SSC Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work 2022
The Impact Award recognizes outstanding contributions by SSC members in collaborative research and applied work, the importance of which derives primarily from its relatively recent impact on a subject area outside of the statistical sciences, on an area of application, or on an organization. The award can be for published collaborative research, for collaboration in applied work (whether published or not) or, more generally, for the impact of a statistician on an organization (e.g., a company or a government agency) or a subject area through their collaborative or applied work.
The 2022 recipient of the Statistical Society of Canada Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work is Lehana Thabane, Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Health Research, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University, and Vice-President of Research at St Joseph’s Healthcare - Hamilton. The award recognizes outstanding contributions by a member of the SSC in collaborative research and applied work, the importance of which derives primarily from its relatively recent impact on a subject area outside of the statistical sciences, on an area of application, or on an organization.
Dr. Thabane is a pioneer in health-research and clinical-trials methodology, renowned for his mentorship and collaborative research. He is an advocate of evidence-based medicine and has made significant contributions in a wide range of health disciplines. His leadership, standing, expertise, research productivity, and impact in shaping health policy and clinical guidelines have helped fashion an impressive profile of an academic devoted to improving the quality of healthcare in Canada and abroad.
Dr Thabane received BSc in Mathematics and Statistics from the National University of Lesotho in Lesotho in 1990; MSc in Statistics from the University of Sheffield in England in 1994; and PhD in Statistics from the University of Western Ontario in Canada in 1998.
Dr. Thabane is an outstanding collaborator. His research on biostatistical methods addressed the challenges of innovative and complex clinical-trial designs, generating reliable evidence on effective approaches to diagnose, prevent, treat, and manage health conditions. Many of his collaborative works received national and international recognition for their methodological quality and rigor as well as their impact on health policy and practice. The CAGE study on practice patterns in the management of COPD in primary practice was recognized for its “greatest potential impact on respiratory medicine”; the 10-Year study of the rationale, design, and execution of fixation alternatives in the treatment of hip fractures changed orthopedic practice; and the CHAP trial (Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program) became an important first element in community-based cardiovascular health promotion programs. Dr. Thabane co-founded the journal “Pilot and Feasibility Studies” dedicated to increasing research efficiency of clinical trials. His pivotal papers on the fundamentals of pilot and feasibility studies led to their widespread adoption in mainstream clinical-trials research.
Dr. Thabane is a devoted educator, supervisor and mentor to hundreds of graduate students and junior faculty. He is a recipient of excellence in graduate student supervision and teaching excellence awards. Through his Mentoring Without Borders program, he increased the biostatistical capacity for rigorous clinical-trials research throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. As Chair/Member of Data Safety and Monitoring Boards for over 30 national and international clinical trials, he judiciously influenced global healthcare practices. Serving on the Canadian Interagency Panel on Research Ethics, he dedicated himself to ensuring the highest standards of ethical conduct of research in Canada.
An esteemed leader in his field, Dr. Thabane won numerous national and international awards for his contributions. He is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI); Fellow of the Society for Clinical Trials; Fellow of the American Statistical Association; Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences; and Elected Honorary Foreign Associate, Academy of Science of South Africa. He is the President of the Society for Clinical Trials for 2022-2023.
The citation for the award reads:
“To Lehana Thabane, for his outstanding contributions to the development and application of statistical methods for emerging and innovative clinical-trial designs; for his statistical leadership in the design and conduct of highly impactful collaborative health studies, that have led to significant advances in clinical practice guidelines and helped shape new health policy; and for his passion and extraordinary contributions in academic mentorship that have influenced hundreds in Canada and worldwide.”