The Allogeneic Transplant Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN, will now be called the
Messner Allogeneic Transplant Program, in honour of Dr. Hans A. Messner – the founding father of allogeneic transplantation at the Princess Margaret.
For over 40 years, Dr. Messner has dedicated his life to the cancer centre. Dr. Messner began his career at the Princess Margaret in 1969, as a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Ernest McCulloch – one of the "Fathers of Stem Cell Science".
In 1975, Dr. Messner became an official member of staff at the Princess Margaret and in 1976, performed the first bone marrow transplant. While Dr. Messner's career continued to soar, he was named the Director of the Orsino Cell Therapy Laboratory and the Director of the Allogeneic Transplant Program.
More recently, Dr. Messner was honoured with the ASBMT Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is granted to individuals who have made continuous clinical and scientific contributions to the field of blood and marrow transplantation. This award is a true testament of Dr. Messner's endless contributions to the field of bone marrow transplantation.
Dr. Messner was named to the Order of Ontario in 2015, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field benefitting the people of Ontario or anywhere in the world.
Dr. Messner's dedication to patients and the program has never stopped. In 2014, there was an urgent need in the bone marrow transplant program for leadership and direction, Dr. Messner delayed his retirement to continue helping members of the program.
He resumed the Medical Directorship of the program and the Orsino Cell Therapy Laboratory. His commitment to patients, selfless service and leadership have been an inspiration to everyone that has worked with him.
Naming the program in his honour embeds these values as a strong foundation to develop into one of the leading Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation Programs in the world.
