Robin McLeod

Robin McLeod (August 24, 1951 – February 6, 2024) was a Canadian surgeon and medical researcher known for her contributions to clinical epidemiology, health services research, and evidence-based surgery. She played an important role in transforming surgical education, patient care, and medical research in Canada. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019.

Early life Robin McLeod was born on August 24, 1951, in Spruce Grove, Alberta, to Doug and Frances McLeod. As an advocate for evidence-based medicine, she made a case for post-operative patients to get back on their feet and move after surgery as against then prevailing guidance which had encouraged patients to stay in bed; moving right away was found to improve recovery times. McLeod started Evidence Based Reviews in Surgery, a journal study group for North American surgeons. In 2019, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of her influence on medical practice, knowledge translation, and surgical education. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease three years earlier. Her daughter had run ten triathlons across Canada to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease and in support of her mother.