N. B. Whittemore Visiting Professorship Pediatric Hematolog/Oncolongy

Dr. N. Blair Whittemore is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University, former Director of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Director of Clinical Hematology Laboratories at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) site.

Dr. Whittemore graduated in Medicine from McGill University, and did a residency in Internal Medicine and Hematology at the Montreal General Hospital (MGH) followed by a research fellowship in Hematology at the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., thereafter returning to the MGH. He served as Director of the Undergraduate Teaching Program for the MGH Department of Medicine and Chairman of the Undergraduate Teaching Committee of McGill University. He was CTU Director and Associate Physician-in-Chief at the MGH. For several years, he served the Canadian Red Cross as a volunteer and, in 1988, became the National Director of the Transfusion Service, a position he held until mid-1989, when he was recruited to the MGH as Director of Professional Services.

In 2002, he “retired” to the MCH to direct the Hematology laboratories and, 18 months later, was asked to head the division. During this time, he oversaw the re-establishment of the Clinical Fellowship Program after a lapse of 13 years, the renovation of the in-patient unit (Sarah’s Floor), the accreditation of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Program, and the recognition of the division by the Quebec government (Lutte contre le cancer) by giving it the highest grade it can grant a centre, 4A. In 2015, Dr. Whittemore retired from clinical duties at the MCH but he continues teaching students and residents as a Helen Karounis Agora Program Fellow (H-KAP) at the MCH. In recognition of Dr. N. Blair Whittemore’s outstanding contributions, Cedars and Sarah’s Fund are proud to name this important professorship in his honour.

• 2025 - Dr. Julie R. Park, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
• 2023 - Dr. Michael D. Taylor, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
• 2020 - Dr. Nada Jabado, PhD, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC
• 2019 - Dr. Charles Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSC, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
• 2016 - Dr. Peter F. Ehrlich, MSc, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
• 2015 - Dr. Roger Packer, Center for Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine, Washington, DC
• 2014 - Dr. Neal Young, Center for Human Immunology, Autoimmunity and Inflammation, Bethesda, MD
• 2013 - Dr. John M. Maris, Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Sarah Cook was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2000 at the age of 8 years old. For one year, she received chemotherapy and radiation at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. One night in her hospital room, she decided that when she got better she wanted to raise money to buy new pillows for the other children on the floor. She was inspired to look past her own challenge and try to make a difference in the lives of the other children.

Along with their daughter, and in support of the efforts of the professionals who make a positive difference in the lives of hundreds of children and their families every year, Lorena & Norman Cook, founded the Sarah Cook Fund of the Cedars Cancer Foundation. To date, Sarah’s Fund has raised over $6 million and has completed its commitment towards the Best Care for Children Capital Campaign. The most touching gifts have come from children who know Sarah, using their birthday parties, lemonade stands, puppet shows, races and events to raise donations for Sarah’s cause.

The Fund has supported the Hematology/Oncology Division at the Children’s, with positive results including state-of-the-art upgrades of treatment rooms, research labs and funding for “Sarah’s Floor”, the new Hematology/Oncology in-patient unit at The Children’s.