Dr. Renaldo Battista receives a prestigious award

OTTAWA – Dr. Renaldo Battista (pictured), scientific director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), received the 2015 Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) at its annual symposium in Saskatoon. The honour recognizes Dr. Battista’s pioneering role in the assessment and use of health technologies in Canada and abroad.

“Dr. Renaldo Battista is, quite simply, a trailblazer in health technology assessment. He is one of the towering figures in the evolution of this field of research in his home province of Québec, as well as nationally and internationally,” said Dr. Brian O’Rourke, president and CEO of CADTH. “We are delighted to recognize his achievements through the Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment.”

Dr. Battista earned his medical degree from Université de Montréal and went on to complete a master’s in public health and a doctorate in health policy and management at Harvard University. From 2004 until his appointment as scientific director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé in July 2012, he was a professor at Université de Montréal in the Department of Health Administration, which he directed. He had also held the Canada Research Chair in Health Technology Assessment since 2005. In 2008, he joined the research centre of the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Unit (UETMIS) of the CHU Sainte-Justine and was appointed senior scientific advisor.

From 1982 to 2003, Dr. Battista was on staff in the departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Medicine at McGill University. He was also president of the Québec Council for Health Technology Assessment (CETS) from 1994 to 2000 and president and CEO of the Québec Health Services and Technology Assessment Agency (AETMIS) from 2000 to 2004.

Dr. Battista served as a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA) from 1994 to 2000 and of CADTH from 2010 to 2012. He was a very active member of the International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care (ISTAHC), which he chaired from 1995 to 1997.

He collaborated with several colleagues to create the International Network of Agencies of Health Technology Assessment in Health Care (INAHTA) in 1993 and played an advisory role in the development of health technology assessment in several countries, including France, Spain and Italy. In 2001, he cofounded the International Masters Program in Health Technology Assessment and Management (the ULYSSES program). In 2006, Dr. Battista was elected a member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

About the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS)

The mission of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), which reports to the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Research, is to support health research to foster the wellness of Québec’s population. Its mandate is to promote and financially support such research, to disseminate knowledge and train researchers, to forge the partnerships necessary for the development of Quebec’s research and innovation system, and, lastly, to advance research internationally. For more information, please visit www.frqs.gouv.qc.ca.

About CADTH

CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for providing Canada’s healthcare decision-makers with objective evidence to help make informed decisions about the optimal use of drugs and medical devices in our healthcare system. For more information, please visit www.cadth.ca.