Obituary: McMaster Children’s Hospital founder Dr. Peter Dent a ‘remarkable role model’
The founder of McMaster Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House is being remembered as a down-to-earth gentleman who always made everyone feel recognized and appreciated.
(Dr.) Peter Dent was a brilliant academic physician and role model to so many," Paul O'Byrne, dean and vice-president of the faculty of health sciences said in a statement.
He was the kind of doctor that everyone would like to have, as he was knowledgeable, caring and had a confidence that you could trust. He was also a wonderful colleague, being not only very congenial, smart, an excellent negotiator and a friend to a lot of people."
Dent, who officially retired from practising medicine in 2020 after a 60-year career, died Sept. 23 at the age of 85.
Dent came to McMaster's fairly new medical school in 1968 as a clinical scientist with a research focus in cancer immunology and pediatric rheumatology. He became chair of McMaster's department of pediatrics in 1980 and oversaw the establishment of the children's hospital in 1988. Ronald McDonald House, which provides rooms for families of children in the hospital, opened in 1992.
He became director of research for Hamilton Health Sciences in 1990, a professor emeritus in 1996, and served 2002-2012 as associate dean, clinical services, faculty of health sciences at McMaster. He retired as head of pediatric rheumatology at McMaster in 2015. HHS said Dent created Canada's first multidisciplinary program in immunology and virology.
John Kelton, a professor of medicine and former dean and vice-president of the health sciences faculty, described Dent as a remarkable role model" for his clinical work, but also for his advocating for improving child and youth health in Hamilton.
He has been a constant source of wisdom for me and generations of pediatricians and health-care leaders," Kelton said in a statement. At meetings I would attend, he would appear five minutes early to say hello to the staff, always with a happy comment and curiosity about their lives and families."
Bruce Squires, McMaster Children's Hospital president, and Dr. Angelo Mikrogianakis, chief and chair of pediatrics at the children's hospital and university, said in a statement a collaborative fund - The Dr. Peter Dent Legacy Fund - is being set up at the McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation to honour Dent.
Dent was born May 16, 1936, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He was the son of Dr. Eric and Esther Dent. His family came to Toronto when he was a child and he completed elementary school there before attending Upper Canada College.
He graduated from medicine at the University of Toronto in 1960. He spent time at hospitals in Toronto, Philadelphia and Birmingham, England, before he came to McMaster.
At his funeral service at St. John's Anglican Church in Ancaster, his three daughters spoke lovingly of their dad, telling stories about how he took them fishing, collected rubber chickens, loved The Agenda" and Steve Paikin on TVO, and had a philosophy for life - Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS). Youngest daughter Rebecca described him as quirky" and a person who always lent a hand to others.
Nobody is perfect, but dad was as close to a perfect dad anyone could have," said middle daughter Ashley.
Eldest daughter Jennifer Haddon said her dad loved the Blue Jays and one time she arranged to have him watch a game from the SkyDome restaurant Windows where there was a buffet. She said, however, her dad preferred to sit near the window, eat hotdogs and drink beer and yell at the players that they were lazy, overpaid bums.
Who could imagine that he would say this, but this is probably because he set such high standards for himself and he expected it from others," said Haddon.
In 2008, Dent was inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction and, in 2017, he was named to the Order of Canada. He told The Spec receiving the nation's highest civilian honour was never an ambition.
I've just been very lucky," he said. I've been in the right place at the right time, and things eventually fell into place."
Dent is survived by his wife Diane, daughters Jennifer, Ashley and Rebecca, and four grandchildren.
Daniel Nolan can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com