Fonds F27 - Robert Edward Turner fonds

Robert Edward Turner was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on 8 June 1926. He received his elementary education at Bennetto Public School and his secondary education at Delta Collegiate Institute in Hamilton. He continued his education in Hamilton and graduated with an Honours B.A. (Zoology and Chemistry) from McMaster University in 1948. He briefly served with the Canadian Officers Training Corps (1949-1952) and in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps’ Supplementary Service. After completing his undergraduate education, he then moved to Toronto and obtained a degree in Medicine from the University of Toronto in 1952. Dr. Turner’s post-graduate internship was at Hamilton General Hospital (1952-1953), and he subsequently completed a locum tenens in general practice in Grimsby, Ontario. He married in 1952 and subsequently had four children. Moving to Bristol, England, Dr. Turner undertook post-graduate studies in psychiatry at the University of Bristol and with the Bristol Mental Hospitals Group from 1953 to 1955. Returning to Toronto, he continued his post-graduate studies in psychiatry at the University of Toronto and obtained a Diploma in Psychiatry in 1957. That same year he also passed the examinations of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, obtaining the Certificate of specialist in psychiatry. In 1957 Dr. Turner joined the Forensic Clinic of the Toronto Psychiatric Hospital first as a resident and later as a staff psychiatrist. During that time he participated in court hearings and trials at all levels of the court, for both the Crown and the Defense on numerous occasions. Dr. Turner became Director of the Clinic on 1 Nov. 1958, which involved teaching medical students and students in other professions. He held that position until the formation of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in 1966. At that time he was appointed as Senior Psychiatrist, Forensic Service (July-Dec.1966) and later as Chief of Forensic Services (1967-1969). He continued to make frequent court appearances. He became the Medical Director of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry on 1 May 1969 until 20 April 1977 as well as chairman of its Medical Advisory Committee (1972-1977). He was subsequently appointed as Psychiatrist-in-Charge and Director of the Metropolitan Toronto Forensic Service [METFORS], and Member of the Board from 16 May 1977 to 31 March 1987. Since 1991, Dr. Turner, a Professor Emeritus, has provided an outpatient therapy practice through first the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and later the Clarke Site of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health [CAMH]. Aside from his clinical and administrative positions, Dr. Turner also held several academic posts. He taught at the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor (1964-1968), as an Associate Professor (1968-1973), and as a Professor (1973-1977). In 1977 he was appointed to the position of Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, which was a position he held until 1991. While holding these academic appointments, he served as Chairman of formal and ad hoc committees in the Department of Psychiatry, including in relation to a study of the jury recommendations on a significant inquest (1977-1978). He also served on the Royal Commission of Confidentiality of Health Information (1981). Dr. Turner became a Professor Emeritus in 1991. Dr. Turner has also done significant consultancy work. For instance, he was a Consultant in Forensic Psychiatry for the Blair Report concerning Mental Health in Alberta (Apr. 1969). Further, he served as a Consultant in Psychiatry for the Law Reform Commission of Canada (1972-1984) and acted as a liaison between it and the Canadian Psychiatric Association [CPA]. He served on many other task forces, advisory councils and committees over the years, including as a member of the Legal Task Force of the Committee on Mental Health Services in Ontario (1978-1979), as a member of the Lieutenant Governor’s Board of Review (1976-1988), as a Council member of the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto, and as a member of the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Foundation (1983-1985), among others. In addition, Dr. Turner was active in several professional associations. He served as a member of Council of the Ontario Psychiatric Association (1972-1974) and subsequently as its President from 1975-1976. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (1974-1977). Further, Dr. Turner served as President of the Kenneth G. Gray Foundation from 1971 until 2005. Dr. Turner has also made significant contributions to the local community through his involvement with parish, St. James Cathedral of the Anglican Church of Canada. He was a member of the Diocese of Toronto’s Sexual Abuse Task Force (1990-1992) and its Reintegration Committee (1992-1993). Earlier in 1981-1985 he was a member of Council for the Toronto Institute of Pastoral Training. For his contribution to psychiatry and to the Anglican Church of Canada, he was awarded a Commemorative Medal on the occasion of the Queen’s Jubilee in 2002. Dr. Turner is a Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Life Member of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, a Life Member of the Ontario Psychiatric Association, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (U.K.), and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He has contributed numerous papers for a wide variety of respected bulletins, journals, and professional text and reference books, and has presented papers at various seminars and conferences. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario.