News

CADTH Announces Winners of the 2015 Awards for Excellence in Health Technology Assessment in Canada

SASKATOON, April 14, 2015 — Today, CADTH honoured two Canadian health care leaders with awards for their contributions to the growing field of health technology assessment (HTA).

Dr. Renaldo Battista, Scientific Director of Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, received the 2015 Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment for his role in pioneering the use of HTA in Canada and abroad.

Dr. Fiona Clement, Director of the Health Technology Assessment and Appraisal Unit at the University of Calgary, was presented with the Maurice McGregor Award for her emergent HTA leadership and for her contributions to helping health care leaders in Alberta make use of HTA in their decision-making. She is currently spending a year in the U.S. as Commonwealth Fund Harkness / Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, conducting research at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

 "Over the last 20, years we've witnessed the remarkable evolution of health technology assessment and the pivotal role it plays in ensuring that Canadians receive effective, affordable, and patient-centred care," said Dr. Brian O'Rourke, President and CEO of CADTH. "I am thrilled to see the contributions of Dr. Battista and Dr. Clement recognized and, on behalf of CADTH and the Canadian HTA community, I extend my sincerest congratulations to them both."

The Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award was created as a tribute to the former President and CEO of CADTH, and honours those who have been active in the field of HTA for more than 10 years. The Maurice McGregor Award recognizes rising stars in HTA early in their careers and is named in honour of Dr. Maurice McGregor, Professor Emeritus of McGill University, who is affectionately referred to as "the grandfather of HTA in Canada."

Both awards were presented today at a luncheon in Saskatoon as part of the annual CADTH Symposium. The CADTH Symposium brings together key producers and users of HTA, as well as leaders from health economics, government, universities, clinical practice, the pharmaceutical industry, and patient groups to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing Canadian health care today.

For more information or for an interview with the 2015 Award recipients, please contact:

  • Andrea Tiwari, Communications Officer, 613 226 2553, ext. 1247 or 613 614 6863; [email protected].

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 (www.cadth.ca).