Vladimir Hachinski, MD
Vladimir Hachinski, MD, is among several prominent physicians selected for induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. He will be recognized at a ceremony April 12, 2018, held in association with Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University at the London Convention Center in London, Ontario.
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureates are individuals whose contributions to medicine and the health sciences have led to extraordinary improvements in human health. Their work may be a single meritorious contribution or a lifetime of superior accomplishments.
Dr. Hachinski is a renowned neurologist who has helped transform the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the two greatest threats to the brain — stroke and dementia. Together with John W. Norris, Dr. Hachinski pioneered acute stroke units, now the standard of care yielding the best outcomes for stroke patients of all ages, severities, and kinds. He coined the term “brain attack” for stroke to emphasize urgency in dealing with stroke symptoms.
Dr. Hachinski and his colleagues, David Cechetto and Shawn Whitehead, identified a link between Alzheimer’s disease and stroke and the brain’s insular role in sudden death. That led to the development of a host of new concepts captured in his new terminology: multi-infarct dementia, leukoaraiosis, vascular cognitive impairment, and brain at risk stage. The eponymic Hachinski Ischemic Score (HIS) is now a standard means for identifying the treatable components of dementia.
A distinguished university professor of neurology at Western University, Dr. Hachinski has written, co-written, or co-edited 17 books and more than 800 frequently cited scientific publications. He led the adoption of a proclamation on behalf of the World Stroke Organization and all major international brain organizations aimed at uniting stroke and dementia communities in their joint prevention of stroke and potentially preventable dementias.
Also being inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame will be Drs. Philip Berger, B. Brett Finlay, Balfour Mount, Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, and the late Emily Stowe.
