HAMILTON, ON (February 13, 2004) — A young but established medical researcher, Bernard (Bernie) O’Brien, died early today.

O’Brien, 44, who had already gained world-renown for his research as a health economist, collapsed while he was jogging.

The Dundas resident held several posts. He was a professor in the department of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics in McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and a member of the University’s senate. He was also director of clinical effectiveness research for the Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre and associate director of the Centre for Evaluation of Medicines at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and an associate of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA) at McMaster.

He was involved in several areas of health policy evaluation, but he had become known for his research into the evaluation of new medical technologies and drugs. Born in England, O’Brien received his PhD in economics at Brunel University and his undergraduate education at the University of York in England before joining McMaster in 1990.

O’Brien received many national and international awards for his outstanding work and held a prestigious Senior Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

"Bernie O’Brien lived the life that an academic researcher would aspire to," said Dr. John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

"He was a brilliant researcher whose studies in the evaluation of medical devises were changing how we implement health care practice. He was a wonderful teacher who had so much potential. This is a real loss."

Dr. Jennifer Sturgess, vice-president research and director of the Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre for St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, speaking on behalf of the hospital, said O’Brien’s impact will be long lasting.

"Bernie’s academic work is familiar to governments, industry, scientists and students worldwide and will continue to have a tremendous influence the field of health economics for many years to come. The legacy of Bernie’s ideas will be outlasted only by our memories of his generosity and wonderful sense of humour."

Dr. Brian Haynes, chair of McMaster’s department of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, said O'Brien built and led a world-class research team to study the cost effectiveness and utility of health care interventions.

"Dr. O'Brien was a pioneer in medical decision making, especially in assessing the benefits and costs of health technology. His research addressed very important questions such as "How will this medical treatment affect peoples' lives?" and "What is the best way to spend the limited resources we have for health care?"

"Bernie was an excellent scholar, teacher, and mentor, and will be sorely missed by his many colleagues, students and friends, at home and around the world," said Haynes.

O’Brien leaves his wife Karen and two daughters Emma and Lucy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Veronica McGuire, Media Relations
Faculty of Health Sciences
McMaster University
(905) 525-9140, ext. 22169
vmcguir@mcmaster.ca

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