Michael Gordon and Humanism

To the Editor: Dr. Michael Gordon, the iconic geriatrician, educator, author, and storyteller, has been honored for his contributions to person-centered care by the University of Toronto's Department of Medicine.1 The department announced that their recently established humanism award will now be named the Michael Gordon Award for Humanism in Medicine, a well-deserved and fitting recognition for this extraordinary man.1 Michael Gordon personifies the meaning of humanism in health care. In his warm, charismatic way, he has been an educator and mentor to many. Michael defined what it truly means to practice geriatric medicine in Canada. He holds the distinction of being the first geriatrician accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1981 when geriatric medicine became a specialty in this country. Accordingly, his geriatric medicine specialist certificate is numbered “one.” Early on, he recognized that older adults have complex needs. They require holistic care that focuses on their priorities that may go beyond traditional medical care. When he first started his career in geriatric medicine, his medical colleagues did not understand what geriatric medicine was or its true value to society. Through the unique and personal care he provided to older adults and their families, his educational initiatives, and his leadership in the field, he won the respect and admiration of his medical colleagues. In his role as the physician in chief at Baycrest, he laid the foundations for the development of geriatric medicine at the University of Toronto, in Canada, and around the world. Michael's clinical observations informed much needed geriatric medicine research. He was one of the first to talk about drug-related side effects in older adults and to recognize that they could be prevented. He talked about the importance of the “start low and go slow” approach for prescribing medications to older people as a strategy to prevent adverse drug events. Accordingly, he was the only Canadian selected to be part of the original American Geriatric Society's Beers Criteria® panel. These well-recognized criteria have been updated and are still used internationally to inform drug prescribing for older people. Michael also recognized that medical conditions in older adults often present in very atypical ways. This important observation had a substantial benefit for this group, and he brought it to the attention of the medical community. Dr. Michael Gordon published articles for the scientific literature. Perhaps most important were the series of books that he wrote on aspects of aging that truly matter to older adults and society. The first of these was Old Enough to Feel Better: A Medical Guide for Seniors.2 He also wrote books about caregiving well before it was recognized as an important issue for older adults and their families. His coauthored book Parenting Your Parent describes the experience and challenges of caring for an aging parent.3 Michael Gordon has been a worthy role model for many. Although he is a specialist in geriatric medicine, his example has value to the field of medicine as a whole. He showed us the importance of listening to people's stories and focusing on what matters most to them. His example provides an ideal that others in medicine can learn from and aspire to emulate. The humanism award reflects the commitment of the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto to the delivery of person-centered care. As such, it is fitting that this award is now being named for Dr. Michael Gordon. His example is one that we should all try to follow. I can think of no better person for whom to name the humanism award. Paula A. Rochon holds the RTO/ERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto. The author has declared no conflict of interest. Paula A. Rochon conceived the idea, wrote the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript. There is no sponsor for this manuscript.

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