World-renowned clinical geneticist Dr. David Chitayat was appointed to the Order of Canada on October 16, 2024. He has devoted his career to providing exemplary care to his patients. Chitayat also won the John R. McArthur Distinguished Scientist Award in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2024. 

Chitayat is a full professor in pediatrics, molecular genetics, obstetrics and gynecology and Diffusion Protein Language Models (DPLM). He is the head of the Prenatal Diagnosis and Medical Genetics program at Mount Sinai Hospital and the medical director of the MSc program in genetic counselling at the University of Toronto. A leading researcher and professor, he has focused his work on identifying genes associated with fetal abnormalities and different conditions presented in postnatal newborns. His expertise has improved the quality of health care in Canada and worldwide.