This new member of the Order of Canada is a ‘freak of nurture’

A University of Waterloo professor was one of 78 new appointees to the Order of Canada on Thursday.

John Hirdes is a recognized leader in the fields of aging and health assessment systems. His screening systems have helped over six million Canadians be screened 21 million times to help improve their quality of life and care.

The 62-year-old’s appointment to the Order of Canada is an honour he said he’s really excited about.

“As somebody who’s a first generation Canadian, it’s really rewarding to feel that sense of belonging and recognition from the country that took me on many years ago,” he said. “It’s great to be able to contribute to making things better for everybody.”

Moving to Canada from Namibia when he was just five-years-old, Hirdes said his family experienced the typical immigrant struggle of working hard just to get by. 

At home and abroad

As the first person in his family to attend university, Hirdes said he was scooped up in the fourth year of his undergraduate studies by his soon-to-be mentor, Dr. Bill Forbes, the founder of the gerontology department at the University of Waterloo.

“He grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and said, ‘OK, what do you want to do in your career? What would you like to do to make a difference?'”

Since then and over the course of his nearly 35-year career, Hirdes has been recognized as a fellow with the Royal Canadian Society, and the Canadian lead to InterRAI, a multinational research group that implements healthcare screening services across the globe. 

Hirdes and his team are currently trying to introduce the use of mental health assessment systems in India. They are also working to improve primary care for older adults in 11 African nations.

“I’m also very actively involved in mental health research in Canada and internationally. So we’re hoping to launch a similar international study around mental health services in South America, the Caribbean and Central America, where we have several collaborators there as well.”

‘Freak of nurture’

Hirdes said it was through different mentors and great support at home that he was able to develop a career that had an impact.

“My parents put a lot of emphasis on my brothers and I getting a post secondary education.”

When reflecting on his new Order of Canada appointment, Hirdes mentioned reading a book by a U.S.-based organizational psychologist named Adam Grant that talks about how people achieve things in their lives.

“[The book says] we have this misconception that people are born with an innate ability. And the reality is, we get to where we are because of many different factors coming together,” Hirdes said. “And so [Grant] says we should stop thinking that people who achieve things are freaks of nature. They’re actually freaks of nurture.”

“I’m happy to consider myself a freak of nurture.”