UCalgary scholars recognized among Canada’s leaders in health sciences

Research spanning bone and joint health, public health policy and the history of medicine has earned three University of Calgary scholars one of Canada’s top academic distinctions.  

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) has named Drs. Steven Boyd, Juliet Guichon and Frank W. Stahnisch, among its newest fellows. 

“Congratulations to Drs. Boyd, Guichon and Stahnisch. Election to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences is a prestigious honour, recognizing leadership in advancing health research and creating positive change for our communities,” says Dr. William Ghali, MD’90, vice-president (research). “Their achievement reflects the research excellence and innovation that UCalgary scholars bring to Canada’s health sciences community.”

Meet this year’s CAHS Fellows

Dr. Steven Boyd, PhD, PEng

Professor, Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, and departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering; member, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine 

Dr. Steven Boyd, MSc’97, PhD’01, PEng, is an internationally recognized biomedical engineer whose research has changed how we understand, prevent and treat bone and joint diseases.  

Through novel medical imaging, engineering techniques and clinical studies, his research has led to advances in detecting osteoporosis-related fractures, predicting bone strength and developing strategies to prevent post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis. His work has also revealed important insights into how space travel affects bone health, helping inform protections for astronauts during long-duration missions to the International Space Station.

Boyd holds the Bob and Nola Rintoul Chair in Bone and Joint Research and co-founded and co-leads OsNET, Canada’s first bone health research network. He served as the director of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health from 2016 to 2023. 

His contributions have earned numerous honours, including the Killam Graduate Supervision and Mentorship Award, the European Society of Biomechanics S.B. Perren Award, and appointment as a Fellow of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. 

Dr. Juliet Guichon, SJD

Professor, departments of Community Health Sciences and Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine; member, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine

Dr. Juliet Guichon, SJD, is a leading health ethics and legal scholar and public-health advocate whose work translates health science into effective policy and practice. 

Guichon led a multi-year campaign to make HPV vaccination available in 12 publicly funded Canadian Catholic school districts, expanding access for thousands of children. She also mobilized undergraduate students to advocate for a ban on menthol-flavoured tobacco products in Alberta, and led the community initiative that restored water fluoridation to Calgarians.

She has contributed to national health policy discussions as an invited witness before the Senate and House of Commons on landmark legislation, including the Medical Assistance in Dying Act and the Assisted Human Reproduction Act. Internationally, she has provided ethics guidance to physicians in rural Haiti. 

Guichon’s leadership and public service have been recognized by the Canadian Medical Association Medal of Honour, the National Public Health Hero Award, the Adrienne Clarkson Laureateship for Public Service, the Alberta Medical Association Medal of Honour, and by honorary membership in the Alberta Dental Association.

Dr. Frank W. Stahnisch, MD, PhD 

Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Arts, and Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine; member, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, and O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine; Fellow, Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies, Faculty of Arts

Dr. Frank W. Stahnisch, MD, PhD, is a distinguished historian of medicine. His scholarship examines how scientific ideas, medical practices and health care have evolved across disciplines, cultures and national boundaries, advancing our understanding of global medical history.  

His most recent book, Great Minds in Despair: The Forced Migration of German-Speaking Neuroscientists to North America, provides an important revision to the brain gain thesis in migration studies by turning attention to the working conditions and social acculturation of an influential academic refugee group in North America. It received the Outstanding Book Award in the History of Neuroscience by the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences in 2026.

Stahnisch holds the Alberta Medical Foundation/Hannah Professorship in the History of Medicine and Health Care. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the broader medical community.