Who Is
W. Gifford-Jones, MD
Dr. Ken Walker (who writes under the pseudonym of Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, MD) is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Harvard Medical School. He trained in general surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University and in Gynecology at Harvard. His storied medical career began as a general practitioner, ship’s surgeon, and hotel doctor. For more than 40 years, he specialized in gynecology, devoting his practice to the formative issues of women’s health. In 1975, he launched his weekly medical column that has been published by national and local Canadian and U.S. newspapers. Today, the readership remains over seven million.
His advice contains a solid dose of common sense and he never sits on the fence with controversial issues. He is the author of nine books including, “The Healthy Barmaid”, his autobiography “You’re Going To Do What?”, “What I Learned as a Medical Journalist”, and his latest book, “90+ How I Got There!”.
Many years ago, he was successful in a fight to legalize heroin to help ease the pain of terminal cancer patients. His foundation at that time donated $500,000 to establish the Gifford-Jones Professorship in Pain Control and Palliative Care at the University of Toronto Medical School. At 93 years of age he rappelled from the top of Toronto’s City Hall (30 stories) to raise funds for children with a life-threatening disease through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. His hobby is trap shooting.
He is married to Susan and has four children and twelve grandchildren.
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Know More About Your Blood
May 19, 2025
Your blood is a river of life, carrying important cargo to all part's of your body. Red blood cells transport oxygen to the body's tissues, and return carbon dioxide from those same tissues to the...
Read on and get more Medical Tips... →Cancer, Dermatology
Don’t Play with Fire: A Warning about Skin Cancer
May 24, 2025
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the world. And most cases are preventable. So why are we still seeing over 5 million cases of skin cancer diagnosed in the U.S. each...
Read Article →Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Surgery
The Civic Duty in Our Veins
May 17, 2025
There’s an old quote often misattributed to Winston Churchill: “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” Whether Churchill said it or not, the message is true....
Read Article →Alternate Treatments, Neurology
A Quarter-Sized Breakthrough in Parkinson’s Care
May 10, 2025
Parkinson’s disease is a thief. It creeps in quietly, often misdiagnosed or unnoticed, and steadily robs its victims of motor control, independence, and quality of life. It is the fastest-growing neurological condition on the planet,...
Read Article →W. Gifford-Jones, MD
Tells It Like It Is
“You’re Going To Do What?”
How is such a busy, professional, well-traveled doctor and writer able to extol great advice at 90+? By leading a healthful, intentional life, and by applying his knowledge and common-sense approach — gained from years of research — to his own daily routines. Journey with Dr. W. Gifford-Jones through the remarkable career as a hotel doctor, ship’s surgeon, family physician, surgical specialist, syndicated medical journalist, and maverick. Along the way, learn the “do’s and don’ts” of reaching the age of wisdom.
W. Gifford-Jones, MD: 90+ and going strong.
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