Cancer researcher appointed to the Order of Canada

Dr. Kathleen Pritchard, a senior scientist in the Odette Cancer Research Program at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI), has been appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

The Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest civilian honours. It recognizes outstanding achievement and service to the nation. Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, announced the newest appointments on Dec. 29, 2017.

Pritchard was recognized for her contributions to the treatment of breast cancer, particularly for her leadership of clinical trials that have changed practice. For instance, she was the first to show that tamoxifen, a hormonal therapy used to treat breast cancer, is effective in premenopausal women who have cancer that has spread elsewhere in the body.

She was also one of the first researchers to describe the frequency of blood clots associated with chemotherapy and tamoxifen. She led a trial testing use of a low-dose blood thinner to prevent this complication of treatment.

Pritchard is the third scientist at SRI to have been invested into the Order. Dr. Sandra Black, director of the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, is an Officer of the Order of Canada. Dr. Martin Yaffe, a senior scientist in the Odette Cancer Research Program, is a Member of the Order of Canada.