Dr. Ronald is a graduate of the University of Manitoba Medical School. He received training in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and Clinical Microbiology in Maryland, Washington, and Pakistan. In 1968, he returned to Manitoba to establish the University of Manitoba Infectious Disease Program, which became internationally recognized and has been acknowledged as Canada’s center of excellence in the research and training of infectious diseases.

In 1980, Dr. Ronald assisted the University of Nairobi in creating one of the premiere initiatives in health collaborations between northern and southern institutions: The University of Manitoba/University of Nairobi World Health Organization Research and Training Program in Sexually Transmitted Diseases. More than 50 Africans have earned Masters or PhD degrees due to this program. In 2001, the Ugandan-based Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa was established, with Dr. Ronald as a founding member.

Dr. Ronald, a trailblazer in the field of medicine, has chaired the University of Manitoba Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Microbiology, and the Department of Internal Medicine. As Associate Dean of Research from 1993 to 1998, Dr. Ronald made contributions to Winnipeg’s teaching hospitals as director of the Department of Clinical Microbiology, head of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, and physician-in-chief. He was President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases from 1996 to 1998, and served on Medical Research Council/CIHR committees for more than 35 years. Over 500 original articles, book chapters and reviews are included in his bibliography.

Dr. Ronald is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and he has been recognized for is numerous contributions with the prestigious Gairdner Foundation Wightman Award (2006), and the Canadian Medical Association’s highest honor, the F.N.G. Starr Award. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2000).

Canada Gairdner Wightman Award 2006