Gillian Hawker
University of Toronto
Dr. Gillian Hawker is Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a rheumatologist and clinician-scientist at Women’s College Hospital. She is a senior scientist at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and adjunct senior scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.
She completed her medical residency training and master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Healthcare Research at the University of Toronto, joining the Faculty of Medicine & WCH as an Assistant Professor in 1993. Over the course of her academic career, Dr. Hawker has established a record of academic excellence in the field of osteoarthritis (OA) outcomes. Her research has focused on the complex interplay between biological, psychological and social factors in OA presentation, progression and care-seeking behaviours. In particular, she has integrated sex and gender-based analyses into her research to better understand how these factors influence access to and outcomes of care. She has leveraged her position and knowledge to be a tireless advocate for raising awareness about OA as a critical public health issue.
Dr. Hawker has published over 360 peer reviewed articles and has received awards for her research. In 2013, she was honoured by The Arthritis Society of Canada with a Queen’s Jubilee Medal and in 2020 she received the International OA Research Society’s Clinical Researcher Award. In 2025, she was appointed the designation of ‘Master’ by the American College of Rheumatology.
Dr. Hawker has supervised numerous research trainees at the undergraduate, resident, and graduate levels. In 2013, Dr. Hawker was also recognized for her contributions to mentorship with the Department of Medicine’s Robert Hyland Award for Excellence in Mentorship. In 2017 she was awarded the CMA May Cohen Award for Women Mentors.
Finally, she is passionate about advancing academic medicine – and inclusive excellence in academic medicine. To this end, she has served in several leadership roles including Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Program, PIC at WCH, and most recently the Sir John and Lady Eaton Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine.