Brenda Milner

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Records

Brenda Milner's list of honors is extraordinary. She has received over 100 awards and honorary degrees, including the Companion of the Order of Canada and the Grand Officer of the Order of Quebec. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Canada. Her 2014 Kavli Prize was a landmark recognition of her work. At 107, she remained an active researcher, a testament to her lifelong curiosity. She has inspired generations of neuroscientists and remains a towering figure in the field.

AwardsBrenda Milner has received numerous prestigious awards for her groundbreaking work. She won the Balzan Prize for Cognitive Neuroscience in 2009, the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience in 2014, and the Gairdner Award in 2005. She was the first recipient of the Wilder Penfield Prize in 1993 and the first woman to win the Killam Prize in 1983. In 2018, she received the Mensa Foundation International Lifetime Achievement Award. Her contributions have been recognized globally.

Honours & Distinctions

Companion of the Order of Canada

Government of Canada·2005

Elevated to Companion, the highest level of the Order of Canada, for her contributions to neuroscience.

Grand Officer of the Order of Quebec

Government of Quebec·2009

Elevated to Grand Officer for her scientific achievements.

Fellow of the Royal Society of London

Royal Society

Elected as a Fellow for her contributions to science.

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Royal Society of Canada

Elected as a Fellow.

Foreign Affiliate of the US National Academy of Sciences

US National Academy of Sciences

Elected as a Foreign Affiliate.

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame·1997

Inducted for her pioneering work in neuropsychology.

Golden Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II

Government of Canada·2002

Awarded for her contributions to Canada.

Records & Feats

First woman to receive the Killam Prize

Historic First·1983

In 1983, Brenda Milner became the first woman to win the Killam Prize, one of Canada's top scientific awards.

One of the founders of neuropsychology

Career Milestone·1955

Her work with patient H.M. established the hippocampus's role in memory, fundamentally shaping the field.