Dr. Richard Birtwhistle is a family physician and clinical epidemiologist. He is a professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Community Health and Epidemiology, and Director of the Centre for Studies in Primary Care in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen’s University.
He also served as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education in the School of Medicine at Queen’s University from 1996 to 2004. His primary research interests include hypertension, chronic disease management, and the evaluation of primary care models.
Since 2008, Dr. Birtwhistle has been the principal investigator and chair for the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN), which is a national project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Its aim is to develop a central repository of de-identified patient data on chronic diseases from a network of primary care practitioners using electronic medical records. This data source will be available to health care providers and researchers for surveillance and research purposes. Because of the determination and expertise of Dr. Birtwhistle and his colleagues, this project is poised to lead to improved chronic disease care in Canada.
Dr. Birtwhistle received the Researcher of the Year award in 2010 by the CFPC in recognition of the successes of CPCSSN. He is also the vice-chair of the newly reconstituted Canadian Task Force in Primary Healthcare, which is producing evidence-based guidelines for primary care practitioners.
Lifetime Achievement in Family Medicine Research Award
These awards honour individuals who are trailblazers and leaders in family medicine research, and who have made a significant career contribution to family medicine research during their active career years. These awards give public recognition to both their work and to the discipline of family medicine.