CIHR salutes the late Dr. Clyde Hertzman

Dr. Clyde Hertzman passed away in February 2013 at the age of 59. He was internationally regarded as a top expert in early childhood development as a determinant of health. He dedicated his career to understanding how early life experiences affect a child’s brain and body development.

“It is with profound sadness that the scientific world has to say goodbye to this outstanding individual,” says CIHR President, Dr. Alain Beaudet. “Dr. Hertzman helped advance global policy in the field of population health by providing evidence that the early years matter to healthy human development.”

Dr. Hertzman was Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP). He was also Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Hertzman’s work earned him some of the country’s highest honours, including the CIHR “Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year” award in 2010, a Canada Research Chair in Population Health and Human Development and the Order of Canada in January 2013.

“We will remember Dr. Hertzman’s invaluable research and policy contributions, which helped to inform initiatives for healthy child development at the international, national, provincial, and community levels. We hope that researchers and decision makers will continue to be inspired by his work in the support of stronger and healthier populations,” says Dr. Nancy Edwards, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health. “CIHR greatly valued Dr. Hertzman’s many contributions including his role as a member of the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health inaugural advisory board. His contributions to early child development and population health thinking in Canada and globally have left an indelible footprint. He will be sorely missed.”

Canada's Health Researcher of the Year – 2010

You can give to Clyde Hertzman’s Legay Fund, which supports innovative investigation and community initiatives that contribute to the social and emotional development of young children