Download University of Toronto Honours Six Women`s College Hospital

Dr. Gillian Hawker Named
Senior Distinguished Research Investigator
TORONTO (June 6, 2006) – Dr. Gillian Hawker has been selected as a Senior
Distinguished Research Investigator by The Arthritis Society of Canada. This is the first
award of its type to be conferred. It recognizes individuals with international reputations
for excellence in arthritis research who have made outstanding contributions to the field.
This salary award will provide funds to Dr. Hawker over the next five years as she works
on two key projects: how to help people with osteoarthritis deal with pain, fatigue and
mood complaints and how to address the disparities that have been observed in access to
surgery for osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis patients with pain and fatigue are too often told that they're just getting old
and that these complaints are a normal part of aging. This has been a barrier to research
about the causes and treatment of pain, fatigue and mood disorders in osteoarthritis and
may lead to these concerns being neglected. Dr. Hawker is working with a
multidisciplinary team of investigators to look at the risk factors associated with these
conditions and at strategies for avoiding or reducing the incidence of pain, fatigue and
mood disorders.
Several investigators have noted disparities in access to total joint replacement surgeries
based on sex, race/ethnicity or social economic status. Dr. Hawker's ongoing work seeks
to confirm and understand these disparities and to address the underlying issues.
Dr. Hawker is the Chief of Medicine at Women's College Hospital and the Director of the
Canadian Osteoarthritis Research Program at Women’s College Hospital.