Dr. John Sangster remembered as a mentor to students at Western University

Dr. John Sangster, a London, Ont., physician who died following a two-vehicle collision in Oxford County on Friday, is being remembered as "a pillar" of the Family Medicine Department at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

According to Ontario Provincial Police, Sangster, the driver of one of the vehicles, died in hospital after sustaining severe injuries in the crash at the intersection of Oxford Road 96 and 37th Line in Zorra Township.

In a statement, the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry said Sangster, a professor emeritus, championed excellence in education. He was 79.

"Throughout his career, Dr. Sangster mentored countless medical students and residents in family medicine," it said.

After completing his residency training at Schulich in 1970, he practised family medicine for more than 40 years. He served as medical director of the Byron Family Medical Centre for 18 years, beginning in 1978.

He later served as chair of the Academic Medical Organization of Southwestern Ontario.

In 1984, Sangster completed his master of clinical science degree in family meedicine and was appointed director of the graduate studies program.

Sangster won numerous awards, including the Western Family Medicine Dr. Ian McWhinney Teaching honour and Western University's Dean's Award for Excellence in Education, and was named Family Physician of the Year by the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

His online obituary says he enjoyed travel and was an avid sports fan, "with a particular fondness for playing golf and cheering on the Jays, Raptors, Leafs and Knights."

He also loved his 1956 T-Bird "fondly known as The Princess and enjoyed the friendship of the Thunderbird Club of Southern Ontario," said the obituary.

Visitation is Wednesday at the Westview Funeral Chapel on Wonderland Road North, where a funeral service will be held on Thursday.

The family requests that all in attendance wear a mask.