Pictured, left to right: Dr. James Tam, Maryse Myman, and Dr. Asad Junaid at the dedication ceremony for the Dr. David Mymin Lipid Clinic on October 20, 2022.
January 17, 2023
Donors including colleagues and family of the late Dr. David Mymin have honoured his legacy in the most fitting way – by raising funds for the cardiac care clinic Mymin tirelessly built over decades.
“He was an exceptional individual,” said Dr. Asad Junaid, Associate Director of the newly named Dr. David Mymin Lipid Clinic at a dedication ceremony in October 2022.
“David Mymin did amazing things for cardiac science in Manitoba.”
A cardiologist whose career spanned more than six decades, Mymin retired in 2019, still pursuing his clinical and research interests at age 90. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2021 and passed away that July at age 92.
Supporting much-needed equipment
After Mymin’s cancer diagnosis, the Lipid Clinic team, along with former colleagues, mentees, and loved ones, led a campaign to honour his legacy through tribute gifts.
Their generous support is enabling the clinic to purchase much-needed equipment to enhance patient care and clinic functions:
- A wireless, ultrasonic measuring station for height and weight with voice guidance
- Six bariatric chairs offering obese patients greater comfort
- Four automated blood-pressure monitors
- Educational materials on diet, smoking cessation, strokes, and hypertension
The clinic, located in the I.H. Asper Institute at St. Boniface Hospital, is home to a multi-disciplinary team consisting of cardiology, endocrinology, and vascular medicine specialists, as well as nurses, dieticians, and unit clerks.
Maryse and David Mymin in 2019.
Maryse Mymin, Mymin’s widow, attended the ceremony along with family from Manitoba and outside the province.
“It was wonderful to see his name on the clinic. He deserved it. David would have been happy.”
“It’s good for donors to know what will happen to the money. It’s going toward equipment, such a tangible need.”
The visit was Maryse’s first time back at St. Boniface Hospital since she and Mymin moved to Halifax in 2019 to be closer to family.
“This clinic was one of David’s greatest joys. His patients and his colleagues were precious to David. And to me.”
Those Mymin worked with were more than associates, she said. They became close friends. They include Dr. James Tam, who was with Mymin in Halifax over his final days.
“David took me under his wing in clinical work and research, when I first came to Winnipeg in 1996,” said Tam. “He was so helpful early in my career. Many of us owe him a lot of thanks for that mentorship.”
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mymin took medical training in his home country, then in England and Ontario. He was then recruited to St. Boniface by Dr. Morley Cohen, who was a driving force in bringing cardiac surgery to Manitoba in the 1950s.
Through his career Mymin kept a focus on the role of lipids – fatty molecules that make up the building blocks of the structure and function of living cells – in heart disease.
Pioneering research
Maryse is proud to note Mymin’s pioneering research into a rare metabolic disorder that can affect Hutterite and Amish families.
Driven by his desire to help a large cohort in Manitoba, Mymin was a national and international leader in studying phytosterolemia (or sitosterolemia). This lipid storage disorder is characterized by a person’s disposition for early coronary atherosclerosis. In one instance, a three-year-old patient died of heart disease.
Carrying on in the spirit Mymin intended
Colleagues since 2006, Dr. Junaid spoke often with Mymin.
“We spoke many times about his aspirations; he wanted this to be a clinic of excellence providing a necessary service that we know from research makes a difference in reducing heart disease.
“We want to carry it on in the spirit David intended.”
Your support helps St. Boniface Hospital provide excellent cardiac care and pursue groundbreaking cardiac research. Donate today.