Charles H. Tator (born August 24, 1936) is a Canadian physician. Born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, he studied medicine at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. He interned at the

Toronto General Hospital The Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is a major teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the flagship campus of University Health Network (UHN). It is located in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto along University Avenue (Toronto), ...

and returned to graduate studies in the

neuropathology Neuropathology is the study of disease of nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small surgical biopsies or whole-body autopsies. Neuropathologists usually work in a department of anatomic pathology, but work closely with the clini ...

division at the University of Toronto, completing an MA and

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

and continuing his training in

neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system ...

. In 1969, Tator became a fellow in the

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada () is a regulatory college which acts as a national, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada. The ...

in Neurosurgery. In the same year, he became an assistant professor at the university and he became a Professor in 1980. He was head of the neurosurgery division at

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC), commonly known as Sunnybrook Hospital or simply Sunnybrook, is an academic health science centre located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hospital is the largest trauma centre in Canada. It is accredite ...

and served as director of the Toronto Hospital Neurosciences Centre from 1983 to 1988. From 1990 to 1999, he was associate director of the Playfair Neuroscience Unit at the Toronto Hospital and he was chairman of the neurosurgery division at the University of Toronto from 1989 to 1999. Tator's primary area of research was

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...

, including injury prevention, especially in sports and recreation, and treatment. In 1992 he founded Think First Canada/Penser d'Abord, an injury prevention foundation, and served as its president until 2007. In July 2012, Think First Canada/Penser d'Abord was amalgamated with three other organizations (Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada and SMARTRISK), to form Parachute, a national, charitable organization. Tator has been a member of Parachute's Board of Directors since its inception. 2013, he published ''Concussions and their consequences: current diagnosis, management and prevention''. Tator was awarded on October 21, 1999 and invested on April 26, 2000 as a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. He was awarded on November 18, 2016 and invested on November 17, 2017 with a promotion within the order, to Officer of the

. He was named to the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, ...

in 2009. In 2003, he was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame. On November 9, 2017, Tator was awarded the

Order of Sport The Order of Sport is a national level award established in 2019 by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. It is awarded alongside induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and regarded as Canada's highest sporting honour. Overview Canada’s Sp ...

, marking his induction into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

. He received the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2020.

References

1936 births Living people Canadian Disability Hall of Fame Canadian neurosurgeons Members of the Order of Canada Order of Hockey in Canada recipients Physicians from Toronto University of Toronto alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto {{canada-med-bio-stub