Dr. Paul R. Fortin
2020 Distinguished Investigator Award
Dr. Paul Fortin obtained his medical degree from Université Laval and obtained his rheumatology training from McGill University. He obtained a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University and completed a three-year fellowship at the Robert Breck Brigham Arthritis Center. He returned as an assistant and then associate professor of Medicine at McGill University between 1992 and 2000.
Dr. Fortin joined the Toronto Western Division/University Health Network and Research Institute in 2000 as a Clinician Scientist and as the director of clinical research for the Arthritis Centre of Excellence. He became full professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto in 2007 and held cross-appointments as staff at the Hospital for Sick Children and as Associate Professor at the Institute of Medical Sciences and the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation of the University of Toronto. He is currently full professor with tenure at Université Laval and Clinical Researcher at the “Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval” since 2011. In July 2012, he received a tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases that was renewed in July 2019.
Dr. Fortin has been working to better understand the bio-psycho-social impact of chronic rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. In recognition of his research, Dr. Fortin received the CRA Young Investigator award in 1999, the Kirkland Scholar Award in 2008, and the prestigious Distinguished Senior Research Investigator Award from The Arthritis Society of Canada (2007 – 2012). In 2010, he received the Hope Award from the Lupus Ontario to recognize his outstanding leadership in improving the lives of people with SLE. In May 2015, he received the Jeffrey Shiroky Research Award for his accomplishments in clinical research in rheumatology.