[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Mueller.jpg” caption=”Dr. Barber Mueller was the inaugural chair of the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Photo courtesy of FHS.”]A founding father of McMaster University's medical school and a dedicated supporter of the Health Sciences Library is being honoured with the naming of the library's new History of Health and Medicine Room.

A ceremony is being held today at 3 p.m. to dedicate the C. Barber Mueller History of Health and Medicine Room.

Dr. Mueller, 90, was the inaugural chair of the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Health Sciences, serving from 1967 to 1972, and is the founder of the Friends of the Health Sciences Library, a group dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the library as a vital resource. He launched the Library Enrichment Fund with a gift of $100,000 in 1998, and to date has contributed more than $400,000 to the Health Sciences Library.

“We are pleased to dedicate this room in honour of a man who has made history for the medical school at McMaster University,” said John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences. “Dr. Barb Mueller's dedication and contributions to knowledge, education and clinical care have created a legacy at McMaster.”

Mueller, an American, earned his medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine in 1942. His career as a teacher and surgeon spanned 45 years, including stints at Washington University and the State University of New York, before joining McMaster in 1967 as the medical school was established.

In addition to helping shape the new medical school, now known as the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, he was active in the development of the problem-based, small group learning program, and in the design of the McMaster Health Sciences Centre.

Following his term as chair of the Department of Surgery, Mueller served as a professor of surgery until 1983, when he retired and was named professor emeritus. He has received honorary degrees from McMaster, as well as Blackburn College and the State University of New York. In 2005 he joined the Faculty of Health Sciences' Community of Distinction. Since his retirement, he has remained active as an author and speaker.

Mueller's philosophy of philanthropy is to support education. He believes libraries make an all-pervasive contribution to student education and graduate work.

The C. Barber Mueller History of Health and Medicine Room recognizes the importance of the Health Sciences Library's historical collections. The large room's elegant design features include a cove ceiling, recessed lighting, a fireplace, historical displays and comfortable leather chairs. It will serve as an area for quiet study.

The room is part of an $8.6-million renovation project recently completed in the library of the McMaster Health Sciences Centre, which serves health care professionals across the city, as well as faculty and students of the university. An official opening of the renovated Health Sciences Library is planned for May 23.