Dr. Emily McDonald and nurse clinician and doctoral student Émilie Bortolussi-Courval win Profession Santé awards
The mission of the Prix Profession Santé is to promote the values of teamwork and communication embodied by healthcare professionals.
This year, Dr. Emily McDonald and the doctoral student she supervises, Émilie Bortolussi-Courval, each received a Prix Profession Santé in the Innovative Practice category for their leadership in the area of drug deprescribing.
With the aim of reducing the risks associated with polypharmacy (generally defined as the use of five or more medications in a year) and facilitating deprescribing in elderly patients, Dr. McDonald co-invented MedSafer, a clinical decision support software for medication management, with Dr. Todd Lee. The software provides physicians and pharmacists with a roadmap for "deprescribing" medications safely for patients.
Since its creation in 2015, MedSafer has come a long way. Its effectiveness has been tested in various studies, and the software is now used in Ontario's Long-Term Care Centres. In addition, it is being tested in CHSLDs in Quebec, as part of Émilie Bortolussi-Courval's doctoral project.
About the winners
Emily McDonald is a clinician-scientist, general internist and epidemiologist. She is also the associate chair of Quality and Safety for the Department of Medicine, as well as attending physician at the McGill University Health Centre and a scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). She is also an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, with cross-appointments in the Divisions of Clinical Epidemiology and Experimental Medicine. Dr. McDonald is now the scientific director of the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network. Read her profile on the Profession Santé website (in French).
Émilie Bortolussi-Courval is a nurse clinician and doctoral student in experimental medicine at McGill University. Read her profile on the Profession Santé website (in French).
Congratulations to both winners on these well-deserved awards!