John Dirks (physician)

John Dirks
Dr John Dirks with Yoshinori Ōsumi, Kenjirō Monji and D. Lorne Tyrrell (at the Royal Ontario Museum on October 29, 2015)
Alma mater	University of Manitoba
Organization(s)	Gairdner Foundation University of Toronto
Known for	Nephrology Global Health
Awards	Member of the Order of Canada Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto
In office 1987–1991
Preceded by	Frederick Hans Lowry
Succeeded by	G. Harvey Anderson (acting) Arnold Aberman

John Herbert Dirks (born August 20, 1933) is a Canadian physician.

Overview

Born to a Mennonite family in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dirks studied medicine at the University of Manitoba and received a fellowship in medicine from the Royal College of Physicians in 1963. From 1963 to 1965, Dirks trained in nephrology research at the National Institutes of Health. He then became the head of the nephrology division at the Royal Victoria Hospital. In 1976, Dirks became head of the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. In 1987, he became Dean of Medicine at the University of Toronto. From 1994 to 1996, he was Dean-Rector at the Aga Khan University in Pakistan. In 1993, he became president and scientific director at the Gairdner Foundation and also serves as chair of the Medical Advisory Board and of the Canada Gairdner Wightman Committee for the foundation.

Dirks was named to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2012. He was named to the Order of Canada in 2006.