The 2005 CHPCA Award of Excellence was presented to S. Lawrence Librach, MD, CCFP, FCFP, an accomplished individual who has long been a national advocate for change to ensure quality end-of-life care for all Canadians.
Dr. Librach is one of the very first pioneers and innovators of hospice palliative care in Canada. He has been involved in an immeasurable number of initiatives that affect the patient and his or her family to ensure quality end-of-life care.
Dr. Librach’s achievements are too numerous to list in full; some of them include:
- He led the development, and is the Director of the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, one of the largest palliative care programs in Canada and worldwide
- Dr. Librach was a founding member of the original National Palliative Care Foundation in Canada, founder of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, the Metropolitan Toronto Palliative Care Council and the Ontario Palliative Care Association
- He was awarded the Golden Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by the Governor General of Canada in May, 2003 for his work in hospice palliative care in Canada.
- Dr. Librach also led the development of the Palliative Medicine Fellowship Training Program now jointly sponsored by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and the College of Family Physicians of Canada
- He has authored several articles for professional and academic journals and publications and the book “The Pain Manual: Principles and Issues in Cancer Pain Management”
Dr. Librach’s accomplishments are best described by his nominators who state: “… Larry is one of the leading educators and mentors in hospice palliative care in Canada and internationally. He has inspired and been a key leader in the development of the modern hospice palliative care movement.”