who received it during the centenary celebrations of the Society are listed in the Proceedings for 1982. Since then the medal has been awarded by decisions in Council, at irregular intervals, in recognition of exceptional achievements in scholarship and research. Ernest A. McCulloch, FRSC, and James E. Till, FRSC, of the Ontario Cancer Institute are the 2005 recipients of the Centenary Medal of the Royal Society of Canada celebrating the continued contributions their research has made to stem cell research. Co-winners of the 2005 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Research, Drs. McCulloch and Till are recognized for their revolutionary research in experimental haematology. Their most prominent discovery, that of hemopoietic stem cells in 1961, was rapidly followed by a classic set of papers describing their nature and the genetics that control these cells. From this work they developed detailed studies of the nature of leukemia leading in turn to contributions on other forms of cancer and the care of those afflicted with the disease. Throughout, their scientific careers have been illuminated by unswerving efforts to serve the community and promote the highest ideals of health care. The Centenary Medal will be presented to Drs. McCulloch and Till at a special event to be held in Toronto at a later date. Details regarding this event will be communicated shortly.