A trio of Queen's researchers are being recognized for their contributions following the recent announcements that Jacalyn Duffin will be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, J. Curtis Nickel received the Mostafa Elhilali Award from the Societé Internationale d’Urologie, and Anne Ellis earned the F. Estelle Simons research award from the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

“Having three of our leading researchers earn some of the highest awards in their respective fields is a testament to the level of research excellence at this institution,” says Richard Reznick, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. “Seeing accomplishments like this from our colleagues makes us all stand a bit taller. I offer my congratulations to Drs. Duffin, Nickel and Ellis for their successes.”

Dr. Duffin’s research has addressed a wide array of topics, sources, places, and time periods: diagnostic technology, rural practice, drug development, disease concepts, health policy, and religious healing, including an exploration of medical miracles in the Vatican archives.

A haematologist, historian and former Hannah Professor of the History of Medicine at Queen’s, Dr. Duffin has assured that thousands of physicians and nurses appreciate the broader cultural and social contexts of their professions arguing that the humanities, notably history, form part of balanced, effective training. Her textbook, History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction is read by students and lay audiences throughout the world. It presents encapsulated histories of medical specialties, featuring the cultural and social factors involved in their development.

“People who win awards have very kind and generous friends,” says Dr. Duffin. “It’s a huge honour for me personally, but it is much more significant for its implicit recognition of the importance of history in clinical practice and social policy.”

Dr. Nickel’s research covers inflammatory, benign prostate (BPH), and pain diseases (prostatitis and interstitial cystitis) of the urinary tract.  He has over 550 publications, is on the editorial board of eight urology journals (current editor of Urology Update Series), has been invited to present in over 35 universities in the United States and Canada and at meetings or events in over 45 countries worldwide. He presently holds the title of Tier One Canada Research Chair in Urology.

“Most of the credit for the impact we have made in the field of chronic urologic pain was because of the commitment and involvement of the thousands of men and women suffering chronic urogenital pain who agreed to participate in our many studies and clinical trials, says Dr. Nickel (Urology). “They taught us how to improve our treatment and, in my opinion, are the real heroes in our ongoing commitment to improve the life of patients diagnosed with this previously neglected chronic medical problem."

Dr. Ellis is the chair of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Medicine and the director of the Environmental Exposure Unit (EEU). The EEU is a unique research facility located in the Kingston Health Sciences Centre that is capable of studying 150 patients at one time. Her main area of research is allergic rhinitis as well as umbilical cord blood predictors of future allergies in newborns.

Dr. Ellis also runs regular Allergy & Immunology Clinics out of the Hotel Dieu Hospital, providing clinical assessments of allergic rhinitis (hayfever), asthma, food allergy & anaphylaxis, drug allergy, stinging insect allergy, urticaria (hives) and eczema in addition to immunodeficiency and other immune disorders.

"It is truly an honour to have been given this award,” says Dr. Ellis. “Dr. Simons is well known as one of the top researchers in the field of allergy and immunology, particularly with regards to anaphylaxis and its management, as well as antihistamine research. It was wonderful to be recognized for my own contributions to the allergy field, with my personal research interests and publications reflecting the pathophysiology and advancements in treatments for allergic rhinitis, the developmental origins of allergy and asthma in early childhood, and other areas of research include anaphylaxis and peanut allergy.”