University of Manitoba professor Patricia Martens, who was battling mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer, has died at age 62.
Martens, a distinguished professor in the faculty of medicine and former director of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, was known around the globe for her advancement of population health research.
In 2013, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and received the Order of Canada. The diagnosis of mesothelioma the same year changed her life and was a foundational moment for months of work in the public sphere to raise awareness about asbestos. CAUT shared
her story through a Bulletin Article in September 2014.
“Dr. Martens led an extraordinary life and career, ended too short by a preventable disease,” said CAUT president Robin Vose. “The list of awards recognizing her research and community health contributions is extensive and speaks to the major impact she had both in the academy and in the communities where her research took place.”
Martens was still passing on her knowledge and calling for action on asbestos at the federal level right up to her death.
“We are deeply saddened by her passing,” said Vose. “Dr. Marten’s death is part of a tragic and unacceptable pattern of diseases linked to asbestos. In honour of her and others who have succumbed to this preventable cancer, we will continue to call on Canada to withdraw from asbestos activities and to establish and help enforce strong safety standards related to asbestos in the workplace.”
CAUT has also made a contribution to the Dr. Patricia J. Martens Endowment Fund at the University of Manitoba and encourages member associations to consider doing the same.
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