February 14, 2023
Dr. Michael Hill was recently appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada — a civilian honour that celebrates people who make extraordinary contributions to the nation — for his work in improving stroke care and patient outcomes. He is a neurologist and stroke clinician at the Foothills Medical Centre, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, a researcher and the current president of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation. Photo supplied.
Story by Vanessa Gomez
CALGARY — Dr. Michael Hill has been named as an Officer of the Order of Canada — a civilian honour celebrating individuals who make extraordinary contributions to the nation.
The Calgary neurologist and director of the Cardiovascular Health and Stroke Strategic Clinical Network is being recognized for his impact in the advancement of acute stroke care and treatment at the provincial, national and international levels. Appointments are made by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada.
“It’s an honour and I hope it brings attention to stroke care and the neurosciences in general,” says Dr. Hill.
After practising in stroke care and neurology for more than 24 years, Dr. Hill has played a significant role in the research and treatment of stroke care in Alberta.
Notably, he’s one of three Alberta Health Services’ (AHS) researchers in Calgary who led an international randomized trial of a clot-retrieval procedure called endovascular treatment (EVT). This has been shown to dramatically improve outcomes for patients after an acute ischemic stroke as well as reduce the likelihood of death.
In addition, both the Calgary Stroke Program and Edmonton Stroke Program have mentored more than 100 stroke doctors who now practise in Canada and around the world, with nearly every province in Canada having at least one stroke neurologist who trained with AHS.
“There’s a lot that goes into our work around prevention and advancing treatments from grant writing, funding and execution of projects,” says Dr. Hill. “Academic health infrastructure helps facilitate this work and both the Calgary and Edmonton stroke teams have played a tremendous role as a group in leading stroke care provincially and internationally.”
“This recognition is significant to stroke research and care in Alberta,” adds Dr. David Zygun, interim associate chief medical officer. “Dr. Hill is an exceptional frontline physician who provides exemplary patient care. His leadership and mentorship have positively impacted stroke care and patient outcomes on an international scale, making Alberta a leader in this space.”
Dr. Hill says: “Stroke is the second leading cause of death and disability in the world. It’s highly prevalent, and the opportunity to do research on the forefront is exciting. The best part is that we get to see and treat people from all walks of society — and we have been privileged to be able to bring state of the art treatments to our patients.
“It’s about teamwork and it is wonderful to be part of the evolution of stroke treatment and an honour to have the work recognized.”
