Madeleine Blanchet (born 26 April 1934) is a Canadian doctor. She was an advisor on the Castonguay-Nepveu Commission and helped transform the public health care system in Quebec.

Biography

Blanchet obtained a bachelor of arts degree at the Convent des Ursulines de Québec and a doctorate in medicine from

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montmo ...

. She also graduated in public health from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

and holds a master of science degree in maternal and child health from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. She was chief medical officer at the health unit of Hochelaga, Quebec and in 1967 became medical advisor on

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

with the Castonguay-Nepveu Commission, conducting a three-year inquiry into the state of health care in the province. Much of health care in Quebec was then under the jurisdiction of the clergy, and the commission's report recommended a new state-run health insurance policy and health care network, to give broader access to health and psychiatric care for the population.

Claude Castonguay Claude Castonguay, (May 8, 1929 – December 12, 2020) was a Canadian politician, educator, and businessman. Career Born in Quebec City, Quebec, the son of Émile Castonguay and Jeanne Gauvin, he studied science at Université Laval, followed by ...

was appointed Quebec's Minister of Health in 1970 and, like several others on the commission, Blanchet joined the ministry's staff to see the commission's blueprint realized and to maintain continuity of the health system. She was head of the Department of Epidemiological Studies at the Ministry of Social Affairs (into which the Ministry of Health had been merged). She was coordinator of the 1972 Nutrition Canada survey and set perinatal and nutrition policies. In 1980 Blanchet was made President of the Social Affairs Council. In the late 1980s Blanchet collaborated with the research team for another report into the state of Quebec's healthcare. Blanchet gained a reputation for approaching health issues from a social perspective. She was elected to the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

in 1989 and was made an officer of the National Order of Quebec in 1992.

Honours

*1980 – Prize of the Canadian Institute of Quebec *1989 – Member of the

*1992 – Officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Gove ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchet, Madeleine 1934 births Living people Canadian public health doctors Women public health doctors Officers of the National Order of Quebec Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Université Laval alumni Université de Montréal alumni Physicians from Quebec People from Quebec City Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni