The Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health (CSCH) was formally organized in May, 1984 in Anchorage, Alaska at the time the 6th International Symposium on Circumpolar Health. The Society became a charter member of the International Union for Circumpolar Health in March 1986 in Stockholm, Sweden. Intially, a fourteen member CSCH executive and regional advisory board was elected with representatives from Aboriginal organizations and geographical areas across Canada. Dr Otto Schaefer was one of the early medical pioneers to the Arctic.  He was instrumental in the formation of the Canadian Society for International Health and the International Union for Circumpolar Health. He was unanimously elected as Honorary President and Honorary Lifetime Member.