Jean H. Dussault (1941 – March 23, 2003) was a Canadian endocrinologist. He helped develop a blood test for the early detection of

congenital hypothyroidism Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is thyroid hormone deficiency present at birth. If untreated for several months after birth, severe congenital hypothyroidism can lead to growth failure and permanent intellectual disability. Infants born with cong ...

, a condition of severely stunted physical and mental growth due to untreated congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones. Born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Dussault received a bachelor's degree 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 ...

in 1960 and a Doctor of Medicine in 1965 from the Université Laval. He took his residency in Medicine at the Enfant-Jesus Hospital in Quebec City and additional research training at the University of Toronto and UCLA. In 1971, he joined the department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Faculté de médecine - Université Laval. In 1982, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In 1988, he was made a Member 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 ...

and was awarded the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation Innovation Award for having "formulated a method of testing infants for congenital hypothyroidism, thus saving children from irreversible mental retardation". In 2000, he was made an 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 ...

. In 2007, 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 ...

References

1941 births 2003 deaths Canadian medical researchers Canadian endocrinologists Members of the Order of Canada Officers of the National Order of Quebec People from Quebec City Université de Montréal alumni Academic staff of Université Laval Université Laval alumni {{Quebec-bio-stub