Ridleians of Distinction - M - Z
S - T
Spence, J. David '62
David Spence arrived in the Lower School from Talara, Peru in 1957 and graduated from Ridley in 1962. He is professor of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology at Western and the director of the Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Centre (SPARC) at the Robarts Research Institute, one of Canada’s leading medical research organizations. David graduated from the University of Western Ontario with his B.A. in 1965 and his M.D. in 1970 leading to FRCPC Internal Medicine in1974 and FRCPC Neurology in 1976. He earned a Fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology at the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California at San Francisco in 1976 and his M.B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1991. He has devoted his career to stroke prevention. He is best known for pioneering the measurement of atherosclerosis by ultrasound to predict cardiovascular risk, identify new causes of atherosclerosis, measure effects of therapy, and treat arteries (instead of merely treating risk factors) to prevent strokes and heart attacks. With collaborators, he is investigating how changing the intestinal microbiome affects atherosclerosis. David has received many honours and awards in recognition of his work including the Francis McNaughton Young Investigator Award, Canadian Neurological Society in 1976, Astra Research Award, Canadian Hypertension Society in 1981,Clifford J. Goodall Award of Merit, Stroke Recovery Association in 1998, Stroke Innovation Award, American Heart Association Journal Stroke in 2010, Lifetime Achievement Award, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in 2013, Scientific Excellence Award, Canadian Society for Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology in 2015 ,Alumni of Distinction Award, Western University in 2017. In 2019, he was named to the Order of Canada “for his contributions to the understanding of atherosclerosis and stroke prevention".
P.O. Box 3013, 2 Ridley Road St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7C3 Canada 905 684 1889
With more than 700 students from 60 countries, the largest boarding programme in Ontario and the third largest in Canada, Ridley College is a truly international, co-educational, day and boarding school of the world that prepares students for the world. It has provided enriching learning and life-shaping experiences focused on the arts, academics, and athletics since 1889. Ridley’s Lower School offers JK-Grade 8, its Upper School consists of Grade 9-PG, and Ridley graduates attend some of the top universities and colleges around the world. Ridley is the only co-ed independent boarding school in Canada and one of only three in North America authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum programme.
