Malcom King

Malcom King

Medical Research (1999)

It’s a long way from a tiny desk in a one-room reserve school house to the hallowed halls of one of Canada’s finest universities. Now a full Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta, Chair of the Special Interest Group on Aboriginal Health Education of the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges, the designated Associate Director of the proposed University of Alberta Centre for Aboriginal Health Education and Research, and the president of the Canadian Thoracic Society, the medical wing of the Canadian Lung Association, Dr. King has acquired an impressive list of Aboriginal firsts during a career that is just beginning. This leading Canadian research scientist has focused his career on studying the mechanisms involved in the secretion and clearance of mucus from the lungs. These studies – he’s the author of more than 125 research papers and has supervised numerous graduate students – are crucial to treating diseases such as cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis and asthma. Along the way, Dr. King has ensured that Aboriginal health issues – in training, treatment and study- are high on the nation’s health agenda. He has also developed an active research program to examine the respiratory effects of traditional Native herbal treatments. A member of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation in Southern Ontario, Dr. Malcolm King was the 1999 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards recipient in the category of Medical Research.