HEI community members named Canadian Academy of Health Sciences fellows

Four members from the HEI community have been elected into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS).

Drs. Maureen Markle-Reid, Mitch Levine, Alfonso Iorio and Maureen Dobbins are among the 74 elected Fellows for 2021.

“I would like to personally congratulate all the applicants that were elected as a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences for 2021. This recognition is a reflection of their dedication and excellence in their field,” said Dr. Proton Rahman, Chair of the Fellowship Committee. “We look forward to having their expertise further enrich the work of our Academy.”

The academy recognizes excellence in health sciences and is considered the highest recognition of excellence in Canadian academic health sciences. The fellows are chosen for their demonstrated commitment, through their careers and lives, to their field of expertise in many ways.

“Becoming a member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences recognizes Fellows’ dedication to health sciences,” said Dr. Chris Simpson, President, CAHS. “We are proud of their accomplishments and we are honoured to welcome them to the Canadian Academy of Heath Sciences.”

Here are their CAHS citations.

Maureen Markle-Reid, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Person Centred Interventions for Older Adults with Multimorbidity and their Caregivers, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University

Dr. Maureen Markle-Reid’s internationally recognized research program focuses on developing, implementing, evaluating and scaling-up integrated, patient-oriented interventions to improve care and outcomes for older adults with multimorbidity (2+ chronic conditions) and their caregivers living in the community. As part of this work, she focuses on advancing the science of patient- oriented health care intervention research. She fosters partnerships between researchers and knowledge users – clinicians, policy makers, patients, caregivers – to produce research that directly responds to the information needs of these groups. Dr. Markle-Reid’s work has had international and national impact and resulted in evidence-based solutions that address the challenges of multimorbidity, a priority for global health research.

Mitchell Levine, Professor, McMaster University

Dr. Mitchell Levine is a Professor at McMaster University and Assistant Dean for the Masters and PhD program in Health Research Methodology. He is a leader in the safe, effective, and appropriate use of medications in Canada, achieving this distinction through his research productivity, educational roles and activities as an advisor to governments relating to pharmaceutical policies. Mitchell has demonstrated leadership in many pharmacological societies in Canada and internationally, and was editor-in-chief for two peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has been the director of two research centres, one focussing on the use of medications and the other on health technology assessment.

Alfonso Iorio, Professor and Chair, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University

Dr. Alfonso Iorio is an internationally renowned hematologist whose research harnesses information technology and communications strategies to augment the transfer and application of best evidence at the point of care for patients with hemophilia and allied bleeding disorders. Lay citizens and patients are fully included at all stages of his research, which has resulted in more efficient, timely ways to incorporate new evidence into education, practice, and procedures. His research findings have been transferred into software applications used by thousands of doctors and patients in more than 100 countries.

Maureen Dobbins, Professor, Scientific Director, McMaster University

Dr. Maureen Dobbins is a world-renowned leader in evidence-informed public health. A professor of Nursing at McMaster University, she is building capacity among a generation of public health decision makers across Canada to find and use best available evidence for policy and practice. She created the world’s most comprehensive database of systematic reviews in public health, a national knowledge broker mentoring program, a suite of online learning resources, and co-created a citizen-targeted evidence portal on optimal aging. She responded to decision maker requests for rapid reviews during the COVID-19 pandemic and her advice is sought by organizations throughout Canada and internationally.