University of Manitoba - Bannatyne convocation (2024)

Processional

Entrance of members of the Academic Procession, including senior academic administrators of the university, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and the Max Rady College of Medicine, the Honorary Graduand, the President, and the Chancellor

Entrance of the graduating students

Traditional Honour Song

Vanessa Lillie, BA (Hons.) (Man.)
Director of Cultural Integration, Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous)

O Canada

Naomi Peters, Class of 2025
Accompanied by Albert Chen, Class of 2025

Opening of Convocation

Michael Benarroch, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba

Remarks from the Dean

Peter Nickerson, MD(Man.), FRCPC, FCAHS
Vice-Provost (Health Sciences), Dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and
Dean, Max Rady College of Medicine

Presentation of Honorary Degree Recipient

The President
Citation read for Graham Sher by Peter Nickerson, MD(Man.), FRCPC, FCAHS

Conferring of Honorary Degree
Anne Mahon, BHEcol.(Man.)
Chancellor of the University of Manitoba
upon Graham Sher, the degree of Doctor of Laws

Convocation Address
Graham Sher, BSc(Hon), MB BCh, PhD (Witw., South Africa)

Presentation of the Award of Prizes and Scholarships

Dr. James B. (Jim) Butler BA, MD, CM, FRCPC
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education
Max Rady College of Medicine

Transfer of the Senior Stick and the Honorary Senior Stick

Dr. James B. (Jim) Butler BA, MD, CM, FRCPC

Transfer of the Senior Stick presented to the incoming President of the
Manitoba Medical Students’ Association to Emmit Hameed by Cate Giffin

Transfer of the Honorary Senior Stick presented to the incoming faculty advisor to the Manitoba Medical Students’ Association to Dr. Kevin Brown by Dr. Mahwash Saeed

Chancellor’s address to the graduands

Conferring of degrees

The Chancellor

Physician’s Pledge

Valedictory address

Gem Newman

Greetings from the Alumni Association

Tracy Bowman, B.A., M.A.
Executive Director, Alumni Relations

Recession of convocation

The President

Recessional

AS A MEMBER OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION:

I SOLEMNLY PLEDGE to dedicate my life to the service of humanity;

THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MY PATIENT will be my first consideration;

I WILL RESPECT the autonomy and dignity of my patient;

I WILL MAINTAIN the utmost respect for human life;

I WILL NOT PERMIT considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing, or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;

I WILL RESPECT the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;

I WILL PRACTISE my profession with conscience and dignity and in accordance with good medical practice;

I WILL FOSTER the honour and noble traditions of the medical profession;

I WILL GIVE to my teachers, colleagues, and students the respect and gratitude that is their due;

I WILL SHARE my medical knowledge for the benefit of the patient and the advancement of healthcare;

I WILL ATTEND TO my own health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard;

I WILL NOT USE my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;

I MAKE THESE PROMISES solemnly, freely, and upon my honour.

Adopted by the 2nd General Assembly of the World Medical Association, Geneva, Switzerland, September 1948 and amended by the 22nd World Medical Assembly, Sydney, Australia, August 1968 and the 35th World Medical Assembly, Venice, Italy, October 1983 and the 46th WMA General Assembly, Stockholm, Sweden, September 1994 and editorially revised by the 170th WMA Council Session, Divonne-les-Bains, France, May 2005 and the 173rd WMA Council Session, Divonne-les-Bains, France, May 2006 and amended by the 68th WMA General Assembly, Chicago, United States, October 2017

©2017 World Medical Association Inc. All Rights Reserved. All intellectual property rights in the

Declaration of Geneva are vested in the World Medical Association.

Dr. Sher earned his medical degree and PhD in his home country of South Africa before emigrating to Canada in 1990. He completed a residency and fellowship in hematology and transfusion medicine at the University of Toronto and started his career as a professor and hospital physician.

When the national, non-profit Canadian Blood Services was established in 1998 following the Krever Inquiry into Canada’s tainted blood scandal, Dr. Sher became its first vice-president of medical, scientific and clinical management. He was appointed to his current role as chief executive officer in 2001.

His first priority was rebuilding Canadians’ trust in the blood supply by implementing rigorous safety and testing systems. He then led the transformation of Canadian Blood Services into a state-of-the-art manufacturer of biologic products, including plasma and stem cells, with a core focus on safety, quality, innovation and productivity. He has consistently emphasized stakeholder engagement in decision-making.

Under his strategic management, the organization assumed responsibility in 2008 for the national system of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. This included creating the Canadian Transplant Registry, which facilitates interprovincial organ sharing.

In 2013, Dr. Sher led the establishment of Canadian Blood Services’ national public bank for donated umbilical cord blood – a vital source of stem cells for transplantation.

Dr. Sher is passionate about designing, managing and transforming health-care systems according to best business practices, always putting patients’ needs first. He sits on several health-care advisory bodies and has consulted for other countries on the transformation of their blood systems.

He is a founding member of the Alliance of Blood Operators, a consortium of national blood system operators in North America, Europe and Australia. His work within this alliance led to the establishment of a risk-based decision-making framework for the global blood sector.

Dr. Sher is the former president of the international Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies. He has been a tireless advocate for adopting a pan-Canadian focus on health system reform, using Canadian Blood Services as a model.

In 2015, he was named one of Canada’s 50 most powerful physicians by the Canadian Healthcare Network and the Medical Post.

In 2021, he was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contributions to public health and for being instrumental in the development of Canada’s national blood system.

Dr. Sher is also an accomplished adventure photographer who enjoys hanging out of helicopters to get the best aerial view. In 2013, he led a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro that raised more than $600,000 for the national umbilical cord blood bank.

The University of Manitoba is proud to award a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, to Dr. Graham Sher for his leadership of Canada’s world-class system for transfusion and transplantation, which plays an essential role in Canadians’ access to high-quality health care.

Processional

Entrance of members of the Academic Procession, including senior academic administrators of the university, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, the College of Pharmacy, the President, and the Chancellor.

Entrance of the graduating students

Traditional Honour Song

Taylor Galvin

O Canada

Kristin Suffield, BEd(Man.)
Academic Advisor, Faculty of Science

Resumption of Convocation

Michael Benarroch, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba

Remarks from the Dean

Peter Nickerson, MD(Man.), FRCPC, FCAHS
Antastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, BA(Winn.), DMD, Dip. Perio., Dean, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry Lalitha Raman-Wilms, BSc (Pharm), PharmD, Dean, College of Pharmacy

Presentation of the Award of Prizes and Scholarships

Dr. James B. (Jim) Butler BA, MD, CM, FRCPC
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education
Max Rady College of Medicine

Chancellor’s address to the graduands

Anne Mahon, BHEcol(Man.)
Chancellor of the University of Manitoba

Conferring of degrees

The Chancellor

Greetings from the Alumni Association

Tracy Bowman, B.A., M.A.
Executive Director, Alumni Relations

Recession of convocation

The President

Recessional