A friend honours his mother - Dr. Sigga Christianson Houston

While visiting this week with Stuart and Mary Houston we learned of their establishment of the Sigga Christianson Houston Travel Award.  This award will fund bursaries for medical students to travel to remote northern communities to learn in a summer program under the supervision of a general practitioner or a pediatrician. 

Stuart and his family are honouring Stuart's mother, Dr. Sigga Christianson Houston, the first Canadian woman physician of Icelandic descent.   Sigga overcame many obstacles to graduate from the University of Manitoba faculty of medicine in 1925.   It was a time when the leadership of Nellie McClung and others in Manitoba had left many young women of Sigga's time with the feeling they could do anything they wanted, and Sigga's medical school class, with 13 other women, was a good example of this.

Sigga, with her husband Clarence, also a doctor, practised together in Yorkton, Saskatchewan for many years.  Sigga was widely known for her ability to help infants who were eating poorly and not growing well - "failing to thrive".  She was widely known for her abilities and her success in Saskatchewan and nearby Manitoba.

Just before Christmas the Houston's made the formal announcement of their decision to support the Travel Award for students, and to provide the major funding needed for it.  A big year end thank you to the Houstons for making students and health in northern communities a top priority.