The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada's Honours System and the Officer level recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.

Dr David Dolphin was appointed as Officer to the Order of Canada in July 2006 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the fields of Photodynamic Therapy and porphyrin research. The award ceremony was held at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on February 9th, 2007.