- Email: [email protected]
William S. Dixon, MD, FRCSC
PROFILE
William S. Dixon, MD, FRCSC
S
ome ?eople are born teachers, and Bill Dixon is certamly one of them. He was awarded the "Silver Needle" for best surgical instructor 4 times by the University of Toronto residents. It is clear that working with those starting out in the field is a passion for him. In 1996, Bill was granted full professorship based on excellence in teaching. Yet his career is rich and varied, teaching being just 1 facet. A true Torontonian, Bill was born, raised and educated in this city. He attended Whitney Public School, then University of Toronto Schools before enrolling in the premed program at University of Toronto, where he also completed his residency in ophthalmology. When asked to consider why he chose ophthalmology, Bill recalled the following. "The year after interning, I spent a year in family practice with the Associate Clinic in Calgary. This was an excellent experience but made me realize that I had to focus on a specialty, since I could not keep up in all fields! I reflected that patients who came in with an ocular foreign body that I could remove were the happiest, as they left with relief of their distress. Ophthalmology seemed like a field with a manageable scope of knowledge and dealt with microscopic detail, which I enjoy." When he joined the staff of the Department of Ophthalmology at Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, in 1972, he brought with him experience gained during the previous year as Lister Research Fellow at Moorfield's Eye Hospital in London, England. There he had specialized in corneal diseases with distinguished professors Barrie R. Jones and Anthony J. Bron, as well as contact lens theory and practice with Professor Montague Rubin. Among Bill's most valued professional moments are his 2 trips with Project Orbis to Senegal and the Ivory Coast, on which he was accompanied by Jeff Hurwitz. He has been medical director or co-director of the Eye Bank of Canada (Ontario Division) since 1978, and his 20-year tenure as chair of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Committee on Eye Banking just recently came to an end. In addition to these commitments, Bill served on the National Council of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) for 7 years and has been a member of the E.A. Baker Secretariat of the CNIB for the past 20
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CAN J OPHTHALMOL-YOL. 38, NO.4, 2003
Bill Dixon with one of his photographs.
years. He has also been a member of the International Ophthalmic Microsurgical Study Group for the past 10 years. Those who know Bill understand that any description of his professional and personal life would be incomplete without mention of Sylvia, Bill's wife of 37 years, who helps with surgery bookings and works tirelessly on behalf of the Department of Ophthalmology at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. Their joint projects include 2 children: Ross, whose consulting company focuses on the energy field; and John, director of coaching and operations at CIBC, who was recently married to Christine. And the soundtrack to all of these endeavours? Classical music. Bill likes to listen to music at work, at home and in his workshop, where he fixes things other than eyes. He is also an accomplished nature photographer, the Canadian Rockies being a favourite subject. "So I am thus very pleased when the COS [annual meeting] is held in Calgary!" It is not surprising that Bill has research and teaching ideas percolating. He hopes to be able to work and teach in the area of corneal transplantation of smaller amounts of tissue, such as the endothelium, or corneal tissues grown from patients' stem cells, which should reduce the risk of rejection.
Continued on p. 320
Give generously to ORBIS and give the gift of sight. Calltoll·free "877' ORBIS-CA for details. _
Profile continued from p. 328
Bill is currently ophthalmologist-in-chief at Sunnybrook. His clinical acumen, excellent manual dexterity and wonderful patient rapport have established his reputation as the ophthalmologist's ophthalmologist. Admired and respected by his colleagues, Bill Dixon has already made a lasting and significant contribution to the specialty of ophthal-
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CAN J OPHTHAlMOl-VOL. 38, NO.4, 2003
.ortll• . ~
mology. In addition, his dedication to eye banking has given countless people the gift of sight. His commitment to ophthalmology at the local, provincial, national and international levels ensures that the specialty will continue to benefit from his experience, dedication and superb teaching skills. Cynthia N. Lank Contributing Editor Halifax, NS
William S. Dixon, MD, FRCSC
S
ome ?eople are born teachers, and Bill Dixon is certamly one of them. He was awarded the "Silver Needle" for best surgical instructor 4 times by the University of Toronto residents. It is clear that working with those starting out in the field is a passion for him. In 1996, Bill was granted full professorship based on excellence in teaching. Yet his career is rich and varied, teaching being just 1 facet. A true Torontonian, Bill was born, raised and educated in this city. He attended Whitney Public School, then University of Toronto Schools before enrolling in the premed program at University of Toronto, where he also completed his residency in ophthalmology. When asked to consider why he chose ophthalmology, Bill recalled the following. "The year after interning, I spent a year in family practice with the Associate Clinic in Calgary. This was an excellent experience but made me realize that I had to focus on a specialty, since I could not keep up in all fields! I reflected that patients who came in with an ocular foreign body that I could remove were the happiest, as they left with relief of their distress. Ophthalmology seemed like a field with a manageable scope of knowledge and dealt with microscopic detail, which I enjoy." When he joined the staff of the Department of Ophthalmology at Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, in 1972, he brought with him experience gained during the previous year as Lister Research Fellow at Moorfield's Eye Hospital in London, England. There he had specialized in corneal diseases with distinguished professors Barrie R. Jones and Anthony J. Bron, as well as contact lens theory and practice with Professor Montague Rubin. Among Bill's most valued professional moments are his 2 trips with Project Orbis to Senegal and the Ivory Coast, on which he was accompanied by Jeff Hurwitz. He has been medical director or co-director of the Eye Bank of Canada (Ontario Division) since 1978, and his 20-year tenure as chair of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Committee on Eye Banking just recently came to an end. In addition to these commitments, Bill served on the National Council of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) for 7 years and has been a member of the E.A. Baker Secretariat of the CNIB for the past 20
328
CAN J OPHTHALMOL-YOL. 38, NO.4, 2003
Bill Dixon with one of his photographs.
years. He has also been a member of the International Ophthalmic Microsurgical Study Group for the past 10 years. Those who know Bill understand that any description of his professional and personal life would be incomplete without mention of Sylvia, Bill's wife of 37 years, who helps with surgery bookings and works tirelessly on behalf of the Department of Ophthalmology at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. Their joint projects include 2 children: Ross, whose consulting company focuses on the energy field; and John, director of coaching and operations at CIBC, who was recently married to Christine. And the soundtrack to all of these endeavours? Classical music. Bill likes to listen to music at work, at home and in his workshop, where he fixes things other than eyes. He is also an accomplished nature photographer, the Canadian Rockies being a favourite subject. "So I am thus very pleased when the COS [annual meeting] is held in Calgary!" It is not surprising that Bill has research and teaching ideas percolating. He hopes to be able to work and teach in the area of corneal transplantation of smaller amounts of tissue, such as the endothelium, or corneal tissues grown from patients' stem cells, which should reduce the risk of rejection.
Continued on p. 320
Give generously to ORBIS and give the gift of sight. Calltoll·free "877' ORBIS-CA for details. _
Profile continued from p. 328
Bill is currently ophthalmologist-in-chief at Sunnybrook. His clinical acumen, excellent manual dexterity and wonderful patient rapport have established his reputation as the ophthalmologist's ophthalmologist. Admired and respected by his colleagues, Bill Dixon has already made a lasting and significant contribution to the specialty of ophthal-
320
CAN J OPHTHAlMOl-VOL. 38, NO.4, 2003
.ortll• . ~
mology. In addition, his dedication to eye banking has given countless people the gift of sight. His commitment to ophthalmology at the local, provincial, national and international levels ensures that the specialty will continue to benefit from his experience, dedication and superb teaching skills. Cynthia N. Lank Contributing Editor Halifax, NS