Dr. Jiri (George) Fodor – October 28, 1927 – December 10, 2024
Dr. George Fodor, born on Oct 28, 1927, died peacefully on Dec 10, 2024 in Prague at the age of 97 years. He lived about half of his life in Canada, first in St John’s and latterly in Ottawa.
George dedicated his life’s work to improving the heart health of all people, but especially Canadians through his research and public health contributions in clinical cardiology, preventive cardiology, cardiovascular epidemiology, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and weight reduction.
George Fodor excelled as an agent of change. He is perhaps most recognized in Canada for uniting health researchers, practitioners and policy makers across the country to conceptualize and create Canada’s leading institutions for hypertension research, prevention, and control. In 1979, he was a founder and first president of the Canadian Hypertension Society (CHS). In 1986, and in follow-up to the Health and Welfare Canada’s 1982 survey report on “The Prevention and Control of High Blood Pressure in Canada”, Health Canada initiated a multi-stakeholder professional organization called the Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control (CCHBPPC). George was nominated and appointed as its founding president. Under his leadership, clinical and population health aspects of hypertension research flourished in Canada.
Although proud of his adopted Canadian homeland, George’s vision was global. He was one of eight people who, in 1984, met in Europe to establish the World Hypertension League (WHL). In due course the WHL linked hypertension societies from more than 85 countries in raising high blood pressure awareness, prevention, and control.
George’s work uniting people was bolstered by more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles advancing clinical and public health aspects of cardiovascular medicine. His research career started to blossom in1951, soon after graduation from medical school at Charles University in Prague. George was mentored by Dr. Zdenek Fejfar and subsequently obtained a PhD. In 1959, Dr. Fejfar was appointed as the first Chief Medical Officer for cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Fejfar developed that unit into a central agency for the advancement of research in CVD prevention, defining medical and public health issues, and gathering experts to find solutions. During this process, George joined WHO as an expert. He served as a WHO Fellow at the British MRC Epidemiological Unit in Jamaica where he worked with Dr. William Miall. While at WHO, George met and worked with many renowned cardiovascular epidemiologists including, Drs. Geoffrey Rose, Ancel Keys, Jeremiah Stamler, and Henry Blackburn. George continued his connection with high profile researchers on the global scene and brought these contacts and their expertise to his colleagues and mentees in Sweden, Newfoundland, and Ottawa.
George’s academic career began at Charles University in 1951 as a Lecturer in Experimental Pathology. He became head of epidemiology at the Cardiovascular Research Institute in 1963. In 1968, while his wife and young son were awaiting him in Austria, George escaped Soviet-occupied Czechoslovakia with no more than a valise and the clothes on his back. Once free, George made his way to the University of Gothenborg, Sweden, where from 1968-1971 he served as a visiting professor of epidemiology and medicine. In 1971 he was recruited by Dr. Ian Rusted, the founding Dean of Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) to start a programme in clinical epidemiology at the fledgling medical school. During his time at MUN until his retirement in 1994, George not only initiated several peer-reviewed research studies in Newfoundland and secured successful grants from a variety of funding agencies, he also participated in numerous of multi-centre clinical trials. George was the top research fund holder at Memorial University where he trained several doctoral and post-doctoral researchers and hired clinical research coordinators and technicians. George collaborated with many significant international studies in cardiovascular epidemiology including Inter Salt (with Dr. Geoffrey Rose from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), WHO CARDIAC Study (with Dr. Yukio Yamori from Kyoto University, Japan). Through these activities and more, he put Newfoundland and Canada on the international map for cardiovascular health research.
Upon his retirement, George was invited by the eminent Dr. Wilbert Keon to serve at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) as professor and head of research in prevention and rehabilitation. George stayed at the UOHI from 1994-2014.
Through the years, George remained an expert advisor to the Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Department of National Health and Welfare in Ottawa. He was respected for his clinical acumen and brought considerable common sense and a personal touch to clinical decision making. George received many honours and recognitions in Canada and internationally including the prestigious National Health Scientist Award for five consecutive years, 1977-1982. George received almost every commendation possible in Canada for his work in hypertension, but his good work continued well into his seventies. Faced with the dilemma of how to recognize George’s continuing contributions, but not duplicate accolades already received, Blood Pressure Canada (now Hypertension Canada) in 2003 established the George Fodor Award for sustained and impactful achievements in the field of hypertension prevention and control.
An avid traveller, George was a visiting professor in several universities in Eastern and Western Europe; George is remembered for his warmth, good humour, storytelling, kindness, and hospitality. He had many research fellows and trainees, and he took much pleasure in their successes. George was a voracious reader who loved books on history, including military history, and heroism. Whenever he traveled outside of St. John’s, he always said that the purpose of his trip was completed when he got to read the New York Times, have a strong European coffee, and earn a few Aeroplan miles. George was a very wise man, as he could sense any forthcoming potential harm and steered clear of controversy. His generosity had no bounds. He made it a point, year after year at each Christmas, to visit staff at their workplaces and gift them with a present. He was like a Santa Claus just before Christmas. His hilarious year-end letters to his colleagues and friends – Fodor Report – were priceless.
George is survived by his wife Jindra, their son John, daughter Helena, son-in-law Stephen, grandsons Max and Sam, and the far larger numbers of people in countries around the world who unknowingly owe their lives to his work.
Arun Chockalingam, Paul M. McDonald, Norman R.C. Campbell, Donald W. McKay