A co-discoverer of insulin, J.B. (Bert) Collip was one of Canada's most prolific medical researchers in the first half of the 20th century. Born and raised in Belleville, Collip received a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Toronto in 1916. There, on leave from the University of Alberta in 1921, Professor J.J.R. Macleod invited him to work with Frederick Banting and Charles Best on a substance they hoped could treat diabetes. In 1922, Collip produced the first insulin suitable for use on human beings, an essential contribution to a treatment that has since saved millions of lives. In 1923, Collip received from Macleod a share of the Nobel Prize money awarded to Banting and Macleod for the discovery of insulin. In Alberta and then at McGill University, Collip became internationally known for his leadership in endocrinology. From 1941 to 1945, he headed Canada's wartime medical research. He finished his career as Dean of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario (1947-61), and died in London, Ontario in 1965.

Location

In front of the Belleville Public Library and John M. Parrott Art Gallery, 254 Pinnacle Street, Belleville

Themes

• People
• Scientific and technological innovations