Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 3, 2007
• Invested on: February 22, 2008

Leon Katz's career was devoted to improving patient care and safety. As a pioneer in the field of biomedical engineering, he used his expertise and ingenuity to invent and modify needed medical apparatus. Among his many accomplishments, he designed and operated the original heart-lung bypass machine used for the first open-heart surgery in Canada. He also developed other specialized equipment such as a fetal heart monitor, an infant incubator, and a scanner and printer that detects and records thyroid cancer. Leaving the hospital milieu in the 1970s, he would later help to establish standards and regulations for medical devices and instruments at Health and Welfare Canada. His unrelenting efforts to improve the well-being of patients have greatly enhanced the quality of life for many.