Gordon Wesley PERKIN

GORDON WESLEY PERKIN, O.C., M.D August 21, 2020 Gordon W. Perkin passed away peacefully at his home in Seattle on August 21st, at the age of 85. Gordon studied medicine at the University of Toronto and graduated with honours in 1959. He began working as a GP in a small, rural practice on the outskirts of Toronto, but his long-standing interest in international affairs drew him away after only two years. After short stints with Ortho Pharmaceutical and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, he began a 14-year career with the Ford Foundation that would take him to Thailand, Ghana, Switzerland, Brazil and Mexico. Along with two colleagues, Gordon Duncan and Richard Mahoney, Gordon co-founded the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) in 1977. In 1980, Gordon moved to Seattle to become the President of PATH, a position in which he served for 19 years. Under his leadership, PATH grew from a small and little known non-profit organization into one of today's leading players in the field of international health. In late 1999, Gordon became the first Director of Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he played an important role in shaping the new foundation's health strategies and programs. He later became a Senior Fellow at the Foundation, before retiring in 2005. Gordon was passionate about the health and well-being of women and children, particularly in the developing world. Although he rarely sought credit, the programs and initiatives he helped to develop and support - particularly those related to contraceptives, maternal and child health, and vaccines - have improved the lives of millions around the world. Gordon had a special ability to build bridges among the many different organizations working on global health and also pioneered a number of groundbreaking initiatives to foster collaboration between the non-profit and private sectors. In recognition of his contributions, Gordon was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009. Gordon will be remembered for his innovative and creative thinking, his life-long dedication to global health, his camaraderie and humor, and his love of travel, trilobites, antique hunting and seafood. Despite all his international travels, Gordon retained a special fondness for the Haliburton Highlands and returned year-after-year to the family's summer cottage on Lake Kashagawigamog. Gordon is survived by his wife of nearly 63 years, Elizabeth A. Perkin, as well as two sons, Scott and Stuart, daughters-in-law Mary and Crissy, and grandchildren Siena and Laurel. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Planned Parenthood, the Gordon W. Perkin Endowment Fund at PATH, and/or the Gordon Perkin Maternal Health Innovation Fund at the Terrewode Women's Fund, which supports fistula repair and prevention in Uganda (https://www.terrewodewomensfund.org/gordon-perkin-fund). No service is planned at this time.