Dr. Peter Jackson

Cape Breton University is pleased to honour and recognize Dr. Peter Jackson for his passion and dedication to the field of medicine and, in particular, to his patients. Simply put, Peter Jackson was born to be a doctor. He genuinely liked people, and he considered caring for them to be a privilege.

As one of his colleagues noted, as a healer and a mentor, Peter demonstrated the art of caring to which we all aspire. He practiced family medicine in its truest sense. He provided home visits, nursing home care and assisted in the operating room. He served as a medical examiner and as the medical director of the Braemar Home. He worked to develop expertise in palliative care for the community, serving both as a volunteer with his wife, Patricia, and as the medical director of palliative care. His mostly solo practice served several thousand patients. Dr. Jackson was known as a brilliant diagnostician—mainly because he truly listened to the patients he cared so passionately about.

Dr. Jackson served as the president of the Cape Breton Medical Society, Doctors Nova Scotia, Maritime Medical Care and as chief of staff of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. Throughout his career Dr. Jackson delivered hundreds, if not thousands, of babies. This is something he was very proud of. He was recognized for his contributions to the field of medicine with the Gold Headed Cane Award from the Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Canadian Medical Association Honourary Membership Award.

Peter and his wife, Patricia, moved to Cape Breton from England with their infant son in 1965, planning to stay just a year. The Island would instead become their home. He retired in 2015 after 50 years of clinical practice. While Peter was passionate about his patients, he was also a devoted father of four and grandfather of twelve.

Cape Breton University is delighted to honour Dr. Peter Jackson with an inaugural Healthcare Award of Distinction, posthumously. We are grateful for his immense contribution to improving the health of his fellow Nova Scotians.