Honouring Dr. Phil Gold

60 Years of Discovery, Innovation and Care

A wonderfully caring physician – and former Physician-in-Chief at the Montreal General Hospital – Dr. Gold is also known as a humanitarian, a gifted teacher and an inspiring leader. His scientific achievements in immunology and cancer research are tremendous. In 1965, along with Dr. Samuel Freedman, he discovered the first clinically useful human tumour marker, the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), found in 70% of cancer patients. This led to the development of the CEA blood test – the first blood test approved, internationally, for the detection and management of human cancer. The CEA blood test is still in use today.

It was a concept-shifting discovery and helped shape the modern era of cancer immunology. Through this work, Dr. Gold is credited with developing the field of Human Tumour Marker Biology.

He is a recipient of numerous international awards and a host of honours, and he has been elected to many prestigious scientific organizations. Dr. Gold was named an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec (1990) and later a Grand Officer (2019), a Companion of the Order of Canada (1986), and a member of the Academy of Great Montrealers (1986).

Dr. Gold is a generous mentor who has recruited, trained and encouraged a new generation of clinical and research talent.

To highlight his legacy, the MGH Foundation proposed that the MGH Research Institute building, on Cote-des-Neiges be named in his honour. There could be nothing more fitting; it was built using funds from the sale of his blood test to Roche in 1973.

To accompany this honourific naming, the MGH Foundation is raising significant funds to ensure that his outstanding legacy lives on for years to come in the work of those he has trained and mentored.

We are therefore seeking donations in Dr. Gold’s honour to support the following priorities:

A new Annual Dr. Phil Gold Lectureship at the Research Institute ($1M) Inspiring the researchers of the future.*
The Dr. Phil Gold Fund for Research and Education ($7M) Supporting the next generation of clinician-scientists.**

*to be endowed when fund balance reaches $200,000
**to be endowed when fund balance reaches $3.5M

All donors will be invited to the inaugural Dr. Phil Gold Lecture. Those making gifts of $100,000 or more will be recognized on a permanent donor wall at the MGH, to be in place for the official building naming celebration in spring 2024.

Give in honour of Dr. Gold

For more information, please contact Heather Hopkinson, Senior Development Officer & Dr. Gold Campaign Coordinator at 514-209-9110 or hhopkinson@mghfoundation.com

My older colleagues and I are part of a clinician-scientist generation that was fortunate to have both public and private funding to perform our research. But, we are the past.

Those featured here, and so many others to come, are the future of medical scientific advancement. Their success will depend not only on brilliant ideas but on the financial support that will allow these ideas to flourish.

I know that I can count on the generosity of the community in which I have worked to provide the support that will allow our young scientists to continue to keep the Montreal General Hospital and McGill University at the leading edge of medical scientific advancement, internationally.

-Dr. Phil Gold

The MGH Foundation is thrilled to name the Research Institute Building at the MGH on Cote Des Neiges in honour of Dr. Gold. However, he has told us that the best way to honour him is to support and inspire the next generation of clinician scientists – we need funds to recruit and retain these leaders. They will provide the best care to our community!

We are committed to doing just that and trust in your generosity to make this happen.

Only with philanthropy can we fuel innovation and improve the standard of care.

On behalf of the Foundation, the medical leaders we support and the patients they care for: Thank you!

-Stephanie Riddell, President & CEO of the MGH Foundation

“We see a huge opportunity to enable our network of referring hospitals to participate in these innovative trials to overcome this postal code discrimination, both improving outcomes and advancing scientific discovery.”
-Dr. Jonathan Spicer

Give in honour of Dr. Gold