Who We Are
The Symington Symbiotic Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to uplifting communities through interdisciplinary developmental, therapeutic, and educational initiatives inspired by the pioneering work of Dr. David Cambidge Symington.
Dr. Symington’s career spanned continents. After earning his medical degree at the University of Glasgow in 1951 and completing his rehabilitation residency in London in 1955, he went on to serve as:
• Assistant Medical Director, G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre and Greater Vancouver Cerebral Palsy Clinic, Vancouver
• Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Washington, Seattle
• Founding Professor & Head, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Queen’s University
• Founding Director, Regional Rehabilitation Centre for Eastern Ontario
His influence reached the world through his role on the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Rehabilitation and as Chair of Rehabilitation International’s Medical Committee, where he was honoured on behalf of over 500 million people whose lives were improved due to his work.
The Foundation exists to continue this legacy with compassion, innovation, and unwavering belief in human potential.
Dr. David Cambidge Symington
1928 - 2020
Dr. Symington was a global pioneer in rehabilitation medicine whose visionary leadership reshaped disability rights, community based rehabilitation, and professional education around the world.
He founded the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Queen’s University and directed major rehabilitation initiatives in Canada and the United States. His work with WHO and Rehabilitation International elevated global standards and expanded opportunities for people with disabilities across more than 100 countries.
Known for his humility, warmth, humour, and advocacy, he lived by the principle:
“People with disabilities need a hand up, not a handout.”
His legacy lives on through the Foundation.
Vivien Symington
Co-Founder & Executive Leader
Daughter of Dr. David Cambidge Symington
As one of Dr. Symington’s six children, Vivien Symington grew up immersed in the values that shaped her father’s global impact: compassion, justice, dignity, and an unwavering belief in human potential.
To the world, Dr. Symington was a visionary physician and humanitarian. To Vivien, he was the person who stopped to listen, knelt to meet a child at eye level, and believed that every individual deserves a chance to rise.
Vivien leads the Foundation with a profound sense of responsibility and love. Each initiative becomes a continuation of her father’s life’s purpose. Each program reflects the values he lived, not just those he taught. Each success story feels like another heartbeat of the legacy he left behind.
Vivien’s gentle yet powerful leadership is grounded in gratitude and guided by the belief that connection is the most transformative force in human development.
She brings her father's wisdom into every decision:
The courage to innovate
The humility to listen
The compassion to lift others, always
