Canadian stroke expert wins American Stroke Association’s highest honour

San Francisco, CA – Dr Antoine Hakim, scientific director of the Canadian Stroke Network, was today awarded stroke research’s most prestigious prize at the International Stroke Conference in San Francisco, California.

The Thomas Willis Award, the American Stroke Association’s highest honour, recognizes a senior investigator who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding of stroke over a sustained period.

Dr Hakim is professor and chair of neurology at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, director of neuroscience research at the Ottawa Health Research Institute, a neurologist at the Ottawa Hospital and scientific director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Centre for Stroke Recovery.

“The academic and research environment at the University of Ottawa has been greatly enhanced because of Dr Hakim’s remarkable achievements,” says Gilles Patry, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa. “He has been instrumental in making the Canadian Stroke Network a recognized leader in the international stroke effort.”

The Willis Award is named in honour of Thomas Willis (1621-1675) who is credited with providing the first detailed description of the brain stem, cerebellum and ventricles along with hypotheses as to their function.