Celebrating top achievements in Canadian health research

Posted March 21, 2011 

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) are acknowledging the top achievements in Canadian health research that have had a significant impact on health, health care and health research.  For the second year, a peer-review panel of Canadian and international experts selected the winners based on the considerable impact of their work on the health and wellbeing of Canadians and others worldwide.  Several members of the University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine are amongst those acknowledged.

Dr. Cyril FrankLow-molecular-weight heparin for venous thrombosis
Dr. Russell D. Hull is professor of hematology, general internal medicine and community health sciences, and director of the Thromobosis Research Unit at the University of Calgary. His work has changed the way patients with cancer are treated for blood clots. He looked at safe and effective therapies that are appropriate for a wide range of patients with venous thrombosis. He found that there is a safety advantage to the long-term use of low-molecular-weight heparin by patients with and without cancer, and there was also a clinical benefit for those with cancer.

Model of care for hip and knee replacement 
Dr. Cyril Frank, Dr. Deborah Marshall, Dr. Peter Faris and Christopher Smith for the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute. Their 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. Their work in this area led to the creation of the National Hip and Knee Knowledge Translation Network.

Cardiac registry for tracking outcomes in cardiac care
Dr. William Ghali, Dr. Merril Knudtson, Dr. Michelle Graham, Dr. Colleen Norris and Diane Galbraith for the APPROACH team. The Alberta Provincial Project for Outcome Assessment in Coronary Heart Disease (APPROACH) team was established as a cardiac registry initiative to track the long-term outcomes of all patients undergoing cardiac catheterization in Alberta. APPROACH is now one of the largest, most comprehensive cardiac registries in the world with more than 140,000 patients from Alberta. APPROACH is applying learnings to manage wait lists and track new diagnostic techniques, procedures and other cardiac conditions.