Joan Hollobon

Joan May Hollobon , (January 29, 1920 – April 3, 2024) was an English-born Canadian writer and journalist best known for her progressive medical reporting for Globe and Mail. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of her impact on the relationship between medical professionals and the media.

Early life and education Joan May Hollobon was born on the Isle of Wight on January 29, 1920. An only child, she grew up near and attended school in Rhyl, Wales.

After joining The Globe and Mail in 1956, Hollobon worked as a general assignment reporter. The role had previously been held by David Spurgeon. In 1962, Hollobon covered the Saskatchewan doctors' strike during which physicians vowed to close their practices if Medicare became law. In the 1970s Hollobon was among the fist to report on transgender people and their experience pursuing sex reassignment surgery, at the time reported as sex-change operations. She joined the Toronto branch of the Canadian Women's Press Club in 1968 and served for a time as treasurer.

Honours On her retirement in 1985, the Canadian Medical Association awarded her its Medal of Honour as "one of medicine's greatest allies". for excellence in science communication. The citation for the honor noted that she "influenced how physicians interact with their patients and the public on a daily basis." In 2022 the National Newspaper Awards's Beat Reporting award was named after Joan Hollobon for establishing "what beat reporting should be".

Publications