ASRM Life member, John Alfred Collins, MD, FRCSC, FRCOG, FACOG, C.M., passed away on February 17, 2025, at his home in Maders Cove, Nova Scotia. A distinguished obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive medicine specialist, Dr. Collins made significant contributions to women's health, reproductive endocrinology, and evidence-based medicine.

Dr. Collins earned his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1960. As a McLaughlin Foundation fellow (1965–67), he pursued clinical endocrinological research in England and Scotland. His first practice was in London, Ontario, where he worked alongside his mentor, Dr. Hugh Allen. Over the course of his career, Dr. Collins helped bring thousands of new lives into the world and conducted groundbreaking research in reproductive medicine.

He held numerous senior academic positions, including Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Medicine at Western University, Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dalhousie University, Chief of Staff for Grace Maternity Hospital in Halifax, and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University, where he was also a Professor in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He served as President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, and the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Collins was a Fellow ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada) and a visiting Fellow at the World Health Organization Research in Human Reproduction Program. He was also a member of the Royal Belgium Academy of Medicine. His editorial contributions included serving on the boards of The New England Journal of Medicine and Fertility and Sterility, as well as acting as Editor-in-Chief of Human Reproduction Update from 2006 to 2012. His academic work included over 200 peer-reviewed papers, with a focus on reproductive health disorders, oral contraception, hormone replacement therapy, and the long-term effects of medical interventions.

In 2019, Dr. Collins was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his transformative research in reproductive endocrinology and his role in advancing evidence-based medicine in women's health care. He was instrumental in bringing the McMaster Evidence-Based Medicine approach to infertility research, advocating for rigorous clinical trials and improved fertility treatment evaluation.

Dr. Collins was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Carole Collins, and his parents, John Bandel Collins and Vera Hannahson, as well as his brother, Gerard Hannahson Collins. He is survived by his children, John Bruce Collins (Carol Payne), Blayne Collins (Dan Keeler), and Anne Collins; grandchildren, Alexis Paton (Steven Robinson), Hannah Paton, Meg Collins (Gregory Pope), and Alice Payne; great-granddaughters, Antonia and Vivienne Paton-Robinson; his sister, Janet Aiken; and extended family members. His legacy in medicine and research will continue to influence the field for generations to come.