Andrew D. Lynk

Alumni Andrew Lynk largeCape Breton University is delighted to honour the commitment and compassion of Dr. Andrew Lynk. His dedication to the health of children in our community is truly inspiring.

Dr. Lynk was born and raised in Halifax, NS, and has Cape Breton coal mining roots on his father’s side. He received his Medical degree from the Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Lynk, a Rhodes Scholar, attended Balliol College, Oxford University, as well as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He subsequently served six months as a physician caring for children in an Ethiopian refugee camp during the great famine of 1984-85.

Dr. Lynk’s passion and medical specialty is Pediatrics.  He is currently the Associate Vice President of Medicine with the Cape Breton District Health Authority, where he has held many roles over his career, including Chief of Paediatrics and Medical Officer of Health.   Dr. Lynk has written numerous scholarly papers and has more than two dozen publications to his credit.

Dr. Lynk becomes President of the Canadian Paediatric Society next month, after serving as Chair of the Society’s Advocacy Committee for 10 years.   Dr. Lynk has made professional and community contributions beyond his field throughout his career, and as a result he has been the recipient of numerous awards. He has won the Excellence in Leadership Award from Cancer Care Nova Scotia, the Canadian Paediatric Society Distinguished Canadian Community Pediatrician Award, the Cape Breton District Health Authority Healthcare Provider of the Year Award, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Atlantic Region) Specialist of the Year Award.

Dr. Lynk was the founding medical director of Cape Breton District Health Authority high school based Youth Health Centres, and has been a consultant on a number of community based projects.  He was also Chair of the Medical Staff Lobby Group for a smoke free CBRM. In addition to these activities, Dr. Lynk has coached soccer, minor hockey and girls and boys basketball. Additionally, he spent four years as an elected representative on the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board and since 2007, has been a founding member of the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex Board. To quote the parent of one of Dr. Lynk’s patients, “I can only say that he is the best. There would be no other way to describe him.”

Dr. Lynk resides in Sydney with his wife, Kerry, a teacher and community volunteer, and their two children, Graham and Elizabeth.

Today, Cape Breton University confers the degree Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, on a man who is a caring and compassionate physician and who is known for his commitment to his patients and the community, Andrew D. Lynk.