Scientist profiles M-R

Education:

• MD, 1968, University of Toronto, Canada
• FRCPC, 1974, internal medicine

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Affiliate scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Schulich Heart Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Consultant cardiologist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Professor, department of medicine, University of Toronto

Research Focus:

• Hypertension and measurement of blood pressure

Research Summary:

Dr. Myers’ main area of research is in hypertension, with a special interest in automated blood pressure measurement. The hypertension unit at Sunnybrook was the first in Canada to institute 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in 1985 and continues to be a leader in this area of research. During the past decade, clinical research studies involving automated measurement of blood pressure in the office setting has led to findings that support changes to Canadian guidelines for diagnosing hypertension in the office setting. Automated office blood pressure measurement is now recommended for assessing a patient’s blood pressure in order to obtain a more accurate reading that eliminates anxiety-induced increases in blood pressure experienced by many individuals. Studies conducted at Sunnybrook have the potential to change how blood pressure is measured in doctors’ offices throughout the world.

Dr. Myers is a member of the European Society of Hypertension Working Party on Blood Pressure Measurement and has served on national and international committees developing guidelines for blood pressure measurement.

Note: Dr. Myers does not accept summer students and is not hiring research staff.

Selected Publications:

See current publications list at PubMed.

1. Myers MG, Kaczorowski J, Paterson MJ, Dolovich L, Tu K. Thresholds for diagnosing hypertension based on automated office blood pressure measurements and cardiovascular risk. Hypertension 2015;66:489-495
2. Myers MG, Stergiou GS. Reporting bias: the Achilles heel of home blood pressure measurement. J Am Soc Hypertens. 2014;8:350–357.
3. Myers MG, Godwin M, Dawes M et al. Conventional versus automated measurement of blood pressure in primary care patients with systolic hypertension: randomized parallel design controlled trial. BMJ. 2011 Feb;342:d286. doi:10.1136/bmj.d286.
   
   

Related Stories:

• The heart of innovation: Research day showcases latest in cardiac care (Nov. 27, 2013)