Bernard Langer (May 23, 1932 — February 23, 2022) was a Canadian surgeon and educator. In 2015, he was inducted into the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, O ...

Biography

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, he received an MD (1956) from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, interned at the

Toronto General Hospital The Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is a major teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the flagship campus of University Health Network (UHN). It is located in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto along University Avenue's Hospital ...

(TGH) and completed training as a surgeon at the University of Toronto. Langer subsequently pursued training in

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

at MD Anderson Hospital in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and in liver transplantation at Brigham Hospital in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. In 1963, he was named to the staff of the TGH. Although a general surgeon, Langer developed an expertise in

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an end ...

and

biliary tract The biliary tract, (biliary tree or biliary system) refers to the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, and how they work together to make, store and secrete bile. Bile consists of water, electrolytes, bile acids, cholesterol, phospholipids and co ...

surgeries. He became head of the general surgery division at the hospital in 1972. In that role, he established a recruitment methodology which allowed the development of subspeciality areas within general surgery. In 1985, he performed the first liver transplant in Toronto. As a member of the Provincial Advisory Committee on Surgical Oncology, the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario and the Cancer Surgery Quality Committee, he helped raise the standards for cancer care in Ontario; these improved standards were also used as a model in other parts of Canada. In 1982, Langer became R.S. McLaughlin Professor and chair of the surgery department at the University of Toronto. He established a Surgeon Scientist Program, aimed at providing surgeons with research training. The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Clinician Investigator Program, established in 1994, was modelled after the Surgeon Scientist Program. Langer also served as president of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons, as president of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, as the first vice president of the American Surgical Association and as president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In his honour, the University of Toronto has established the Bernard and Ryna Langer Chair in General Surgery, the Department of Surgery Langer Surgeon Scientist Award and the Bernard Langer Annual Lecture in Health Sciences. The Canadian Association of General Surgeons has a Langer Lecture at its annual meeting. In 2002, Langer was named an Officer in the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

and in 2015 was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame(2). Langer married Ryna Manson; the couple had four children including Jacob Langer, himself a notable general and paediatric surgeon and the former Chief of General and Thoracic Surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Langer died on February 23, 2022, at the age of 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langer, Bernard 1932 births 2022 deaths Canadian transplant surgeons Officers of the Order of Canada People from Toronto University of Toronto alumni University of Toronto faculty