Culross’ John Dick has had a remarkable career in his field of scientific research. He is credited with first identifying cancer stem cells in certain types of human leukemia. His revolutionary findings highlighted the importance of understanding that not all cancer cells are the same and thus spawned a new direction in cancer research.
Dick is currently Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology, the Senior Scientist for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and a University of Toronto Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics.
Dick grew up on a family farm near Culross, where he attended a one-room Castleton School that is long gone.
“There was one other student with me in Grade 1, and we attended until the end of Grade 6,” said Dick. “I have a lot of fond memories of that time. Given my eventual career, the one vivid memory is sitting in rows, and the teacher would start the Grade 1’s on something and then move to the higher grades. I remember hearing what they were learning, like math or science, and thinking that I would never be able to learn that advanced work.”
Dick eventually attended high school in Elm Creek and had about 20 students in his grade. He took the math, science, physics, English, and French courses offered. However, biology was never offered. So it’s sort of ironic, given that he ended up in biomedical research.
“I had the ‘special’ experience of being taught science for one year by my brother,” said Dick. “Dialogue at home went something like this. Him: John, you have assignments due in a few days. Have you been doing your homework? Me: Uh, no, not really. Him: are you going to get it done? Me: Uhm, I don’t know.
Safe to say it provoked more than one discussion.”
Dick’s eventual first taste of biology was in taking an x-ray technician course at Red River College in Winnipeg.
“I had a terrific instructor in anatomy and how X-rays worked that really stimulated my interests. I was living with four other friends at the University of Manitoba who were mostly in science, and when I finished my two-year X-ray course, I thought I might try university for a year or two. That decision resulted in 12-13 years in undergraduate, PhD and postdoctoral studies before I got my first job.”
After receiving his Ph.D. in Winnipeg, Dick and his wife moved to Toronto for his postdoctoral studies, and it turned out to be a permanent move to southern Ontario.
“We had two kids and had every intention of moving back to Winnipeg. But I got a terrific job in research at the Hospital for Sick Children and later moved after 15 years to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, where I continue to run a research lab.”
Some of Dick’s career highlights include being awarded the Michael Smith Prize by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (1997), the Robert L. Noble Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research by the National Cancer Institute of Canada (2000), and the Herman Boerhaave Medal by the Leiden University in the Netherlands (2002).
The research that Dick is currently working on in his lab in Toronto involves trying to understand how blood stem cells make blood. This is an important research question because stem cell transplant is an essential therapy for patients with leukemia.
To learn more about his current research, check out www.jdstemcellresearch.ca.
It is this work that has led to many organizations selecting Dick’s research team for awards. Last year, they were awarded one of the highest prizes in research called the Canada-Gairdner International Prize.
In 2024, Dick will also be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. A significant accomplishment that he is looking forward to immensely.
Dick still gets back home to Manitoba to see family when he can. He even attended a class reunion about eight years ago and enjoyed catching up with everyone.
“I would never have imagined my life taking the course it did when I was growing up in Culross on the farm. But I think the lesson is that I had terrific teachers who were committed to their students and a family who encouraged my curiosity. I remember taking apart a lot of old lawnmower engines and everything I could get my hands on. Probably making a mess of the machine shed, but my dad never scolded me.”
