André Picard was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 13, “in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to public health and public health policy as a journalist, columnist and author of four significant books.”
He is the health columnist at the Globe and Mail, where he has been a staff reporter since 1987. He is the author of numerous books, most recently Matters of Life and Death: Public Health Issues in Canada.
His health care advocacy has been recognized by a number of groups, including Safe Kids Canada, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and the Canadian Hearing Society. In 2012, Picard was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his role in improving Canadian health care.
He has received the Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism, the Canadian Policy Research Award and the Atkinson Fellowship for Public Policy Research.
He is an eight-time finalist in the National Newspaper Awards – Canada’s version of the Pulitzer Prize. In 2010, Picard was named Canada’s top newspaper columnist. Picard is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Ontario Institute Of Technology, the University of Manitoba, Laurentian University and the University of Toronto.