Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 7, 2015
• Invested on: September 23, 2016

For his contributions to advancing treatment for pediatric brain tumours and for his international leadership in neurosurgery.

James Rutka represents Canadian neurosurgery on the world stage. He is the chair of the department of surgery at the University of Toronto and an expert in the treatment of brain tumours and intractable epilepsy in children. He co-established and directs the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, which has emerged as one of the world’s key research centres on the molecular biology of brain tumors. He is also a former president of several prestigious organizations including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the World Academy of Neurological Surgeons.