Cornelia Corrie
Johanna Baines, MD, FRCP M.Sc., born in Toronto in mid-August of 1935 to Jan van Erk and Lottie May Stagg, died on her beloved mother's birthday earlier this month. She was predeceased last year by her soul mate, friend, and husband of 69 years, Andrew Dewitt Baines. Mother to Nicole (Michael) and Nigel (Caroline); grandmother to Monique (Tim), Andrew (Katharine) and Amanda; great-grandmother to Nora and Evelyn.
Professor Emerita at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Cornelia was a renowned epidemiologist with a towering intellect. Her students revered her and doctors across Canada knew her well as Medical Consultant to The Medical Post. Requests to review articles from respected international scientific journals arrived regularly to her inbox right until this year.
Ten years after completing her medical degree at University of Toronto (U of T), Corrie completed her internship in 1972. After practicing as a physician at Toronto Western Hospital, she later turned to epidemiology, attaining a Master's degree from McMaster University. As a U of T Professor, she dedicated the next four decades to research, women's health, media communication, and teaching.
Cornelia was one of the two lead investigators of the landmark Canadian National Breast Screening Study. She was also a member of the Ontario Task Force for Environmental Health and a sought-after expert witness on the health impact of wind turbines.
As a Senior Fellow, Corrie devoted a lot of time and effort to Massey College, a very special institution which both she and her husband cherished during their academic lives and retirement years. She was also a published novelist (Under Sydenham Skies), and an extremely accomplished pianist both as a young girl and again later in life. No minute was ever wasted.
A Director of the Canadian MedicAlert Board for over a decade, Corrie also donated her time to many other volunteer boards including the Ontario Forestry Association, Canadian Professors for Peace in the Middle East, and the Grey County Historical Society, amongst others.
Corrie still found time to be a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, and was always there for friends and neighbours in their hour of need. She loved travelling and entertaining, and designed breathtaking gardens with Andrew. She was a much-loved, irreplaceable, and formidable force who lived her life to its fullest.