Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University

David L. Sackett OC, FRSC, MD, MA, FRCP, was the founding Chair of Canada's first Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics (now Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact), at McMaster University and led the creation of a graduate studies program, the first of its kind, in Design, Measurement and Evaluation, now called the Health Research Methodology Program. During his career, he developed and mentored a new breed of applied clinician-scientists and worked with them to create and disseminate the practice of evidence-based medicine throughout the world.

Dave’s contributions are most notable in three areas: research methods for applied testing of health care innovations; use of these methods to evaluate the scientific validity and clinical merit of numerous medical interventions; and education of clinicians in understanding and applying the results of “current best evidence from research” in clinical practice. Dave has received various research awards and elections to learned societies, including the Royal Society of Canada, Fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians of London and Edinburgh, the American and Canadian Societies for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the Canadian Society for Internal Medicine, and the Pan-American Health Association. He has also received numerous awards for his educational and clinical work, was elected to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2000, appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001 and most recently was presented with the prestigious Canada Gairdner Wightman Award in 2009. David Sackett died at the age of 80 on May 13, 2015. 

MORE ABOUT DAVE AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS 

To honour Dave Sackett and his enthusiasm for educating and mentoring graduate students, the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (now Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact), has established the David L. Sackett Scholarship Trust to support exceptional doctoral students enrolled in the Health Research Methodology Program at McMaster University. Our goal is to raise $125,000 for an endowment that will support annual scholarships of $5,000.