While internal medicine and international trade may seem on opposite sides of the spectrum, two of the top minds in these fields will share the spotlight as winners of the 2009 Hellmuth Prize for Achievement in Research.
The top research honour of The University of Western Ontario is going to Economics professor John Whalley and Robarts Research Institute Director of Clinical Trials Brian Feagan.
Awarded annually, the Hellmuth Prize was established in 1996 to recognize Western’s most distinguished researchers for achievement over a substantial body of work. The prize is named for Bishop Isaac Hellmuth, one of Western’s founders and a pioneer of higher education in Canada.
Whalley, director of the Centre for the Study of International Economic Relations, joined the Department of Economics at Western in 1976 and over 32 years has become internationally known for work in diverse areas of economics.
He is internationally known for work related to computational methods; however, his broad interests have covered areas such as tax, trade, the environment and development policies. Whalley has expanded his area of focus to examine issues related to globalization, the World Trade Organization, strategies for the developing world, global environmental issues, psychology and economics.
Specifically, he has recently begun to examine China’s role in the global economy and issues pertaining to climate change policy.
The William Davis Professor of International Trade in the Economics Department, Whalley is also a Distinguished Fellow at The Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo where he spends a portion of his time.
Whalley is Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Foreign Fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Feagan, a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, is board-certified in internal medicine and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is a gastroenterologist at London Health Sciences Centre and Director of Robarts Clinical Trials at Robarts Research Institute.
Holding membership in the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG), the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, Feagan’s research efforts focus on the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials of therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.
A principal investigator on numerous multi-centre trials evaluating new treatments for these diseases, Feagan has recently begun to investigate the application of cluster randomization in the evaluation of health policies. This methodology is well-suited to the assessment of the effectiveness of treatment programs, such as a care path for disease management.
Feagan’s many other awards include The University of Western Ontario Dean’s Award of Excellence – Medicine & Dentistry (2003); the CAG Visiting Research Professor Award (2005); and Western’s Faculty Scholar Award in Medicine & Dentistry (2007).
“These researchers have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a global outlook that profoundly benefits Western’s research community, its students and its international reputation,” says Ted Hewitt, Western’s Vice-President (Research & International Relations).
“Through their contributions to the advancement of knowledge, and by helping shape the direction of tomorrow’s leaders, they are also enhancing our standing as a research-intensive university.”