[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/johneyles.jpg” caption=”John Eyles”]Whether it's an inquiry into the future demands for hospital facilities,the social implications of industrial change, or the barriers to cross-sectoral health resource reallocations, it is certain that research conducted by John Eyles will play an important part in the final report.

Eyles is being honoured at Convocation on Friday, Nov. 10 with the title of University Professor. The title is held for life and is
the highest honour the University awards its faculty.

A social geographer with an interest in health and the geography of
everyday life, Eyles received both his BA (1967) and M.Sc.
(1968) from the London School of Economics, and his PhD (1983) from the University of London.

Born in the United Kingdom, Eyles, who holds both British and Canadian
citizenship, spent the first years of his academic career
at the University of Reading and the University of London. He joined the Department of Geography at McMaster in 1988.

His research focuses such issues as health care delivery, resource
allocation, needs-based planning, and public participation in
decision-making. He is also interested in “the geography of everyday life”(social relations, the importance of place, the nature of
community), social and environmental policy and urban planning, and the comparative analyses of the structures of societies.

In all these areas, Eyles has successfully attracted the funding support of
local and national government ministries and councils.

Eyles has lent his skills and expertise to numerous committees and projects
in Canada and abroad. From 1993-98, he held the
Eco-Research Chair in Environmental Health at McMaster and is now
completing a five-year term as director of the McMaster
Institute of Environment and Health.

An author and contributor to many books, articles and reports, Eyles has
been a visiting lecturer around the world. Dozens of
cities, including Hamilton, have benefited from his expertise in urban
planning and planning for the provision of health care.