Historica Canada has unveiled its newest Heritage Minute on the discovery of insulin. Club members Chris Rutty and Alison Li served as the historical consultants on this segment, along with Grant Maltman, curator of Banting House.
See also the article in the University of Toronto News describing the making of this Heritage Minute: Heritage Minute showcases life-saving impact of U of T’s insulin discovery.
Christopher Rutty has posted a new article on “The History of the History of the Discovery of Insulin” at the Defining Moments Canada website. Chris is the lead historian for their Insulin 100 project. Please visit to explore the rich resources, including a timeline, photos and videos, and many excellent articles.
Club member Cyril Gryfe has prepared a presentation on history of diabetes mellitus and insulin, illustrated with postage stamps from around the world.
The Toronto Medical Historical Club and the Department of Molecular Genetics of the University of Toronto paid tribute to Dr. Louis Siminovitch in honour of his 100th birthday. Colleagues, friends, and family shared fond memories and spoke to the highlights of his illustrious career in genetics.
On May 19, 2021, Alison Li spoke at a symposium (via Zoom) to be held by the McGill University Division of Endocrinology to commemorate the discovery of insulin. She focussed on the role of J.B. Collip in the coming of insulin and his contribution to the flourishing of endocrine research at McGill during the 1930s and 40s.
On June 16, 2021, she participated in 100 Years of Insulin, a half-day seminar held by the Alberta Diabetes Institute to celebrate the anniversary. The talk highlighted the connection of Collip’s experiences at the University of Alberta to his contributions to the insulin research. This half-day seminar included talks by several speakers including Ray Rajotte and James Shapiro of the team that developed the “Edmonton Protocol” for islet transplantation.
Her article “Success Has Many Parents: J. B. Collip’s Role in the Discovery of Insulin” appears on the Defining Moments Canada website.
