Harold Copp

Douglas Harold Copp was an internationally celebrated Canadian medical scientist and educator. In 1950, he became the founding head of the Department of Physiology at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, where he led fundamental research into mineral metabolism and bone homeostasis.

In 1961, Copp made the breakthrough discovery of calcitonin, a peptide hormone produced by the thyroid gland that lowers calcium levels in the blood and inhibits bone resorption. His discovery revolutionized the clinical treatment of Paget's disease, osteoporosis, and severe hypercalcemia. He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and made an Officer of the Order of Canada.