Samuel Orkin Freedman, (born May 8, 1928) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

clinical immunologist, professor and academic administrator. In 1965, he co-discovered with Phil Gold the

carcinoembryonic antigen Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) describes a set of highly-related glycoproteins involved in cell adhesion. CEA is normally produced in gastrointestinal tissue during fetal development, but the production stops before birth. Consequently, CEA is us ...

, the basis of a blood test used in the diagnosis and management of people with

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

Background

Born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Freedman received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in 1948 and a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

in 1953 from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Career

From 1977 to 1981, he was the Dean of the

McGill University Faculty of Medicine The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is one of the constituent faculties of McGill University. It was established in 1829 after the Montreal Medical Institution was incorporated into McGill College as the college's first faculty; it was t ...

. From 1981 to 1991, he served as McGill's chief academic officer with the title of Vice-Principal, Academic (equivalent to

Provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

at U.S. universities). Freedman received an honorary degree from McGill in 1992. He was named Professor Emeritus in 2000. Until January 1, 2008, Freedman was senior advisor to the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, where he was previously research director.

Book

* Freedman, Samuel O.; Gold, Phil (1976). ''Clinical Immunology.'' Hagerstown, Md.: Harper & Row. ;

Research publications

* Gold, Phil; Freedman, Samuel O. (1965-03-01). "Demonstration of Tumor-Specific Antigens in Human Colonic Carcinomata by Immunological Tolerance and Absorption Techniques". ''Journal of Experimental Medicine.'' Rockefeller University Press. 121 (3): 439–462. .

Honours

* In 1976, he was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

. * In 1978, he was awarded the

Gairdner Foundation International Award The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a ...

. * In 1985, he was made an Officer 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 ...

. * In 1998, he was awarded the Quebec government's

Prix Armand-Frappier The Prix Armand-Frappier is an award by the Government of Quebec, part of the Prix du Québec, "given to people who have pursued a research career and have helped build up a research institution. Or it goes to those who have devoted themselves to ...

. *In 2002, he was awarded Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Medal * In 2004, he was made a Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

. *In 2012, he was awarded Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal

References

External links

Prix Armand-Frappier Citation
(in French)
Order of Canada Citation
1928 births Living people Jewish Canadian writers Canadian immunologists Canadian medical researchers Canadian university and college faculty deans Canadian university and college vice-presidents Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Knights of the National Order of Quebec Officers of the Order of Canada McGill University Faculty of Medicine alumni Academic staff of McGill University Writers from Montreal Anglophone Quebec people {{canada-academic-bio-stub