Austin Mardon is a respected advocate for the mentally ill. His academic career was cut short when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Prior to that he had been to the South Pole with NASA, and had earned three graduate degrees. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2007 for his advocacy. He has also received the highest awards from the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Mental Health Association, and the Schizophrenia Society. He was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Austin has also been an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta since 2015. In 2017 Austin was awarded the rank of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Sylvester by Pope Francis as recognition for his work for the mentally ill. Then on November 6, 2020 Austin had the honor of meeting the Pope in person in Rome. He is an author, lecturer, and advocate for the mentally ill, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta's John Dossetor's Health Ethics Centre.