In memoriam: Glenda MacQueen (1965–2020)

It is with deep sadness that the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience’s editorial board learned of the death of Glenda MacQueen on March 27, 2020. Dr. MacQueen served as an associate editor of JPN for 11 years, from 2009 to 2020. She contributed to the scientific excellence and editorial policy of the journal as an author, reviewer and discussant, steadfastly bringing to those roles her keen insight and dedication to critical thinking and optimal patient care. Dr. MacQueen continually played a highly active role at the journal, contributing with generosity and grace. The scientific community has lost a brilliant light with her passing.

Contributions honoring Dr. MacQueen can be made to a memorial fund supporting leadership for women in medicine at the University of Calgary https://netcommunity.ucalgary.ca/glendamacqueen

Courtesy of the University of Calgary

Dr. Glenda MacQueen was a highly influential clinician, scientist, mentor and leader in psychiatry who passed away on March 27, 2020. More than that, she was a kind, caring and thoughtful person. As the academic community mourns her loss, our hearts go out to her husband Alex and children Ally, Marcus and Emily.

Dr. MacQueen was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 1965 and completed an Honours Bachelor of Science in biology and psychology at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick (1982–1986). She moved to Ontario to start her Doctorate of Philosophy at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Shepard Siegel (1986–1989). She went on to obtain her Doctorate of Medicine and complete fellowships in internal medicine, psychiatry and mood disorders at McMaster University.

In 1997, Dr. MacQueen joined the Department of Psychiatry and Mood Disorders program at McMaster University and quickly established a reputation as an outstanding clinician-scientist. Her work was at the forefront of understanding the associations between brain and behaviour and, using MRI technology, she became a leader in understanding the neural correlates of mental illness. She published seminal work linking brain structure to major depressive disorder and built a strong collaborative network of mood disorders researchers. Her work highlights the importance of early identification and treatment by emphasizing that illness is associated with subtle but progressive brain changes.

In 2008, Dr. MacQueen was recruited to the University of Calgary as professor and head of the Department of Psychiatry, where she continued her clinical practice and became the zone clinical department head in psychiatry. During her time as department head, she played a founding role in the creation of The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education. She then served briefly as senior medical director of the Addiction and Mental Health Strategic Clinical Network for Alberta Health Services before becoming vice dean of the Cumming School of Medicine (2012–2019).

Dr. MacQueen received many honours, including the J.M. Cleghorn Award for Leadership and Excellence in Clinical Research from the Canadian Psychiatric Association (2017), the Heinz Lehmann Award from the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2014) and the Douglas Utting Award for Studies in Depression (2011). Her work has had, and will continue to have, a tremendous influence on the field. Her scientific impact is exemplified by the fact that she is in the top 1% of Clarivariate Analytics’ Highly Cited Researchers list.

Dr. MacQueen led and contributed to large-scale efforts such as the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND), the Canadian Psychiatric Risk and Outcome Study (PROCAN) and the IMAGINE SPOR network (Inflammation, Microbiome and Alimentation, Gastro-Intestinal and Neuropsychiatric Effects). She was director of the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments for more than a decade and worked with this group on guidelines for both major depression and bipolar disorder.

Dr. MacQueen will be remembered for many things: her commitment to clinical practice, her excitement about scientific research and outstanding productivity, her vision to pursue important new directions in the field, and her strength and leadership in the dean’s office at the University of Calgary. But for many of those who worked with her, her mentorship stands out as one of her magical talents. Dr. MacQueen always had time to ask you how your family was doing, never rushed you out of her office, and could always be counted on for frank and helpful opinions. She was courageous in championing those around her.

Dr. MacQueen will be deeply missed by her colleagues and the scientific community at the University of Calgary, across Canada, and around the world.