Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which refers to the formation of blood clots in the veins, is an underdiagnosed and serious, yet preventable cardiovascular disease that affects persons of all ages and ethnicities. It is the third most common cardiovascular condition after heart attack and stroke. Furthermore, up to 60 percent of VTE cases occur during hospitalization or in the 6-week period post-discharge, making it a leading cause of hospital-associated disability and even death in Canada. Lady Davis Institute (LDI) Senior Investigator and McGill Professor of Medicine Susan Kahn has devoted her career to reducing the incidence of VTE, enhancing its diagnosis and therapeutic management, and improving patient safety and outcomes, both in Canada and globally. On January 12, 2022, she was renewed as Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Venous Thromboembolism for another 7 years, in recognition of the importance of her research for the health and well-being of all Canadians.
Dr. Kahn is a world expert in VTE. She is the founder and director of the Centre of Excellence in Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Care (CETAC) based at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH), one of only three Royal College-approved training sites in thrombosis in Canada. Since it opened in 2018, the CETAC has played a vital role in lessening thrombosis-related mortality, morbidity and socioeconomic burden not only here at the JGH but throughout the Quebec healthcare system.
Under her leadership, the JGH has been a trailblazer in developing VTE prevention protocols and anticoagulation guidelines at the national and international level. It has also built a unique, multidisciplinary Thrombosis Program with patient care, training, education and internationally recognized research components that are unparalleled in Quebec and among the top programs in Canada.
Dr. Kahn is also co-Director of the CIHR-funded Canadian Venous Thromboembolism Research Network (known as CanVECTOR), a Canadian national venous thromboembolism research and training network.
“The renewal of this research chair will be tremendously helpful in supporting my team’s ongoing research efforts to reduce VTE occurrence, improve VTE diagnosis and therapeutic management, improve the safety of anticoagulant delivery, and enhance the quality of life of those impacted by VTE, both in Canada and globally,” says Dr. Kahn.
Other LDI researchers currently holding Canada Research Chairs include:
- Shirin Abbasinejad Enger, Canada Research Chair in Medical Physics, CIHR, Tier 2
- Alexandre Orthwein, Canada Research Chair in Genome Stability and Hematological Malignancies, CIHR, Tier 2
- Brett D. Thombs, Canada Research Chair in Patient-engaged disease management and prevention, CIHR, Tier 1
“Canada Research Chairs recognize and support outstanding researchers who are acknowledged by their peers as world leaders or as having the potential to lead in their field. On behalf of the entire LDI community, we congratulate Dr. Susan Kahn and all CRC holders for their commitment and success at achieving excellence,” said Stephen Robbins, Director of the LDI.
The Canada Research Chair program is a tri-agency initiative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
