Dr.

Gowing retires, but continues to search for the truth of cancer

By Kayleigh Klajnscek

1960-1966. He then returned to Canada where he would change the face of cancer care and truly make a difference. Dr. Gowings medical career began at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He was initially on his way to the Mayo Clinic, when he made the stop in Hamilton. He was the first person offered both a Resident position in hematology and Fellowship in oncology. While at McMaster, Dr. Gowing noticed an increase in patients from the areas surrounding Cambridge; these patients were going all the way to Hamilton to be under his care. He realized that he wanted to move back to his hometown of Cambridge. It was at Cambridge Memorial Hospital where he truly made his impact. In the year 1974, Dr. Gowing made his prominent return to Cambridge and began as the only Oncologist at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Soon after, he began his work on creating the Medical Day Clinic. He even preformed the first Chemotherapy in the old Emergency Department; ironically the location was the same in todays hospital as his clinic. The clinic was not his only innovation to cancer care. He helped introduce Supportive (Palliative) Care Doctors and he advocated for adding dietitians and social workers. He championed for the first exhaust hood for chemotherapy medicine mixing, creating an important focus on staff and patient safety. He changed the way cancer patients are treated here in the region. He introduced a concept of working together, as equals, to bring the focus to the patient. His clinic embodies all of his values for exceptional care. Another first for Dr. Gowing was introducing the first meeting on safe handling of chemo agents. Physicians from all around Ontario attended, bringing people together. Everything he contributed to the hospital helped the people of Cambridge. He has great pride in this. His first patient suffered from Hodgkins lymphoma, and was treated at McMaster under his care, and that was not his last. In the 46 years Dr. Gowing has been practicing he has

Dr. James Gowing working with two of the nurses from the Medical Day Clinic, 2011

Goodbyes are hard, especially when saying them to one of Cambridge Memorial Hospitals exceptional innovators. Just over 39 years ago, Dr. James Gowing not only came here to work as a hematologist and oncologist, he also founded the Medical Day Clinic; a clinic that changed the face of cancer care here in Cambridge. It was in this clinic he searched for the hidden truths of cancer to establish better treatments for patients. Being born and raised in Preston, it is not peculiar that Dr. Gowing has such a tie with the region. The house where I was born still stands at the corner of Duke and Dover, reminisces the Preston native. Dr. Gowing was not always on the path to become a physician; he initially wanted to pursue a career in law. While working on his undergraduate degree, he was part of the sensory deprivation study. It was there he met a Doctor from Manchester who inspired him to change directions in education. He came to believe there was a certain hidden truth in healthcare, something that was not prominent in his law studies. After taking a $500 loan from the bank, Dr. Gowing began his medical training at Queen Mary College in England and Westminster Medical School in London from

worked on over 21,000 new patients. It was the rare diseases that have always captured Dr. Gowings interest. He diagnosed over 20 rare diseases during his career, including the famous Viagra Kid, Wesley Price. Prices pulmonary arterial hypertension was treated with Viagra on Dr. Gowings instructions. Wesley was the first person whose symptoms were treated with the drug in North America, and second in the world, commented Dr. Gowing. He made another famous diagnosis and was the first to ever diagnose aceruloplasminemia, an iron accumulation in the brain and viscera. Dr. Gowing has been treating this patient for 16 years the longest patient to ever live with the disease.

Changes to the medical field will inevitably continue to happen and Dr. Gowing has witnessed quite a few of these advances. The discovery of DNA has been the most prominent advancement that I have seen in cancer care, he said. Cancer care would not be where it is today, this discovery has paved the way for targeted chemotherapy. Dr. James Gowing is not only an advocate for cancer care, but he continues to advocate for proper leadership within the health care industry. Leadership is not about ego or control; it should be about guidance and inspiration, he said, Equality is so important in the way we view medicine and the questions that we ask so that we can seek the truth, as it is at the moment, which is how we will continue to find better ways to treat different diseases. He firmly believes that effective leadership equalizes the many different roles healthcare and inspires us to ask the right questions the questions that will unlock the truths and secrets of disease, like cancer.

Wesley Price (left) and Dr. Gowing (right) Image from CMHs August/September 2006 The Link click here to read more

Given his incredible commitment to providing exceptional patient care, it is not surprising that Dr. Gowing has been incredibly active with cancer care advocacy. He is the past Chair of the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada and still regularly writes for their Report Card. He is passionate about bringing the best cancer care possible, not only to the community here in Cambridge, but to all Canadian citizens. With this passion he helped found the Pan Canadian Oncology Drug Review. He also proposed to the government to build a University Hospital in the region. This proposal was never taken on, but he still believes it should happen, and would be of great benefit.

Dr. James Gowing reminiscing about his career

Although he will no longer practice medicine, Dr. Gowing has no plans for slowing down. He will continue to write about rare diseases after his retirement, as well as, teach and lecture. Those are not his only plans after retirement. As a grandfather of six, he plans to spend a lot of time with his family. He will even be spending a month in Australia, visiting his grandson that he communicates with only on Skype.