Dr. Diane Lacaille, Associate Head of Academic Affairs and Professor of Medicine (Division of Rheumatology) has been awarded the CRA’s 2019 Distinguished Investigator Award.
The Canadian Rheumatology Association’s Distinguished Investigator Award is presented in recognition of a Distinguished Investigator who has made an outstanding contribution to rheumatology internationally and be an accomplished Canadian Rheumatologist of high professional calibre who has significantly furthered rheumatology research in Canada through the development of a major research program, innovative and significant research activity.
Dr. Lacaille has established an internationally recognized health services research program in arthritis care and employment. She has pioneered the use of administrative data for quality of care and pharmacoepidemiologic research. Dr. Lacaille’s research program, KT activities and committee work have had a profound impact on optimizing the delivery and uptake of health services for people living with RA worldwide.
Dr. Lacaille’s population-based research evaluating quality and outcomes of care identified alarming gaps in the care of RA and comorbidities. She developed and tested innovative strategies to improve care, such as academic detailing to family physicians to optimize guideline-concordant care; and an online Arthritis Health Journal for disease activity self-monitoring, facilitating treat-to-target. Her community-based research with First Nations communities developed and evaluated arthritis programs consistent with indigenous approaches to health. Her Arthritis Wellness Program, a culturally-relevant family-based self-management program, and her case manager model to improve management of arthritis and comorbidities offer much needed alternatives to current care.
Dr. Lacaille’s pharmacoepidemiology studies have drawn attention to the huge toll of cardiovascular, infectious, pulmonary complications of RA, and the importance of controlling inflammation with RA medications, to prevent complications, morbidity and premature mortality.
Dr. Lacaille’s employment research highlighted the impact of arthritis on work. She developed the first comprehensive program to prevent work disability in people with inflammatory arthritis, Making it WorkTM, filling an important unmet need in services available to people with arthritis.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Lacaille on this wonderful achievement!
This story originally appeared on Canadian Rheumatology Association’s website