Fonds 2018 - Andrew D. Baines fonds

Dr. Andrew DeWitt Baines (17 July 1934 – 27 February 2024) ) was a white Professor Emeritus of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Toronto and former Principal of New College, Vice-Dean of Education at the Faculty of Medicine, and Biochemist-in-Chief at The Toronto Hospital (now part of the University Health Network). Academically, he is best known for his nephrology research and for developing the Stowe-Gullen Stream of the Vic One Program at Victoria College. Dr. Baines was also involved in the development of health-related educational programs and culturally relevant services for Indigenous students at the University of Toronto.

Education
Raised in Toronto, Dr. Baines attended high school at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute. In 1953, he enrolled in the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine’s pre-medicine program. While in medical school, he was rugby player and team captain for the Varsity Blues. Dr. Baines received his M.D. in 1959, where he was awarded the Cody Silver Medal for achieving the second highest cumulative average grade in his graduating class. In 1960, Dr. Baines returned to U of T as doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. T. F. Nicholson and Dr. James A. Dauphinee. He achieved a Ph.D. (1965) in Pathological Chemistry and a Starr Medal for his research on the relationship between the structure and function of the kidney. Afterwards, he completed postgraduate fellowships at the University of North Carolina Department of Medicine (1965 – 1967) and the Saclay Nuclear Research Centre Department of Physiology in Paris, France (1967 – 1968).

University of Toronto Appointments
Upon completing his postgraduate research, Dr. Baines returned to the University of Toronto as an Associate Professor at the Department of Pathological Chemistry in July 1968. He was later appointed as Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology between 1973 – 2005. Afterwards, Dr. Baines developed the Augusta Stowe-Gullen Stream of the Vic One Program at Victoria College which he coordinated and co-taught from 2005 to 2018. In 2013, he was appointed the first James and Anne Nethercott Professor at Victoria College.

Dr. Baines also held several additional administrative appointments, including: Assistant to the Dean of Undergraduate Affairs, Faculty of Medicine (1973 – 1974); Principal of New College (1974 – 1979); Chairman of the Department of Clinical Biochemistry (1988 – 1994); Vice-Dean of Education, Faculty of Medicine (1994 – 1999); and Acting Program Director of the University of Toronto Sioux Lookout Program (1997 – 1998).

Likewise, he chaired numerous committees at the University of Toronto, including the Undergraduate Education Committee for the Department of Clinical Biochemistry (1968 – 1972) and the Faculty of Medicine (1972 – 1974); Advisory Committee on the Hannah Chair for the History of Medicine (1982 – 1984); Presidential Committee on Professional Faculty Education for Native Students (1983 – 1986); Advisory Committee (1986 – 1991) and Management Committee (1991 – 1993) for the Aboriginal Health Professions Program; as well as the Clinical Long Range Planning Committee (1991).

Hospital Appointments
Beginning in the early 1970s, Dr. Baines concurrently practiced as an Associate Physician at the Toronto General Hospital (TGH). He was later appointed as Biochemist-in-Chief at TGH and The Toronto Hospital (after the merger between the Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals in 1986) from 1984 – 1994. Additionally, Dr. Baines has served on several committees including the Council of Heads of Laboratory Departments (1984 – 1988), Joint Council of Laboratory Directors (1987 – 1994), Medical Advisory Board (1977 – 1998), Medical Education Committee (1988 – 1994), Committee for Coordination of Downtown Genetic Services (1989 – 1992), The Toronto Hospital Laboratory Committee (1990 – 1992) at TGH and The Toronto Hospital; the Planning Committee for Women’s College Hospital (1989); the Molecular Diagnosis Laboratory Steering Committee (1991); and the Board of Trustees at the Hospital of Sick Children (1994 – 2004, 2019).

Research and Publications
Dr. Baines published over 80 articles, reviews, and chapters throughout his academic career. Much of his early work related to the structure, function, and physiology of kidneys. He later expanded his research to include studies on the effects of the sympathetic nervous system on kidneys and heart, methods in laboratory medicine, as well as clinical research related to hypertension and blood substitutes. Dr. Baines’s research appears in numerous high-impact academic journals including Kidney International, the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. As of 2024, more than twenty of his most cited articles have over 50 – 200 citations.

Honours and Awards
Dr. Baines received numerous awards, fellowships, and honours in recognition of his work. In addition to the Cody Silver Medal (1959) and Star Medal for Outstanding Scholarship (1965), he was elected a Senior Fellow at Massey College in 1981 followed by the Canadian Society Clinical Chemists Cybermedics Award in 1982 and the Medical Award from the Kidney Foundation of Canada in 1994. He also became a Fellow of the Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 1988 and was awarded several major research grants from NSERC, the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Kidney Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Hemosol.

Family
Dr. Baines was married to Dr. Cornelia Baines (neé van Erk) who is known academically for her work on the Canadian National Breast Screening Study. The couple met and married while in medical school at the University of Toronto. They have two kids: Nicole and Nigel. Dr. Baines passed away on February 27th, 2024.