Early Life and Private Career
Gerrard was born in Birmingham, England, and grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Saskatchewan (1967), a Doctor of Medicine degree from McGill University (1971), a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (1976), and a Certificate in Pediatrics from the American Academy of Pediatrics (1976). He worked at several prominent American institutions in the 1970s, and returned to Canada in 1980 to accept a position as pediatrician at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital. Gerrard served as head of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at this hospital from 1985 to 1992, and taught at the University of Manitoba from 1980 to 1993. He has authored or co-authored over 200 scientific publications, and became known during the 1980s as an expert on the research and treatment of children's cancer. Gerrard has also been interested in bald eagles since his teenaged years, and co-authored a book entitled The Bald Eagle: Haunts and Habits of a Wilderness Monarch in 1988.
Gerrard became active with the Liberal Party of Canada while working on his undergraduate degree, impressed with Prime Minister Lester Pearson's positions on social and international issues. He was a delegate to the Liberal Party's 1968 leadership convention, supporting John Turner. He later volunteered for the "Non" side in the 1980 Quebec Referendum, and became Liberal riding president for Lisgar in 1984. In 1990, he was Manitoba co-chair of Jean Chrétien's successful bid for the Liberal Party leadership.
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