By Michelle Read
Writer
Dr. David Moher has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), the senior collegium of distinguished scholars, artists and scientists in the country.
Fellows are called upon to make significant and substantial contributions of knowledge, understanding, and insight through engagement with the larger society.
One of the world’s most cited researchers, Dr. Moher is considered a pioneer in the science of conducting and reporting systematic reviews, and has dedicated his career to supporting the global academic community in reporting clinical research.
The professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health (SEPH) at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine directs the Centre for Journalology at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), which he established in 2015 to advance the science of publication practices and how research is reported.
Dr. Moher has fronted the development of global standards for the reporting of clinical research, ensuring current and unbiased clinical evidence is available to clinicians as they diagnose and treat disease. Endorsed by numerous prestigious journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and British Medical Journal, reporting guidelines established by Moher include the CONSORT Statement (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) and the PRISMA Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses).
These widely cited reporting guidelines steer researchers in preparing and reporting the findings of their trials, eliminating bias in reporting, keeping systematic reviews up to date, and fostering clear interpretation of results.
A senior scientist at OHRI, Dr. Moher has himself published more than 70 systematic reviews on numerous Canadian health priorities and has published more than 700 peer-reviewed papers, garnering 234,000 citations. He has received $100 million in peer-reviewed funding over his career and is considered one of the world’s most highly influential biomedical researchers. Numerous accolades have acknowledged his achievements in clinical epidemiology, knowledge synthesis and related methodology.
“Research is most useful to all users, whether health care providers, policy analysts or patients, when it is completely and transparently reported,” says Dr. Moher. “My hope is that by engaging the many players in the research process, we can together form a more open, transparent and equitable society.”
Moher joins six other researchers at the University elected as Fellows this year, and two elected as members of the RSC’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The Faculty is proud to showcase Dr. Moher and members elected in years prior as symbols of dedication to research excellence.
Researchers elected in 2019
Researchers elected in 2018
Researchers elected in 2017
- The RSC was established in 1883 under an Act of Parliament as “the senior collegium of distinguished scholars, artists and scientists in the country.”
- The RSC consists of three bilingual Academies and the College of New Scholars, that cover the broad range of scholarly disciplines as well as the artistic and scientific fields.
- Considered one of the highest academic accolades in Canada, election to the RSC is a distinction toward which many scientists strive.
- The College was established by the RSC in 2014 to honour researchers in the early stages of their career.
- Election as a Fellow of the RSC and as a Member of its College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists are but two accolades bestowed by the RSC on those scholars, artists and scientists considered the best in their field.
- Members form one “single collegium where new advances in understanding will emerge from the interaction of diverse intellectual, cultural and social perspectives for the advancement of understanding and the benefit of society.”
