Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering
Winner
Mark Ansermino
Anesthesiology
The University of British Columbia
Photos
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Profile
A multiple award-winning electrical engineer known for his contributions to the pulp and paper industry and a doctor who has pioneered safer pediatric anesthesiology practices seem to have little in common at first glance. But Guy Dumont and Mark Ansermino have combined their research talents to create efficient and cost-effective medical technologies that are helping to save lives.
Drs. Dumont and Ansermino, both of the University of British Columbia, have earned the 2010 Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering from NSERC for developing the Intelligent Anesthesia Navigator (IAN)—a set of tools that greatly enhances anesthesiologists’ ability to monitor patients during an operation.
Anesthesiologists must track a complex array of sensor data during an operation. Any tool that can make the process simpler and more effective will reduce the number of adverse events that can harm or even kill patients. Proven in clinical trials, the IAN's features reduce false alarms and flag problems earlier than existing technologies. The system raises an alert by transmitting a message through vibrations from a waist belt, rather than using an auditory alarm that competes with other sounds in the operating room.
Drs. Ansermino and Dumont are currently developing new theories and clinical prototypes of closed-loop systems (the iControl system) to deliver intravenous anesthetic drugs more safely. In addition, they recently initiated the development of innovative, low-cost technologies to improve patient care and safety in the developing world. Instead of producing medical products that serve only the affluent, as is often the case, they strive to produce health benefits for people the world over.