For his years of service to the Burnaby community, orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Kenneth C. Hill has been posthumously awarded the Spirit of Philanthropy Award by the Burnaby Hospital Foundation.
The award recognizes an individual physician, nurse or health-care professional at Burnaby Hospital whose personal generosity and community leadership has inspired others to become involved in supporting Burnaby Hospital.
"We are so proud to be honouring Dr. Kenneth Hill with the Spirit of Philanthropy Award," said Cheryl Carline, president and CEO of the foundation, in an email to the NOW. "He has inspired so many here at Burnaby Hospital and in the community to be involved and give back. The contributions he's made truly reflect how much he cared for his patients and Burnaby Hospital."
Born and raised in Yellow Grass, Sask., Hill knew at an early age that he wanted to pursue a career in medicine, according to a press release. After graduating with his medical degree and working as a resident in Memphis, Tennessee, he returned home to Canada and worked in hospitals in Saskatchewan and Alberta before making his home in Burnaby.
In 1962, Hill was the first orthopaedic surgeon working in Burnaby, and was instrumental in growing the orthopaedic surgical team at Burnaby Hospital.
In addition to helping patients through his medical practice, he gave back to the community at-large, serving as president of the B.C. Medical Association from 1973 to 1974. He also spearheaded a variety of initiatives at Burnaby Hospital to improve patient care, including lobbying for Burnaby Hospital's first CT Scanner in 1986. He most recently committed to purchasing an orthopaedic drill set for the hospital's operating room to assist with joint surgeries.
Hill passed away earlier this week, but he was told of the award last month.
In response to the announcement, he said, in a press release, "I would like to express my appreciation to my colleagues at Burnaby Hospital who have demonstrated to me their gratitude and sincerity, which is second to none. As Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote in Ulysses: 'I am a part of all that I have met. Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades for ever and for ever when I move.'"
Hill's family will receive the award on his behalf at the foundation's 60th anniversary gala fundraiser on Saturday, May 4.
www.twitter.com/BurnabyNOW_news
