COUNCIL AWARD
Pediatric
Rheumatologist
Honoured with
Council Award
Dr. Rayfel Schneider
A
t its most recent meeting, the College
presented its Council Award to Dr. Rayfel
Schneider, an international leader in pediatric
rheumatology.
He has been at the forefront in the development of new
treatments and standards of care in juvenile arthritis and
associated inflammatory diseases.
Dr. Schneider is a staff physician at The Hospital for
Sick Children (SickKids) and is currently a Professor of
Pediatrics and the Associate Chair in the Department
of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. He previously
served as the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Rheu-
matology at SickKids and as the university’s Pediatric
Rheumatology Program Director.
Over the course of his 30-year career, Dr. Schneider has
built a solid reputation as a devoted and talented physi-
cian and is, viewed by peers, co-workers patients and
families as being extremely knowledgeable and caring. He
is a key contributor to ground-breaking pediatric rheu-
matology research and his scientific contributions have
led to new biologic therapies to manage juvenile arthri-
tis – changing the trajectory and prognosis for young
patients through more effective, less toxic treatments.
In his roles as academic and a clinician, Dr. Schneider
has trained and mentored hundreds of medical students,
residents and interns. Former trainees, many of whom
are now also respected leaders in pediatric rheumatology,
acknowledge him as a major influence on their careers.
We recently spoke to Dr. Schneider about his life and
career:
What made you choose to leave South Africa for
Canada?
After my internship, I started training in general pediat-
rics in South Africa, which was excellent. However, sub-
specialty training to care for children with less common
or chronic conditions was not as well developed. When
the opportunity arose to join one of the best training
programs in the world at SickKids, where I knew I would
be able to get this specialized training, I jumped at this
chance of a lifetime. And SickKids was a wonderful place
to train. Throughout my fellowship, training, and faculty
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