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Dr. Réjean Thomas

Commander
2016
Great Montrealer
2014, social category

A good-hearted doctor and an AIDS missionary, Dr. Thomas has been part of the Quebec media landscape since 1984, the year in which, with his colleagues, he founded a clinic that would go on to become Clinique médicale l’Actuel in 1987. This centre of excellence in the areas of STIs, HIV, and hepatitis is one of the most important outpatient centres in Canada, treating some 5,000 people living with HIV and 1,500 others with hepatitis. At the start, Dr. Thomas could never have imagined that, over time, he would become a valued media spokesperson for all questions relating not just to STIs, but also to social and humanitarian causes.

Born in Tracadie, New Brunswick in 1955, Dr. Réjean Thomas is well known, recognized, and well liked by the public. The son of an Acadian labourer, Dr. Thomas grew up in the country, near the sea.

A graduate of the Université de Moncton and Université Laval, Dr. Thomas began practicing medicine in 1979. He first practiced in Rimouski, and then in Montréal. He also furthered his studies in philosophy at the Université de Montréal in the early 1990s.

As the founder of Doctors of the World Canada, Réjean Thomas has contributed to establishing a humanistic approach to medicine in Canada and abroad, organizing and often taking part in some forty humanitarian missions to several countries affected by natural catastrophes and epidemics, or ravaged by war.

In 2011, this dedicated doctor opened Clinique A in Montréal, specializing in sexual health. In addition to his advisory functions for the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, the McGill University Health Centre, and Cirque du Soleil, he also sits on various committees focused on the treatment and prevention of HIV.

His teaching, prevention, research, and, above all, his patients’ quality of life, along with his fight against prejudice, his commitment to tackling social vulnerability and defending the rights of those living with HIV, and his approach as both a clinician and a hands-on man in the field have brought Dr. Thomas international recognition and credibility.

He has written numerous articles published in science journals, and has shared his knowledge of a multidisciplinary approach with several teams of clinicians from around the world. Recently, to adapt HIV management to new therapeutic realities and to comorbidities, Dr. Thomas developed the Total Patient Care concept, which has been implemented in several countries, including Germany, Spain, Romania, and Russia.

His exceptional contribution to the advancement of social causes has earned him several distinctions, including being named a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec (2005), and a Member of the Order of Canada (2009), as well as receiving the Award of Merit from the Association des médecins francophones du Canada (2014). He has also received honorary doctorates from the Université de Moncton and Université de Montréal.

Source : Chambre de commerce du Montréal métropolitain

The picture and biographical information appearing on this page were current at the time this person was admitted to the Academy of Great Montrealers.