Esteemed recognition

Congratulations to Dr. Larry Robinson, who is the recipient of the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM).

The award is the highest honour bestowed by the AANEM. It recognizes distinguished and dedicated service in the fields of neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic medicine through teaching, research and scholarly publications. The network is comprised of 4,500 physicians and nonphysician members who aim to deliver the highest quality of care and improve the lives of people with neuromuscular disorders.

Robinson is director of the St. John’s Rehab Research Program at Sunnybrook Research Institute where he is a senior scientist. He is also program chief in rehabilitation services at Sunnybrook, and a professor and the division director of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the department of medicine at the University of Toronto. He holds the John and Sally Eaton Chair in Rehabilitation Services.

As a physiatrist, he specializes in electromyography and the care of patients with muscle and nerve disorders. His research focuses on the prognosis of awakening after a coma, intensive care unit-acquired weakness, and electrodiagnosis in traumatic and focal neuropathies. His work on prognosis for awakening after hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, when the brain is deprived of oxygen, aims to help critical care teams recommend discontinuing life support more confidently when chances of awakening are less than 1%.

The award will be presented at the AANEM’s annual meeting held in Phoenix, Arizona in September 2017.