Celebrating six top achievements in Canadian health research

(2011-03-21) The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) recently honoured six outstanding Canadian individuals and teams with the second ever CIHR-CMAJ Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Awards, which recognize and celebrate Canadian health research and innovation excellence.

Dr. Russell D. Hull, of the University of Calgary, has changed the way patients with cancer are treated for blood clots. 

Dr. Cyril Frank, Dr. Deborah Marshall, Dr. Peter Faris and Christopher Smith, of the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute, whose work towards cost-effective ways to treat severe osteoarthritis in the knee and hip has helped reduce wait times for hip and knee replacements in Alberta and ensure consistent quality of the procedure. 

POISE-1 investigators, who led a large international trial to evaluate the effects of a β-blocker in more than 8300 patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. 

Dr. William Ghali, Dr. Merril Knudtson, Dr. Michelle Graham, Dr. Colleen Norris and Diane Galbraith, for the Alberta Provincial Project for Outcome Assessment in Coronary Heart Disease (APPROACH) team which was established as a cardiac registry initiative to track the long-term outcomes of all patients undergoing cardiac catheterization in Alberta. 

Dr. Mohit Bhandari, Dr. Gordon Guyatt and Dr. Stephen Walter, of McMaster University, who set out to collectively improve the way clinical trials are done in fracture care. 

Dr. Elizabeth Bryce and Dr. Annalee Yassi, of the University of British Columbia, who developed a collaborative research and training team whose work has changed practice and policy in infection control in Canada and many other countries.

The winners were selected by a peer-review panel of Canadian experts, who looked for the discoveries and innovations that had the biggest impact on the health of people in this country and around the world.

A third round of the Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Awards will be launched in summer 2011, with an expected deadline for applications in September 2011. CIHR and CMAJ welcome applications from individuals or teams working as health researchers, health professionals, policy makers, or administrators.

For more information on this year's winners, visit CIHR's or CMAJ's website.

Ian Graham, PhD
Vice-President, Knowledge Translation and Public Outreach Portfolio