100 years ago, in 1924, Richardson Laboratory opened its doors and has been the home of the Department of Pathology ever since. Throughout our history, we have worked closely with the Hospital and Queen’s University Medical School to provide laboratory testing services while also giving current medical students and researchers a chance to get hands-on experience in a real lab setting. In 1926 Dr. J.F Logan, supervisor of physiological chemistry, emphasized the interdependence of teaching, research and medical care – this influence was driven predominantly by rapid advances in laboratory testing. By 1927 it had grown to such an extent that Mrs. Richardson made an offer to pay the salary of a clinical pathologist for 5 years, a very generous donation that helped the program thrive. In 1962, two floors were added to Richardson Laboratory, significantly increasing the departmental research space and allowing for even more growth to occur. In 1986, pathology courses were introduced into the undergraduate Life Sciences program. In 2003, the department changed its name to the “Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine” to reflect its leadership role in understanding the basis of disease at a molecular level and applying this knowledge to disease diagnosis, clinical care, education, and research.  

This fall, we celebrate all the brilliant researchers who have worked in our labs, the fearless department heads who worked tirelessly to grow our department, the speakers who helped us learn, the faculty who have taught the students, and the staff who kept us going.  Thank you; we could not have done it without you.

As we celebrate the past 100 years, we are also looking ahead to the next 100 years; we are excited for the new brilliant minds that will join our ranks and for the possibilities in medical advances that will be discovered via research.

You can be part of this future with a one-time donation or a pledge for long-term support to either the Queen’s Pathology Fund - supports initiatives such as start-up funding for new researchers to the department, professional development support for faculty, staff and residents, collaborative projects, and purchase of new equipment or the Nathan Kaufman Lectureship & Visiting Speaker Fund - an opportunity to honour Dr. Nathan Kaufman’s extraordinary influence in shaping the scholarly life of our department and his contribution to our specialty internationally over the 12 years he served as Department Head.