In recognition of his outstanding foundational science research in the areas of health and life sciences, Advancing Health Director Dr. Aslam Anis has been honoured with a Distinguished Researcher Award. This year’s recipients, which include Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose and Megan Levings, will be celebrated at the 2022 Faculty of Medicine Awards Reception on October 17, 2022. They will also give a public lecture as part of the Faculty of Medicine’s Research and Trainee Day in spring 2023, which is open to all faculty members, trainees, and staff.
Read more below about Dr. Anis career and contributions to health research. The original announcement can be found on the Faculty of Medicine website.
Distinguished Researcher — Foundational Science Research: Dr. Aslam Anis
Dr. Aslam Anis is director of the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes (Advancing Health), national director of the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network, and a professor and Director pro tem of the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH). He has been recognized for his influential contributions to education and foundational science, including the fields of pharmacoeconomics, pharmaceutical industry regulation and drug pricing.
Trained as an economist, Dr. Anis’ body of work has been influential across a broad spectrum of health research domains, including HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis and substance use. As an early champion of patient-oriented, evidence-based decision making, he has informed debate and policy at the provincial, national and international levels.
Dr. Anis’ translational research has resulted in lower costs and better health care for millions of people across Canada and beyond, including people living with HIV around the world. As a leading international scholar on the methodology used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new drugs, Dr. Anis was appointed by the Government of British Columbia in 1995 to serve as founding director of the Pharmacoeconomic Initiative of BC. In this role, he spearheaded the creation of a multidisciplinary, evidence-based review process that was the forerunner for the Canada-wide Common Drug Review program. Similar methodology has since been adopted internationally in multiple jurisdictions.
As an educator, Dr. Anis launched the unique, executive-style Master of Health Administration at SPPH, which has attained acclaim for training many prominent health administrators and leaders. Currently, he is focused on developing a new training program in global health at UBC.
Dr. Anis has an exceptional track record of mentorship of students and junior faculty. He is a true visionary with regards to prioritizing EDI as essential components defining leadership and research excellence. Dr. Anis’s commitment and dedication to widely sharing his research findings and expert opinion is exemplified through his invited presentations, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and conference proceedings. The breadth of Dr. Anis’ publication record is a testament to the diversity of his scholarly contributions and the wide impact they have achieved.
Dr. Anis’ contributions as a researcher, administrator, mentor, and educator have helped shaped the current landscape and future direction of health research and education in Canada, and he has established himself as one of the pre-eminent health economists and health services and policy researchers of his time.
