Distinguished Service Award

The CABPS Distinguished Service Award is given in honour of a bariatrician dedicated to the care of those living with obesity in Canada.  The award recognizes a bariatrician’s outstanding contributions to the practice of Bariatric medicine in patient care, research, and education.

Nicolas Christou, MD, PhD

Emeritus Professor of Surgery 
McGill University

Dr. Nicolas Christou obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University in 1971, his Doctorate in Medicine and Surgery in 1975, and his Doctorate in Philosophy (Surgical Infections) in 1978. He completed his surgical training at McGill in 1980 and was appointed Assistant Professor of Surgery at McGill University, and Attending Staff Surgeon Royal Victoria Hospital in 1981. He rose through the academic ranks at McGill and is became Professor of Surgery (with tenure, 1991- 2013).  He served the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) as director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (1988-1995), Director of the Division of General Surgery from 1995-2005 and Director of The Center of Excellence of Bariatric Surgery of the McGill University Health center 1995-2013. He gave up his academic position at age 65 to a younger surgeon at McGill and has taken partial retirement (Emeritus Professor 2013 - ).  He continues his academic and research responsibilities at McGill and the MUHC. He is a member of many prestigious surgical societies including the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons of which he is a founding father and past president. Dr. Christou's research efforts in Clinical Outcomes after open and Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery have contributed to the Evidence Base used worldwide to implement this life saving surgery in many countries.