Dr. M. Daria Haust (1921-2022) | Pathology | School of Medicine

M. Daria Haust, a native of Poland, graduated summa cum laude from the Medical School of Heidelberg (Germany) in 1951. Immigrating to Canada in 1952, she completed a rotating internship at the Kingston General Hospital (KGH) in 1953, and thereafter spent a year of atherosclerosis research with Dr. Robert More. In 1954, Dr. Haust enrolled in the General Pathology Residency and Graduate School programs at Queen’s, obtaining in 1959 the specialty certification from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and an MSc degree from Queen’s. In 1960, following an extended postdoctoral fellowship in paediatric pathology with Dr. Benjamin Landing at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Dr. Haust joined the Faculty of Medicine at Queen’s as an Assistant Professor and as a paediatric pathologist at the KGH, embarking on a career in experimental atherosclerosis and paediatric pathology. Promoted to Associate Professor in early 1967, she subsequently moved to Western University (UWO), obtaining full Professorship in 1968. In 1972, Dr. Haust became a Fellow of the RCPSC. Until her death, Dr. Haust maintained contacts with several academic/professional domains, e.g., as Professor Emeritus (UWO), Professor to Adjunct Academic Staff (Queen's), Honorary Member of Medical Staff (SickKids) and as the 2013-Awardee of the Emeritus Status (College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario).

Dr. Haust had a distinguished career in basic research in several areas including atherosclerosis, the process of elastogenesis, and the pathogenesis of a number of genetic diseases. She was a highly regarded educator, respected for her teaching ability, and known for the devoted supervision of the programs of her graduate students. She received several Best Teacher Awards at Queen's and the UWO. Dr. Haust was a guest lecturer at universities and scientific gatherings around the globe. She played important roles in the establishment and functional continuity of national and international scientific societies, either as President, Secretary-Treasurer or as a member of the Council, and has served on Editorial Boards of several scientific journals. Her scientific or academic contributions were honoured by a multiplicity of distinctions (Canada Council Killam Prize in Medicine; Gold Medal Award from the International Atherosclerosis Society; Honorary membership of the Academy of Sciences of Heidelberg; the William Boyd Lectureship of the Canadian Association of Pathology; the Andreas Vesalius Medal by the University of Padua; Honorary Professorship of Medicine from the University of Chile, and others).

Dr. Haust’s biography as one of the Founders of Paediatric Pathology appeared in 2001, and a Festschrift in her honour, with contributions from ten international scientists, was published in 2002. In 2004, she received the Distinguished Pathologist Award from the US/Canadian Academy of Pathology; fellowships and awards named in her honour were established by the International Atherosclerosis Society, the Canadian Atherosclerosis Society, and at the UWO. She is the recipient of honorary degrees from two mediaeval universities Jagiellonian University, Krakow and Charles University, Prague and from Havana University, Havana. In 2007, Dr. Haust’s extraordinary career culminated with her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2012, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Governor General of Canada.