Dr. Michel Zummer

2017 Distinguished Rheumatologist Award

The CRA Distinguished Rheumatologist Award represents the recognition of a member who has made an outstanding contribution to rheumatology in Canada. The candidate must be a CRA member in good standing, and an accomplished Canadian rheumatologist of high professional calibre who has significantly furthered rheumatology in Canada in one or more of the following areas:

  1. Patient Care and Service
  2. Professional Creative Activities: significant interface with International rheumatology organizations, extraordinary services to Canadian rheumatology and/or the Canadian Rheumatology Association.

Our colleague and friend, Dr. Michel Zummer, is just such an individual.

Michel is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Université de Montréal and Chief of Rheumatology, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont. He received his medical degree from Laval University, Internal Medicine at UMontreal and Rheumatology at McGill. He entered private practice (1987) in Montreal, providing care to a primarily francophone population.

Despite a busy practice he was gradually and naturally drawn into participation in clinical trials and was an inception member of the Canadian Rheumatology Research Consortium, as well as ongoing active support of the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort (CATCH), SPARCC and CaNIOS.

Michel has been active in the Quebec Rheumatology Association, serving in various leadership roles. He joined the CRA as a Board member in 2000 and served as President of the CRA 2004-06. He has remained active serving as mentor to new members of the Board, but more particularly his role as CRA liaison, especially in participating in the organization of the 2 successful CRA-MCR meetings in Mexico and serving as Vice President of PANLAR since 2012. More recently he has ably represented the CRA as representative to the Arthritis Alliance of Canada (AAC), serving in leadership roles, with a specific focus on Manpower and Models of Care.

His activities in Canadian Rheumatology have been a bridge between East and West, North and South, French (and Spanish) and English, and Canadian and International Rheumatology.

We celebrate Dr. Zummer’s accomplishments in patient care, research and leadership, truly deserving recognition as the CRA Distinguished Rheumatologist for 2017.