Congratulations to All Order of Canada 2025 Recipients: A Proud Moment for Indo-Canadians as Saroj Saigal gets the highest Civilian Award

HCF extends congratulations to all the recipients of the ORDER OF CANADA award, including Saroj Saigal, for receiving the highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada 2025."

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Photo Credit: McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences

Saroj Saigal (Officer) Hamilton, Ontario

Her Award Citation: “Saroj Saigal has helped shape the field of neonatology. She is internationally renowned as the first researcher to examine the lives of extremely premature infants from a qualitative perspective and is praised for this humanistic approach. She has shifted attitudes towards preterm infants and increased our understanding of their long-term outcomes.”

According to McMaster University’s “McMaster Experts, Saigal obtained her medical degrees (MBBS, MD Ped) and pediatric training in India. She did her neonatal fellowship at the Universities of Edinburgh, McGill, and McMaster, and received further postgraduate degrees.”

She joined the pediatric faculty at McMaster University, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, as a neonatologist (1973 -2004), and Director of the Neonatal Follow-up Program for high-risk infants (1973 -2013).

An article on the Hamilton Health Sciences website states: “When Dr. Saroj Saigal began her career as a neonatologist in the early 1970s, caring for the tiniest premature infants was a fairly new medical specialty. At the time, there were just a handful of neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Canada. After her training at McGill University, Saigal became aware of some forward-thinking plans for a new Regional Referral Tertiary Care Perinatal Unit in Hamilton, pioneered by neonatologist Dr. Jack Sinclair and McMaster University’s Chair of Pediatrics, Dr. Alvin Zipursky, so she decided to start her career here.

“Fifty years later, she is still with Hamilton Health Sciences, caring for premature babies at McMaster Children’s Hospital, conducting research and making a difference in the lives of thousands of families. “HHS is so proud to have had Dr. Saigal with our organization for 50 years,” says Rob MacIsaac, President and CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences. “She has had a successful career here and is a true inspiration.””

The article states that Saigal “says she enjoys participating in the follow-up clinic and has no plans to retire anytime soon.”

Celebrating Dr. Saroj Saigal: A Pioneer in Neonatal Medicine

Dr. Saroj Saigal, a trailblazer in the field of neonatology, has transformed how the world understands and supports babies born extremely premature. Recognized globally for her compassionate, human-centered research, Dr. Saigal was the first to explore the lives of preterm infants through a qualitative lens asking not just how they survive, but how they thrive.

Born and educated in India, she completed her medical and pediatric training there before earning advanced credentials including an MD in Pediatrics, FRCPC (Canada), and FAAP (USA). Her journey led her to McMaster University, where she began caring for premature infants in the early 1970s and later became a full professor in 1984. Today, she holds the title of Professor Emerita.

Her groundbreaking studies have followed some of the world’s earliest cohorts of extremely low birth weight infants into adulthood, offering invaluable insights into their physical, emotional, and social development. She also founded the Adults born Preterm International Collaboration (APIC) a global network advancing research into long-term outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Through decades of clinical trials, mentorship, and advocacy, Dr. Saigal has not only advanced science but also reshaped public perception of preterm life. Her legacy continues to inspire generations of caregivers, researchers, and families.

Learn more about her experience when she received the award here.