Dr. Richard Leigh Cruess

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Order of Canada

Member of the Order of Canada
- Awarded on: October 19, 1994
- Invested on: May 03, 1995
His work as an orthopaedic surgeon and as a university dean and professor has made him a leader in the field of medical education, as well as an innovator in orthopaedic research. Thanks to his dynamic and able administration, McGill University's Faculty of Medicine is one of North America's outstanding medical schools, with an excellent reputation in the area of clinical research.
Companion of the Order of Canada
- Awarded on: May 8, 2014
- Invested on: September 12, 2014
For his numerous contributions as a world leader and pioneer in the field of medical professionalism in Canada and abroad.

Richard Cruess has transformed the medical profession, its teaching and its practice. A core member of the McGill University Centre for Medical Education, he is a world leader in the field of medical professionalism, teaching and measuring the values of accountability, service and competence in providing patient care. Also the co-author of a seminal text on the subject, he has worked tirelessly to advance this subject, which is now taught in most schools around the world. His exceptional contributions and body of work have earned him the esteem of the international medical community and transformed health care both here and abroad. This is a promotion within the Order.
Officer of the Order of Canada
- Awarded on: October 21, 1999
- Invested on: April 26, 2000
He stands for excellence in medical education and progress in the physician's craft. He is recognized across North America as an innovator in the field of ethics in medicine. His work includes a new curriculum on professionalism for medical schools and new solutions for ethical challenges. Since retiring as Dean of McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, he has continued to teach and has become the Associate Director of the University's Centre for Medical Education. This is a promotion within the Order.