DMRF Award of Excellence for Clinical Medical Research

Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation Award of Excellence for Clinical Medical Research

2008 – Dr. Ratika Parkash, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology
Cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Ratika Parkash is determined to reduce risks and improve quality of life for people with arrhythmias. She is involved in several clinical studies that may lead to more successful cardiac ablation and cardiac re-synchronization therapy procedures. She is also studying defibrillator use and what factors influence whether or not a patient receives one. Click here for full story.

2006 – Dr. John Sapp, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology
A Dalhousie graduate and former holder of the William M. Sobey Fellowship in Cardiology, Dr. John Sapp has embarked on several innovative approaches to fine-tuning catheter ablation procedures. Used to correct abnormal or dangerous heart rhythms, catheter ablation involves putting wires into the heart through the blood vessels and delivering a surge of electricity to cauterize short circuits that interfere with the rhythm of the heart. Dr. Sapp is working with colleagues on body surface potential mapping studies to pinpoint the exact location of the short circuit. He’s also working with pre-clinical models to develop guidelines for the amount of electricity required for an adequate ablation. Together, these studies will improve the accuracy, speed and effectiveness of ablation procedures.

2005 – Dr. Arnold Mitnitski, Department of Medicine, and Faculty of Computer Science
Dr. Arnold Mitnitski received the Award of Excellence for Clinical Medical Research in 2004. An expert in the field of aging, he collaborated with Dr. Ken Rockwood, Dalhousie’s Chair in Alzheimer Research, for many years from Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. He joined Dalhousie’s Department of Medicine and Faculty of Computer Science in 2002, where he has continued his work in geriatrics while expanding into cardiology. Among his many achievements, he has developed a mathematical model – far superior to chronological age at predicting outcomes for the elderly – that has attracted international attention.

2003 – Dr. Richard Langley, Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology
Director of Research in the Division of Dermatology, Dr. Richard Langley focuses primarily on the early diagnosis of skin cancer, particularly malignant melanoma and pigmented skin lesions. He has introduced and developed a novel technology, which he pioneered at Harvard University during a postdoctoral training as a Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation Research Fellow. It’s called ‘in vivo noninvasive confocal microscopy,’ and Dr. Langley is testing its effectiveness in identifying malignancies in living skin. His Dalhousie lab houses the only such equipment in Canada.

2002 – Dr. Chris MacKnight, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics
An assistant professor in Dalhousie’s Department of Medicine and a geriatrician at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, Dr. MacKnight bases his research topics on problems of patient care and his evidence on systematic clinical observation. He has recently led a national study to see if Canada’s rural seniors are fit or frail, and to examine the factors that lead to fitness or frailty in old age.

2001 – Dr. Jafna Cox, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology
Dr. Jafna Cox was recipient of the inaugural Award of Excellence for Clinical Medical Research. Director of Health Services and Outcomes Research for the Division of Cardiology, Dr. Cox has shown outstanding leadership in developing clinical cardiovascular research at Dalhousie. He is most well known for his role as principal scientist in the ICONS study – Improving Cardiovascular Outcomes in Nova Scotia. This five-year study tracked the health of thousands of Nova Scotians with cardiovascular disease in order to identify which disease management approaches lead to the best outcomes for patients. In addition to his work on the ICONS study, Jafna Cox has played a pivotal role in expanding and facilitating opportunities for health care delivery research within the Division of Cardiology.

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