How do you capture the enormous impact Dr. Francis Chan had during his more than three decades at Western? Third-year Medical student Dani Cadieux recently set about doing just that – on canvas.
Following Chan’s death from cancer in 2013, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor continues to be remembered for his tremendous gifts as a teacher and mentor, as well as for the genuine concern he had for his students and colleagues.
“I knew immediately how important this painting would be. But I didn’t fully anticipate the impact it would have,” Cadieux said. “The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, nothing I could have ever imagined. It speaks to how deeply Dr. Chan’s roots ran at Western, that people from all over have stories to share. I’m getting emails from people I don’t even know.”
Commissioned by Schulich professor Dr. Marjorie Johnson, the 24×30 inch painting now hangs on the walls of the school’s Anatomy hallway. Canvas prints of that original work are presented to winners of the Francis Chan Humanitarian Award, which goes to a student in the Clinical Anatomy graduate program who shows empathy, concern and commitment to the betterment and success of fellow students.
Scott Caterine won the inaugural award last year; PhD candidate Victoria Roach won the award this year.
“Francis always looked out for the well-being of students, staff and faculty,” Johnson said. “In addition to being a great educator, he also knew how to channel and challenge the strengths he saw in people. He was always available to console, advise or lend a shoulder to cry on. He did this with sincerity, diplomacy and confidentiality. He was a true champion of the human spirit.”
Chan loved art, whether it was in the form of music, on stage or hanging on a wall. He often found ways to incorporate this into his teaching. A painting, Johnson said, seemed the most appropriate thing to give as part of this award.
Last year, she approached Cadieux with the task of creating such a painting.
Like many of her fellow students, Cadieux knew Chan through the professor’s loyal black lab, Jet, the animated star of several online anatomy modules for students, which are voiced by Chan.
“I know Dr. Chan’s voice so well because of these online modules,” Cadieux said. “Now, I feel my connection to him is even stronger. I’ve learned so much more about him through this project.”
Cadieux, along with fellow Medical student Hannah MacKenzie, envisioned the concept for the painting, based on the 16th century artwork of Andreas Vesalius. The design is an ode to Plate 2 from his De Humanis Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body) series.
In her finished painting, Jet sits faithfully at the side of an anatomic model of a man with muscles and tendons exposed.
For Cadieux, the man represents Chan as a teacher, with Jet representing his impact on everyone around him. “I wanted to remind people Dr. Chan is still at everyone’s side.”
As a teacher, Chan won many teaching awards, some repeatedly, including Western’s Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching and a 3M Teaching Fellowship, the top teaching award in Canada.
As assistant dean for Student Affairs, Chan counselled countless students regarding academic, career and personal issues. A testament to his compassionate, he repeatedly won the Class of ’62 Award, given annually by the graduating Medical class to the faculty member who made “the most significant contributions in education and service to the graduating class.”
Having taken art lessons in high school, Cadieux picked up the brushes once again as a way to relax and escape from the rigours of medical school. This project, however, showed her first hand the power art could have – even on complete strangers.
“It’s the ultimate you can achieve as an artist, knowing something you’ve created, that started as a white canvas, is now making people smile, making people laugh, making people cry,” she said. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced with my art before. It brings me so much joy and happiness knowing what I created is able to bring such a positive light to helping people remember Dr. Chan.
The painting now hangs near the Anatomy lab and Chan’s former office, where Jet appears to be peering through the office window into his former residence.
“In death, it is always sad,” Cadieux said. “But this is about cherishing his memory and the influence he had on so many. There is nothing but positive energy with so many people opening up and sharing their stories.”