Arthur Slutsky awarded researcher of year by CIHR

Ottawa, ON – Dr. Arthur S. Slutsky, vice-president of research at the St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, has received the 2014 Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Health Researcher of the Year award for his outstanding efforts to advance pulmonary medicine and improve critical care practices. Dr. Slutsky was presented the award at a reception held this week at St. Michael’s Hospital.

CIHR awarded this career achievement to Dr. Slutsky in recognition of his contributions to improving the health of Canadians. His work in engineering and medicine has resulted in improved approaches to pulmonary care. He coined the term biotrauma to refer to lung damage caused by life-saving mechanical ventilators, and in the process helped create a new field of health research.  His studies on ventilator-induced injury have spanned the health spectrum from basic research to clinical trials. His findings have had a tremendous impact on clinical practice and have played a role in reducing patient mortality. He is now applying his considerable expertise to help increase the number of eligible donor lungs available for transplantation.

The Health Researcher of the Year award was created to honour and recognize an outstanding Canadian researcher who has demonstrated a high degree of innovation, creativity, leadership and dedication in health research.

“Canadian researchers remain at the forefront of global advancement in our understanding of human health. On behalf of CIHR, I congratulate Dr. Slutsky, this year’s recipient of the CIHR Health Researcher of the Year award. Dr. Slutsky is a world-leading scientist whose work has had enormous impact on the care of those who are critically ill and has shaped health care delivery here at home and around the world,” said Dr. Alain Beaudet, president, Canadian Institutes of Health Research.