In recognition of his nearly 18-year tenure as the Physician-in-Chief of the Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital (JGH) and the Associate Chair of the McGill Department of Medicine, Dr. Ernesto Schiffrin, MD, PhD, is being honored for his outstanding contributions and leadership as he steps down from these positions.
He has held and still holds many prestigious positions including Director of the Hypertension and Vascular Research Unit at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and Distinguished James McGill Professor. Dr. Schiffrin's expertise in hypertension and vascular disease earned him the distinction of being a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair from 2006 to 2019. After many years as Associate Editor of Hypertension, journal of the American Heart Association, he is currently since 2016, Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Hypertension. His outstanding achievements led to his being ranked as the 34th Best Scientist in the field of Medicine in Canada for 2023, as well as second at 香蕉视频 and 1117th in the world.
He holds a particular sense of pride in being honoured with the Order of Canada. Additionally, he cherishes the Excellence Award of the Hypertension Council of the American Heart Association (AHA) and his appointment as a Distinguished Scientist of the AHA in Hypertension and Kidney Disease, as well as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He also received the Bjorn Folkow Award of the European Society of Hypertension, the Robert Tigerstedt Award of the American Society of Hypertension, Margolese National Prize on Heart Disorders, the Prix Galien Recherche Award, and the Franz Volhard Award of the International Society of Hypertension among others. He is also proud of having presided over national and international organizations in the field of hypertension, including the Canadian Society of Hypertension, Hypertension Canada, the AHA Hypertension Council and the International Society of Hypertension among others.
鈥�For 47 years I have done basic and clinical research in hypertension and cardiovascular disease since my arrival at IRCM and a McGill PhD program starting in 1976, and I never lost interest. I have been lucky to have been funded for my research uninterruptedly until 2028, which will be 45 years of funding, by the Medical Research Council of Canada and then its successor, CIHR. I have been able to publish highly cited papers, and had great trainees and collaborators, which has contributed to any success I have had and to the persistent interest in the field. I have been very active in professional and scientific societies, and presided over provincial, national and international ones, so it鈥檚 been fun and a lot of work. Which is ok when it is fun, and that ensures long-term interest in one鈥檚 work and area of expertise,鈥� says Dr. Schiffrin.
What鈥檚 next?
With his successful CIHR Foundation Grant renewal until 2028, Dr. Schiffrin plans to continue his translational and clinical research endeavors, including the development of an international trial focused on slowing down cognitive decline in the elderly through blood pressure lowering of the population, as well as other clinical trials. Furthermore, he will continue to provide care for outpatients in the Cardiovascular Prevention Centre at the hospital, particularly managing difficult-to-control and secondary hypertension alongside other cardiovascular risk factors.
While Dr. Schiffrin's departure as a leader in the Department of Medicine will undoubtedly be felt, it will also allow others to step up and to benefit from the opportunity to collaborate with such exceptional talent in the realm of research. In the meantime, we thank Dr. Schiffrin for his dedication, passion and leadership and wish him all the best as he embarks on the next chapter of his career and life.
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Read more about Dr. Vicky Tagalakis,听who succeeds Dr. Schiffrin as Physician-in-Chief of the JGH.听
Read more about Dr. Kevin Schwartzman who succeeds Dr. Schiffrin as the Associate Chair of Research.