Co-founder of Ottawa Heart Institute Dr. Donald Beanlands dies

Dr. Donald S. Beanlands (Ottawa Heart Institute)

The co-founder of the University of Ottawa's Heart Institute (UOHI) and world-renowned cardiologist Dr. Donald S. Beanlands has died, the institution says.

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Beanlands, who also served as the institute's first head of cardiology, co-founded the UOHI alongside Dr. Wilbert J. Keon in 1976.

The Heart Institute sees more than 211,000 patients a year and has grown to be the largest cardiac prevention and rehabilitation program in Canada. Beanlands established a large number of national and international programs at the Heart Institute, which is also regarded as a leading postgraduate training programs for young cardiologists.

He died last Thursday in Ottawa at the age of 91.

Born in Halifax in 1932, he served in the Canadian Naval Reserve before attending medical school at Dalhousie University, according to his obituary.

He trained to be a cardiologist at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto and later became the chief of cardiology at the Toronto Western Hospital. He moved to Ottawa in 1975 to start the Heart Institute.

"Through his leadership and commitment to his patients and their families, his trainees who now practice across Canada and around the world, and the staff who respected him, it has been said that he changed the practice of medicine and cardiology in Ottawa and Canada forever," his obituary said.

"His legacy will always be carried in the hearts of those for whom he cared, and those he mentored and guided."

 In 1998, he was one of the first to receive the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Distinguished teacher/mentor award.

In 2006, he was proclaimed a "living legend" by the World Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons, and was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences.

Beanlands served as the UOHI deputy director general until his retirement in 2008 after over 50 years of medical practice.

"Dr. Beanlands is beloved and respected by patients, staff, colleagues, and trainees alike. His legacy will forever be carried in the hearts of those for whom he cared, with whom he worked and those he mentored and guided," the Heart Institute said in a statement.

He is survived by his wife Rhona, four children, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the UOHI Foundation.

A celebration of life to honor Beanlands will be announced in the coming days.