Michel Chrétien (born March 26, 1936) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

medical researcher specializing in

neuroendocrinology Neuroendocrinology is the branch of biology (specifically of physiology) which studies the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system; i.e. how the brain regulates the hormonal activity in the body. The nervous and endocrine ...

research at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, or Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, (IRCM). He is a younger brother of former Canadian prime minister, Jean Chrétien.

Early life and education

Born in Shawinigan,

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 ...

. He is the brother of Jean Chrétien, who was

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...

from 1993 to 2003. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Séminaire de Joliette in 1955, a M.D. 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- ...

in 1960, and a Master of Science from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

in 1962. He did post-graduate studies from 1962 to 1964 at

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 high ...

and from 1964 to 1967 at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

and

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It con ...

Career and research

In 1967, Chrétien opened a laboratory on polypeptide hormones at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM), where he would remain until 1999. His research proposed that peptide hormones are produced from large precursor proteins. He was an Associate Member, Experimental Medicine at McGill University from 1969 to 1999. In 1999 he was scientific director and CEO of the Loeb Health Research Institute at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. Chrétien was a Professor of Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal from 1975 to 1999. He was Chief of Endocrinology at

Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (founded in 1645) was the first hospital established in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ''Hôtel-Dieu'', literally translated in English as ''Hotel of God'', is an archaic French term for hospital, referring to the origi ...

. In 1998, he was appointed a Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

. In 2006, he was appointed Senior Scientist of Hormone, Growth and Development at the

Ottawa Health Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), formerly Ottawa Health Research Institute, is a non-profit academic health research institute located in the city of Ottawa. It was formed in 2001 following the merger of three Ottawa hospitals. The ...

Honours

In 1986, he was made an 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 cen ...

in recognition for being "at the forefront of Canadian scientific research and an international leader in the field of neuroendocrinology". In 1994, 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 Governo ...

and promoted to the grade of Grand Officer on 16 June 2022. In 2004, he was made a Chevalier of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and was promoted to Officer in 2011. In 1981, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1996, he was made a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received honorary degrees from

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

(1980), Paris Descartes University (1992), Laurentian University (1996),

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

(1999), and Memorial University of Newfoundland (2000). In 2009, he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

In 2017 he was made a member of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame."Renowned researchers inducted into hall of fame"
''Canadian Medical Association Journal'', Caroline O’Neill , May 4, 2017

References

External links

Michel Chrétien
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chretien, Michel 1936 births Living people People from Shawinigan Harvard University alumni McGill University alumni McGill University faculty University of California, Berkeley alumni University of California, San Francisco alumni Université de Montréal alumni Université de Montréal faculty University of Ottawa faculty Canadian medical researchers Canadian endocrinologists Officers of the National Order of Quebec Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Canadian Fellows of the Royal Society