CADTH Celebrates Health Technology Assessment Leaders

OTTAWA, March 28, 2019 /CNW/ - CADTH is pleased to celebrate outstanding and ongoing achievements in the field of health technology assessment (HTA) by announcing the recipients of the 2019 CADTH Recognition Awards.

In addition to honouring two individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of HTA in Canada, 10 Anniversary Medals are being awarded this year to mark CADTH’s 30th anniversary. CADTH Anniversary Medals are awarded every five years to individuals contributing to the health care system in Canada.

Dr. Deborah Marshall is a professor in the Departments of Community Health Sciences and Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), University of Calgary. She has been a driver behind the advancement of economic methods that consider not only the health technology, but also care pathways, context and constrained resources. At the opening plenary session in front of more than 800 people attending CADTH’s annual Symposium, Dr. Marshall will accept the Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment, which recognizes individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to HTA, evidence-based drug reviews, or optimal technology management in Canada.

“I feel honoured and flattered. This recognition has made me reflect on my career and the opening of the Canadian office for HTA back in 1990 and how far the field has come in terms of incorporating a diversity of methods and perspectives. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to the evolution of this field.” said Marshall in typically humble fashion.

Dr. Marshall is a leader when it comes to incorporating diverse voices into health policy. She is one of the founding co-investigators of the Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program at the University of Calgary in partnership with Alberta Health Services, and played a major role in the development of several international Good Research Practice guidance reports on innovative simulation modelling methods into practice to improve the quality and sustainability of health systems and measuring patient preferences. She is a member of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health and the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health at the CSM.

“We owe a great debt to Dr. Deborah Marshall as a pioneer of incorporating patient perspectives into economic modelling,” said Dr. Brian O’Rourke, President and CEO of CADTH. “She helped set the stage for a new generation of health economist-researchers, like Dr. Lauren Cipriano, the winner of this year’s Dr. Maurice McGregor Award.”

The Dr. Maurice McGregor Award, which will also be presented at this year’s CADTH Symposium, recognizes rising stars who are emerging as HTA leaders.

Dr. Cipriano is a leader when it comes to applying statistics, economics, operations research, and systems analysis to health policy problems. Her work on screening and treatment policies for hepatitis C, as well as on atrial fibrillation diagnosis and stroke prevention, has been hugely influential. Her recent meta-analysis on stroke risk in individuals with atrial fibrillation was cited by the European Society of Cardiology oral anticoagulant therapy guidelines, and she collaborated on an economic evaluation for CADTH to inform Canadian atrial fibrillation monitoring guidelines.

“I am honoured to receive this award,” said Dr. Cipriano, Assistant Professor at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. “Having spent a significant portion of my career working directly in the HTA field, I accept this award with great pride and wish to acknowledge the important work done by others, like Dr. Marshall, to get us where we are today.”

In addition to the Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment and the Dr. Maurice McGregor Award, 10 Anniversary Medals are being awarded at the 2019 Symposium. Introduced in 2014 to commemorate CADTH’s 25th anniversary, the CADTH Anniversary Medal is awarded to individuals whose hard work and dedication have helped develop, support, and expand the use of HTA as a vital component of an effective health care system.

The 30th Anniversary Medal winners are:

• Dr. Stirling Bryan, a highly regarded health economist whose work supports health policy decisions; Dr. Bryan currently acts as Professor at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, and Director at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology & Evaluation at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
• Dr. Tammy Clifford, a key member of the CADTH Executive Team and CADTH’s Chief Scientist for 10 years, who is currently the Vice-President of Research Programs at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and is an internationally recognized contributor to the growth and vitality of HTA globally
• Dr. Edgar Hunt, who acted as Chair of the CADTH Board of Directors, where he led the transition of the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment to CADTH, oversaw significant growth of the organization, and played a key role in launching CADTH’s Liaison Officer program
• Dr. Arminée Kazanjian, founding director of the British Columbia Office of Health Technology Assessment, who now acts as Professor at the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia
• Dr. Pascale Lehoux, an early leader in HTA capacity building, who developed and managed the International Master’s Program in Health Technology Assessment and Management; Dr. Lehoux is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Health Administration at the University of Montreal
• Elaine MacPhail, who was instrumental in developing the procedures for the CADTH Common Drug Review and CADTH’s optimal use programs; MacPhail spearheaded patient engagement at CADTH and is now retired
• Dr. Janet Martin, a leading expert in hospital-based HTA, who is currently Director of the Centre for Medical Evidence, Decision Integrity & Clinical Impact (MEDICI), and Associate Professor in the Departments of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine and Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University
• Dr. Ingrid Sketris, a leader in knowledge translation in Atlantic Canada and trainer of the next generation of HTA producers; Dr. Sketris is currently Professor and Associate Director of Research in the College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University
• Dr. Terrence Sullivan, Chair of the CADTH Board of Directors from 2011 to 2018 and former CEO of Cancer Care Ontario; Dr. Sullivan is a staunch advocate for evidence-informed decision-making in health care and currently chairs the quality/safety committee at the Hospital for Sick Children, the governance committee for Exactis Innovation, and the audit/finance committee for Vector A.I.
• Dr. George Wells, an internationally recognized expert in network meta-analysis and a key contributor to HTA methodology; Dr. Wells is currently Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

“Health technology assessment is recognized as an essential part of a vital health system, supporting better health, better patient experience, and better value,” said Dr. O’Rourke. “Much of the credit for that belongs to the individuals we are honouring with these awards — all of whom have helped Canada become an internationally recognized leader in HTA. I am proud to congratulate them and thank them for their contributions.”

For more about the awards, including further details about the Anniversary Medal winners and past winners, please visit CADTH’s Recognition Awards page.

Visit the 2019 CADTH Symposium website to learn more about the event and view the conference program. Follow CADTH on Twitter (@CADTH_ACMTS) and join the Symposium conversation using the hashtag #CADTHSymp.

About CADTH
CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for providing Canada’s health care decision-makers with objective evidence to help make informed decisions about the optimal use of drugs and medical devices in our health care system. CADTH receives funding from Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments, with the exception of Quebec.

SOURCE Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)