David Sackett
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David Lawrence Sackett (November 17, 1934 – May 13, 2015) was an
American-Canadian American Canadians are Canadians of American descent. The term is most often used to refer to Canadians who migrated from or have ancestry from the United States. Demography According to the 2016 Census, 29,590 Canadians reported American as ...
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and a pioneer in
evidence-based medicine Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients". The aim of EBM is to integrate the experience of the clinician, the values of t ...
. He is known as one of the fathers of
Evidence-Based Medicine Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients". The aim of EBM is to integrate the experience of the clinician, the values of t ...
. He founded the first department of
clinical epidemiology Clinical epidemiology is a subfield of epidemiology specifically focused on issues relevant to clinical medicine. The term was first introduced by Jean Paul in his presidential address to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1938. It ...
in Canada at McMaster University, and the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. He is well known for his textbooks ''Clinical Epidemiology'' and ''Evidence-Based Medicine''. One of his more famous quotes is: "Half of what you learn in medical school is dead wrong."


Education

Sackett obtained his medical degree at the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
, and a
Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in
Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.


Career

David Sackett made seminal contributions to the science of health care and the teaching and practice of medicine. He did so through vision (about how to improve health care through research), innovation (in research methods for health care and education of researchers and clinicians), and engendering collegiality and collaboration. Among his more important randomized clinical trials, and in collaboration with colleagues around the world, he was a Principal Investigator in the trials that showed, for the first time anywhere, the life-saving benefits of
aspirin Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat inc ...
for patients with threatened stroke and threatened heart attack, that surgically repairing the "hardened" arteries of patients with threatened stroke (carotid endarterectomy) prevented both stroke and death, and the ability of nurse practitioners to provide effective, high-quality primary care. In addition, his "debunking" trials showed the futility of traditional health education in helping hypertensive patients take their medicine, and that a popular "bypass" operation for stroke-prone individuals did more harm than good. He repeated his residency in medicine some 20 years after first training because, although a professor in medical school, he 'wasn't a good enough doctor.'" His contributions to research methodology included ways to detect and reduce bias in clinical research, and ways to design, conduct, and report randomized clinical trials. David Sackett is widely regarded as one of 3 "fathers" of modern clinical epidemiology (along with Archie Cochrane of the UK and Alvan Feinstein of the USA). Clinical epidemiology is a research discipline based on the methods of epidemiology (and other scientific pursuits, notably biostatistics, the behavioral sciences, and health economics), applied to understanding the nature of health care problems and, especially, their management. Thus, it is a bridging discipline, linking research to clinical practice. Typical topics include the cause, diagnosis, course (prognosis, clinical prediction), prevention, treatment, and amelioration of health disorders, and the improvement and cost-effectiveness of health services. Sackett was the founding chair of the first department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the world at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1967, and extensively contributed to the development of research methods through his books and published articles, as well as through education and lectures at McMaster and around the world. Notably, he turned clinical research into a scientifically sound and practical, multidisciplinary "team sport" and has changed for the better the quality of health care research and clinical practice. In the late 1970s, Sackett began to popularize the use of clinical epidemiologic principles in the practice of medicine and other health care disciplines, working with his former students, Brian Haynes, Peter Tugwell,
Gordon Guyatt Gordon Henry Guyatt (born November 11, 1953) is a Canadian physician who is Distinguished University Professor in the Departments of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (formerly Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics) and Medicine at M ...
and eventually many other clinician scientists at McMaster University and around the world. Initially termed "critical appraisal of the medical literature", to help practitioners keep up with scientific advances in health care, this became "evidence-based medicine". Evidence-Based Medicine: An Oral History documents some of the highlights of the role that he and others played in the evolution of EBM. Sackett led the writing of seminal articles on clinical disagreement and how to read clinical journals books, beginning in 1980 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, followed by seminal books, beginning in 1985 with Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine. In 1994, Sackett accepted an invitation from (later, Sir) Muir Gray of the UK National Health Service to start the first Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine in Britain, as Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford. Clinically, Sackett practiced as a general internist and was appointed Physician-in-Chief of Medicine at the Chedoke-McMaster Hospital in Hamilton Ontario in 1986, then Head of the Division of General Internal Medicine in 1988. In Oxford, he practiced as Honorary NHS Consultant in General Medicine. Retired from clinical practice in 1999, he returned to Canada and created the Trout Research & Education Centre, where he read, researched, wrote and taught about randomized clinical trials. He also authored, with Sharon Straus, the definitive guide about mentorship for clinician scientists. Along the way, he has published 10 books, chapters for about 50 others, and about 300 papers in medical and scientific journals. He died on May 13, 2015 in
Markdale, Ontario Markdale is a community in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, in Grey County, Ontario, Canada. The population was 1,216 in 2016, an increase of 3.5% from 1,175 in 2011. In 2016, the average age of the population was approximately 43 years old. ...
.


Honours

David Sackett won many awards, honorary degrees and accolades for his research, teaching and writing. Notably, in 1992, he was made a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...
. In 2000, he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2009, he was awarded the Gairdner Foundation
Wightman Award The Canada Gairdner Wightman Award is annually awarded by the Gairdner Foundation to a Canadian who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the field of medicine and medical science. Award winners SourceGairdner- Past Recipients{{columns-list, c ...
. He was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Bern, Switzerland, and McMaster University, Canada, and appointed as Honorary Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, at the West China University of Medical Sciences, and Adjunct Professor of the University of Ottawa, Canada.


Selected publications

* David L Sackett: Interview in 2014 and 2015. Haynes RB (editor). 2015. https://fhs.mcmaster.ca/ceb/docs/David_L_Sackett_Interview_in_2014_2015.pdf * Sackett DL, Haynes RB (editors). Compliance with Therapeutic Regimens. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976. * Haynes RB, Taylor DW, Sackett DL. Compliance in Health Care. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979. . * * * * * * * Sackett DL, Haynes RB, Tugwell P. Clinical epidemiology: a basic science for clinical medicine, First edition. Boston: Little, Brown, 1985. . * * * * * * * * * Sackett DL, Straus SE, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W, Haynes RB. Evidence-based medicine: how to practice and teach EBM, 2nd ed. Edinburgh & New York: Churchill Livingstone, 2000. . * Haynes RB, Sackett DL, Guyatt GH, Tugwell P. Clinical epidemiology: how to do clinical practice research, 3rd edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2006. . * Straus SE, Sackett DL, Mentorship in Academic Medicine. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. Print


See also

*
Gordon Guyatt Gordon Henry Guyatt (born November 11, 1953) is a Canadian physician who is Distinguished University Professor in the Departments of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (formerly Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics) and Medicine at M ...


References


External links


Profile of Dr. Sackett on Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
- cdnmedhall.org

- Student BMJ
The father of evidence-based medicine
André Picard, The Globe and Mail (May 26, 2015) Evidence-Based Medicine: An Oral History http://ebm.jamanetwork.com/index.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Sackett, David 1934 births 2015 deaths American emigrants to Canada Canadian epidemiologists Canadian medical researchers Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Harvard School of Public Health alumni McMaster University faculty Officers of the Order of Canada People in evidence-based medicine