Pioneering Stroke Researcher Awarded Canada's Highest Honor

Main Category: Stroke
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 05 Jul 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Renowned stroke researcher Dr. Vladimir Hachinski has been named to the Order of Canada, the country's highest honor, for his lifetime contributions in the field of neurology.

Hachinski is a "Distinguished University Professor" at The University of Western Ontario in the Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. He is the founding and current chairman of the International Society for Vascular Behavioral and Cognitive Disorders, and First Vice-President of the World Federation of Neurology.

"When I learned that the government was trying to track me down, I was in China and a few unpleasant possibilities crossed my mind," says Hachinski. "When I was informed that I was to be named to the Order of Canada, I was surprised, and felt honored and humbled to join such a distinguished company of Canadians."

Hachinski is a pioneer and thought leader in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of stroke and vascular cognitive impairment. He coined the phrase "brain attack" to convey that strokes are emergencies, and developed along with Robert Côté, the Canadian Neurological Scale, an effective and simple method to assess and monitor acute stroke patients.

After establishing Canada's first stroke unit with John W. Norris in Toronto, Hachinski opened another at University Hospital in London, Ontario, now part of London Health Sciences Centre where he continues to practice.

Hachinski proposed the concept of "multi-infarct dementia" and devised the most widely used method of diagnosing it (the Hachinski Ischemic Scale). He also advocated a new approach to the treatment and prevention of vascular dementia by early recognition and treatment of risk factors.

Hachinski is the Editor-in-Chief of STROKE, the leading publication in the field, and has contributed to 17 books including Stroke: A Comprehensive Guide to Brain Attack, and to more than 600 book chapters, papers and other scholarly publications.

The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the country.

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Source: Kathy Wallis
University of Western Ontario

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