Juhn Atsushi Wada (March 28, 1924 – April 22, 2023) was a Japanese–Canadian

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

known for research into

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

and human brain asymmetry, including his description of the

Wada test The Wada test, also known as the intracarotid sodium amobarbital procedure (ISAP), establishes cerebral language and memory representation of each hemisphere. Method Medical professionals conduct the test with the patient awake. Essentially, th ...

for cerebral hemispheric dominance of language function. The

Wada Test The Wada test, also known as the intracarotid sodium amobarbital procedure (ISAP), establishes cerebral language and memory representation of each hemisphere. Method Medical professionals conduct the test with the patient awake. Essentially, th ...

remains the gold standard for establishing cerebral dominance and is conducted worldwide prior to epilepsy surgery. Wada was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the

UBC Faculty of Medicine The UBC Faculty of Medicine is the medical school of the University of British Columbia. It is one of 17 medical schools in Canada and the only one in the province of British Columbia. It has Canada's largest undergraduate medical education program ...

. He has edited 11 books and published over 300 papers on human brain asymmetry, the neurobiology of epilepsy, and kindling.

Biography

Juhn Wada studied medicine at

Hokkaido University , or , is a Japanese national university in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It was the fifth Imperial University in Japan, which were established to be the nation's finest institutions of higher education or research. Hokkaido University is considered ...

, qualifying as a Doctor of Medicine in 1946 and qualifying as a Doctor of Medical Science in 1951. He was an assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry at Hokkaido University after which he worked at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

and the

Montreal Neurological Institute The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC; french: Centre universitaire de santé McGill) is one of two major healthcare networks in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is affiliated with McGill University and is one of the largest medical complex in ...

before settling at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in 1956, becoming Professor of Neurology. Wada established the first Seizure Investigation Unit in 1979 and the Epilepsy Surgical Program at

UBC Hospital UBC Hospital is a health care facility located on the University Endowment Lands in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It opened in 1968, and is now operated by Vancouver Coastal Health. Overview UBC Hospital is made up of three different build ...

which serves patients across Western Canada. He was an attending neurologist at

Vancouver General Hospital Vancouver General Hospital (locally known as VGH, or Vancouver General) is a medical facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the largest facility in the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre (VHHSC) group of medical faciliti ...

and UBC Hospital. He served as Director of the EEG Department at UBC Hospital from 1969 to 1994 and Director of the Seizure Investigation Unit from 1980 to 1994. He was career investigator and associate of the Medical Research Council of Canada from 1963 to 1994. Wada died in Vancouver on April 22, 2023, at the age of 99.

Presidencies

* 1975-2001: Founding President, Vancouver Society for Epilepsy Research * 1977–79: Founding President
Canadian League Against Epilepsy (CLAE)
* 1977–79: President, Western Institute of Epilepsy (USA) * 1985–86: President
American Clinical Neurophysiology Society
(née American EEG Society) * 1988–89: President
American Epilepsy Society

Awards and honours

* 1976: Distinguished Service Award from the

Epilepsy Foundation of America The Epilepsy Foundation, also Epilepsy Foundation of America (EFA), is a non-profit national foundation, headquartered in Bowie, Maryland, dedicated to the welfare of people with epilepsy and seizure disorders. The foundation was established in 196 ...

*1976: Lennox Award, Western Institute of Epilepsy * 1978: Gold Medallion from the

International League against Epilepsy The International League Against Epilepsy was started in 1909. Its goal is to improve the lives of people with epilepsy through research. They run the medical journals ''Epilepsia'', ''Epilepsia Open'', and ''Epileptic Disorders ''Epileptic Disor ...

*1978
Juhn and Mary Wada Prize
established by the Japan Epilepsy Society * 1981
Ambassador for Epilepsy Award
by the

International League Against Epilepsy The International League Against Epilepsy was started in 1909. Its goal is to improve the lives of people with epilepsy through research. They run the medical journals ''Epilepsia'', ''Epilepsia Open'', and ''Epileptic Disorders ''Epileptic Disor ...

and the

International Bureau for Epilepsy The International Bureau for Epilepsy is a non-for-profit started in 1961. Its members are from both the lay public and a professional background. It is global in scope. The organization often collaborates with the International League Against Epile ...

* 1992:

Officer of 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 ...

* 1985: Order of Sacred Treasure of Japan, Gold and Silver Star * 1998: Wilder Penfield Gold Medal Award by th
Canadian League Against Epilepsy
* 1998
William G. Lennox Award
of th
American Epilepsy Society
* 2001
Herbert H. Jasper Award
of th
American Clinical Neurophysiology Society
* 2002:

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

* 2003: Doctor of Science

Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

from the

* 2012:

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

* 2013
Lifetime Achievement Award
of the

and the

* 2019:

Vancouver Coastal Health Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is a regional health authority that provides health services including primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary care, home and community care, mental health services, population and preventive health and addictio ...

Medical Staff Hall of Honour

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wada, Juhn Atsushi 1924 births 2023 deaths Canadian neurologists Japanese emigrants to Canada Japanese expatriates in the United States Officers of the Order of Canada People from Tokyo