Senior Scientist Emeritus, Neuroscience
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

 Dr. Hakim's research interests have included the study of the biochemical, ionic, molecular and receptor events that determine selective cerebral vulnerability in stroke and other conditions, the determination of conditions for neuroprotection against ischemic damage, and investigation of post-stroke plasticity and means of enhancing it. During the course of his career, he has published more than 150 scientific papers and received in excess of $65 million in research funding.

Dr. Hakim is a strong national and international leader in the private, academic and hospital sectors. He has chaired and served as a member of many committees and boards of granting agencies, foundations, hospitals and professional associations. In addition to teaching, research, and administrative duties, he maintains clinical functions as a neurologist at The Ottawa Hospital. Dr. Hakim is also the author of a book that is available in French and in English, “Save Your Mind – Seven Rules to Avoid Dementia” which emphasizes actions individuals and societies can take to reduce the risk of dementia.

Dr. Hakim has received many honours during his career. He received the Award of Excellence by the Canadian Stroke Consortium in 2000 and the Ottawa Life Sciences Council Career Achievement Award in 2004. He was University Chair of Neurology from 1992 to 2010. In 2007, he was honoured to receive the Thomas Willis Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Stroke Association. He was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007. From 2007-2012, he was Chair of the European Stroke Network’s External Scientific Review Committee, Chair of the Best Practice Guidelines Subcommittee of the World Stroke Organization and a member of that organization’s Board of Directors. In 2008, he received the Dr. J. David Grimes Research Career Achievement Award from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. In 2009, he was honoured to participate in the review of the UK Stroke Initiative. As well in 2009, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario announced an annual research grant of $100,000 to be named the “Dr Tony Hakim Innovative Stroke Research Award”. In 2011, he received the Hans-Chiari Award presented to him in Vienna. In 2012, Dr. Hakim received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and in May 2013, he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. In December 2014, the Antoine Hakim Lecture – a Keynote Lecture given by an invited speaker at the annual Brain Health Research Day was established at the University of Ottawa.

In 2017, Dr. Hakim was selected for the prestigious Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, referred to by many as “the baby Nobel”, for his outstanding research into strokes and their consequences and championing stroke prevention and treatment in Canada and beyond. Also in 2017, Dr. Hakim was honoured to receive the Robert Beamish Leadership Award.

Life-time Summary: 158 peer-reviewed articles; 26 other publications

1. Book: A. Hakim, Save Your Mind: Seven Rules to Avoid Dementia. Published by Barlow Books, April 2017.
2. Ganesh A, Lindsay P, Fang J, Kapral, Côté R, Joiner I, Hakim A, Hill M. Integrated systems of stroke care and reduction in 30-day mortality: A retrospective analysis. Neurology 2016;86:1–7.
3. Book: A. Hakim, Préservez votre vitalité mentale: 7 Règles Pour Prévenir La Démence. Published by Les Editions de L’Homme. June 2016.
4. Edrissi H, Schock SC, Hakim A, Thompson CS. Microparticles generated during chronic cerebral ischemia increases the permeability of microvascular endothelial barriers in vitro. Brain Res. 2016;1634, 83-93.
5. Schock S, Edrissi H, Burger D, Cadonic R, Hakim A, Thompson C. Microparticles generated during chronic cerebral ischemia deliver proapoptotic signals to cultured endothelial cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2014 Jul 18;450(1):912-7**
6. Hakim A. Silent, but preventable, perils. Nature. 2014 Jun 25;510(7506):S12.*
7. Román GC, Hakim A. rt-PA in acute stroke patients with history of cognitive impairment: Do not hesitate to treat. Neurology. 2014;82(23):2044-5.*
8. Winocur G, Thompson C, Hakim A, Greenwood C. The effects of high- and low-risk environments on cognitive function in rats following 2-vessel occlusion of the carotid arteries: A behavioral study. Behavioural Brain Research. 2013; 252: 144-156.**
9. Dirnagl U, Hakim A, Macleod M, Fisher M, Allan S, Steinberg G, Planas A, Savitz S, Iadecola C, Meairs S.. A concerted appeal for international cooperation in preclinical stroke research. Stroke. 2013; 44:1754-1760.*
10. Willis K, Hakim A. "Emerging Approaches to Modifying Risk and Delaying Onset of Dementia: Stroke Prevention and Cognitive Reserve. Front. Neurol., 21 March 2013 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2013.00013e*

 

Brain and neuromuscular disease; Dementia; Stroke; Vascular cognitive impairment