Salim Yusuf Receives Prestigious Award

By Ayub Khan, TMO

McMaster University’s Salim Yusuf has been named the recipient of the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award.

The award is presented annually to a Canadian who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science throughout his or her career.

Yusuf, a professor of medicine, is a member of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He holds the Heart and Stroke Foundation / Marion W. Burke Chair in Cardiovascular Disease.
Yusuf has been honored by the Gairdner Foundation for his exceptional leadership in conducting global clinical trials and population studies on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and related conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

The award is just one of a number of honors Yusuf has received over the years including the Order of Canada in 2013. In April of this year, he will be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

Yusuf is also the founder and director of the Population Health Research Institute, vice-president of research at Hamilton Health Sciences, and is also president-elect of the World Heart Federation.

Yusuf’s epidemiological work has benefitted millions of people by producing substantial changes in guidelines for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

The large trials he has conducted with colleagues around the world have led to more effective treatments for acute heart attacks, congestive heart failure, heart rhythm abnormalities and chronic heart disorders. These studies have also informed our understanding of the role of societal changes on behaviors and risk factors, and how they lead to cardiovascular disease.

The Gairdner award comes with a $100,000 prize and will be presented at a ceremony in Toronto in October.

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