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Award from Toronto financier, Manulife Financial recognizes research contributions to 'promotion of active health'

December 15, 2011

Dr. Steven Blair, professor of exercise science, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, has been selected as the recipient of the  inaugural Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading contributors to epidemiological research linking physical fitness with numerous health benefits and decreased mortality, Blair has been an adviser to government agencies and health organizations, published more than 500 scientific papers and book chapters, and is one of only a few people outside of the U.S. Public Health Service to receive the U.S. Surgeon General’s Medallion.

The Bloomberg Manulife Prize is the brainchild of Toronto financier and McGill University alumnus Lawrence S. Bloomberg, chair of the board of BloombergSen Inc. and longtime chair of the board of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.

“The goal of the Bloomberg Manulife Prize is to honor research that has the potential to have transformative impacts on how people approach their health and wellbeing, be it through increased fitness, better nutrition or other behavioral lifestyle changes,” said Bloomberg.

“Thanks to Dr. Blair’s research, we have scientific proof that the key to living healthier and longer is just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day. It’s this kind of concrete, useful knowledge that we hope to bring to Canadians through this prize,” he said.

To better educate Canadians on issues of health and lifestyle, and to promote positive shifts in behavior, Bloomberg joined with corporate partner Manulife Financial, each pledging $1 million to set up this 10-year initiative.

Donald A. Guloien, president and CEO of Manulife said, “We are extremely impressed by the caliber of our inaugural prizewinner. Manulife Financial firmly believes in encouraging and promoting forward-thinking academic research that enhances healthy lives. We are convinced that the pioneering work of Dr. Blair will be an important step in creating a better quality of life for Canadians.”
Blair was among the ­first researchers to show that even moderate increases in ­fitness, regardless of one’s weight, translate into signi­ficantly reduced mortality rates. His research has shown that as little as 30 minutes of physical activity a day is enough to decrease mortality rates by 50 percent. He contends that it is the lack of physical activity – not obesity – that is today’s single biggest health issue.

Early this month, the research finding has gone “viral,” thanks to You Tube.

A video on You Tube, titled “23 and ½ hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?”, discusses Blair’s research findings that 30 minutes a day of physical activity will improve fitness and health.

The video link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo. The video by Dr. Mike Evans has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of viewers and a is a “must see” for anyone wishing to improve their health in the new year.

Launched in May, the $50,000 Bloomberg Manulife Prize will be awarded annually to a researcher whose work promises to broaden the understanding of how physical activity, nutrition or psychosocial factors influence personal health and wellbeing.

Blair will accept the award at a ceremony Jan. 11, 2012, at the MaRS Centre in Toronto.

For more information, visit www.mcgill.ca/bloomberg-manulife.

      

Arnold School faculty honored

Arnold School of Public Health faculty members Dr. Cheryl Addy and Dr. Julius Fridriksson have received national awards.

The American Public Health Association presented Dr. Cheryl Addy, senior associate dean for academic affairs for the Arnold School of Public Health, with its 2011 Statistics Section Academic Award.

The award, which was presented at the APHA conference in Washington, D.C., recognizes Addy's "dedication to promoting excellence in biostatistical education throughout schools of public health, her generous interdisciplinary work on physical activity and psychiatric epidemiology, and her research in the area of survey data analysis".

In 1988, Addy joined the faculty of the Arnold School's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, where she is an associate professor of biostatistics and served as the department's chair from 1994 – 1999. She began her career in administration for the Arnold School as the assistant dean for administration in 1998 and served in several leadership posts before being named senior associate dean in 2008.

Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is the recipient of the 1997 Distinguished Service Award from the American Statistical Association and the 2008 Faculty Service Award from the Arnold School of Public Health.

Fridriksson was selected as the 2011 recipient of the Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Clinical Achievement from the American Speech and Hearing Foundation. The award recognizes significant accomplishments in the advancement of clinical service in speech-language pathology and/or audiology.

Fridriksson's research is in an area of stroke study that has seen little progress – aphasia, a communication disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language and formulate speech. Fridriksson, who joined the Arnold School faculty in 2001, is considered one of the world's leading authorities on stroke and aphasia. Earlier this year, he was named a Health Care Hero in Research, an award presented by the Columbia Regional Business Journal.

The award honors Dr. Louis DiCarlo, who held faculty and academic leadership roles in educational institutions from Hawaii to New York. The founder of the first public school class for deaf children in the United States, DiCarlo established the department of speech and hearing science at Syracuse University, where he served as professor, director, and chairman. DiCarlo was a consultant at the Syracuse VA Medical Center, clinical professor at Upstate Medical Center, professor and dean at Ithaca College, professor emeritus at Syracuse University, and chief of audiology and speech pathology for the Veterans Administration. He was a recipient of the U.S. Meritorious Service Medal.