Printer-friendly versionMedia Release – For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Civil society groups and medical professionals applaud recognition of Dr. Nancy Olivieri. The courageous researcher has been honoured and vindicated by an honorary degree from Dalhousie University
OTTAWA — Today civil society organizations and medical colleagues applaud the recognition of Dr. Nancy Olivieri by Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine “for taking a courageous stand that helped bring issues of medical ethics to the forefront of our collective consciousness, and for her national and international research in blood disorders.” Dalhousie awarded Olivieri an honorary doctorate of lawshonoris causa, at the May 25, 2012 Convocation in Halifax. Olivieri was lauded as “a woman who certainly has the courage of her convictions, a courage that has been well-tested.”
See video of presentation and acceptance speech.
Olivieri’s research identified unexpected risks associated with deferiprone, a pharmaceutical drug manufactured by Apotex Inc. In spite of repeated threats of legal action by Apotex not to do so, Dr. Olivieri disclosed the risks to her patients, and published her findings in scientific journals so that other physicians could learn of these risks – thus upholding established medical ethics.
Kathleen Connors, Chair of the Board of the Canadian Health Coalition said “This is the highest honour that a university can bestow, and it reflects the high regard for Dr. Oliveri’s research and her battle to respect medical ethics in the face of commercial pressures.”
Dr. Michele Brill-Edwards, a pediatric clinical pharmacologist and former prescription drug regulator salutes her close colleague. “Nancyis an inspiration. Her unflagging courage and tenacity in the defence of research integrity are extraordinary.”
David Healy, a psychiatrist and himself a whistleblower on the side effects of psychiatric drugs and scientific misconduct such as ghostwriting, said “This accolade is well deserved. Few have her courage and spirit to carry on working so productively in the face of adversity."
David Hutton, executive director of FAIR, the whistleblower charity, said “It is wonderful that Dalhousie University has granted this high honor to Dr. Olivieri. She has paid a high price, professionally and personally, for her courageous stand to safeguard the integrity of medical research. Her career has been damaged and the battles continue, yet she is unbowed."
Despite impediments to her research in Canada, Olivieri continued her world-class national and international research efforts, developed an undergraduate course on 'Society and the Pharmaceutical Industry', and established a new charity, Hemoglobal, to provide medical equipment and treatment for young thalassemia patients in Sri Lanka, where she and others have established an international research program.
After 15 years of struggle and legal battles, Olivieri still faces an uphill battle to continue her world-leading research.
Kathleen Connors, Chair of the Board, Canadian Health Coalition
Dr. Michele Brill-Edwards
Dr. David Healey
Anne Rochon Ford, Steering Committee Member, Women and Health Protection
Professor Arthur Schafer, Director, Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics, University of Manitoba
David Hutton, Executive Director, Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform
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Contact Information:
Dr. Michele Brill-Edwards (613) 731-2322
David Hutton (613) 567-1511
Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR) promotes integrity and accountability within government by empowering employees to speak out without fear of reprisal when they encounter wrongdoing. Our aim is to support legislation and management practices that will provide effective protection for whistleblowers and hence occupational free speech in the workplace. FAIR is a registered Canadian charity.