2009: John M Murkin, Ontario, Canada

”Neurological outcomes after cardiac surgery: What have we learned and where do we go from here?”

Dr. Murkin is Full Professor of Anesthesia-Academic, and Director of Cardiac Anesthesiology Research at University Hospital, University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, Canada. Since 1984 he has been involved in clinical studies assessing cerebral physiology during cardiopulmonary bypass. In the mid 1980’s his clinical studies of cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolism during differing pH management strategies were seminal in establishing the primacy of alpha-stat during adult moderate hypothermic CPB, and in demonstrating the role of cerebral emboli in the genesis of postoperative neurological and cognitive impairment. His current investigations are assessing the role of cerebral oximetry in improving neurological and cognitive outcomes after cardiac surgery as well as studying the role of phenotype in susceptibility to end-organ injury after cardiac and vascular surgery. He has authored more than 125 peer-reviewed papers, 15 book chapters and 150 scientific abstracts. He is principal author of two Consensus Statements on parameters for cognitive testing after cardiac surgery as well as co-author on Consensus Statements involving neuroprotection and inflammation during CPB. He is founder of the international multidisciplinary meeting dealing with brain injury after cardiac surgery, Outcomes, now held annually.

Dr. Murkin is a founding member and past President of the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Section of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society. In addition, he is a founding member of the Society for Intravenous Anesthesia. Dr. Murkin also serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia and on the Editorial Boards of Cardiovascular Engineering and Heart Surgery Forum. A past recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence, for the past two decades he has been continuously grant funded by the Medical Research Council of Canada/Canadian Institute for Health Research or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, in addition to receiving numerous industry-based study grants.