The Awards
Three O’Brien Institute awards recognizing excellence among our membership have been announced.
Institute Awards 2015
We’re so fortunate to have such outstanding researchers in our midst. These are exciting times at the University of Calgary with so many leading researchers having been recruited over the last several years, and the researchers populating our membership are truly of the highest caliber.
Dr. William Ghali
O'Brien Institute Scientific Director
Emerging Research Leader Award
The recipient of the O’Brien Institute Emerging Research Leader Award is Dr. Gavin McCormack, recognizing his contribution to knowledge and innovation; successful promotion, dissemination and management of research activities; and training of graduate students and other qualified research personnel.
“I am pleased and very honoured to have received an O’Brien Institute for Public Health Emerging Research Leaders Award,” says McCormack. “It is a fantastic feeling to have my research recognized by the O’Brien Institute as being relevant and important.
“Among other potential benefits, this award will increase the profile of my research program, which I hope will attract interest from graduate and undergraduate research trainees as well as new collaborators.”
Research Excellence Award
Dr. Hude Quan is the recipient of the O’Brien Institute Research Excellence Award recognizing his substantial and distinguished research and scholarly contributions over a significant period with impact on the advancement of his research both nationally and internationally.
“This award reflects and recognizes the team work of many people, including students, who have contributed to my research,” says Quan. “The O’Brien Institute is an amazing platform and environment where people share and collaborate for excellence in research, training and mentoring.
“I am so blessed to work with a good team and good people who make our workplace so friendly and enjoyable.”
Outstanding Service Award
The recipient of the O’Brien Institute Outstanding Service Award is Dr. Tom Feasby, recognizing his significant contributions of time and talent to the operations of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health including chairing several important review panels for the O’Brien Institute, working with the strategic advisory board and participating in internal peer review and mentorship programs.
“I was involved in the creation of the O'Brien Institute and take great pleasure in seeing it thrive under the leadership of Dr. Bill Ghali and the patronage of Gail and David O'Brien,” says Feasby. “The O’Brien Institute has a wonderful cadre of young scientists and students who will help it achieve its goal of really making a difference in producing better health and healthcare.”
About The Recipients
Dr. Gavin McCormack is an assistant professor with the Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, an adjunct associate professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary and an adjunct senior research fellow in the School of Population Health, University of Western Australia. Dr. McCormack’s research focus is on physical and social environmental determinants of health, focusing mainly on neighbourhood environments and physical activity, sedentary behaviour, diet, and weight status. An overarching research goal is to provide evidence to inform future land use policy and planning as well as health promotion interventions to improve the health of entire populations.
About The Recipients
Dr. Hude Quan is a professor and health services researcher with the department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, whose research areas of interest include health services research methods, chronic disease surveillance and outcomes, health services utilization and outcome among ethnic populations. Dr. Quan is the director of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Classification, Terminology and Standards and the lead of the Methods Hub, a team of researchers focusing on consolidating individual and collective expertise across the spectrum of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. He has published over 250 papers in peer reviewed journals and in 2014, Thomson Reuters listed him as one of the world’s highly cited researchers.
About The Recipients
Dr. Tom Feasby is a practicing neurologist and health services researcher at the University of Calgary. He served as dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary from 2007 to 2012 and was formerly head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. He has authored or co-authored over 160 research publications in areas such as neurologic diseases and the appropriateness of health care interventions. He has also supervised numerous graduate students and mentored many students and colleagues, and has been involved in professional societies and organizations including the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the American Academy of Neurology.