Dr. Patrick Parfrey

Dr. Patrick Parfrey is a University Research Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and is the principal investigator of the research programs for the Clinical Epidemiology Unit and director of the Patient Research Centre of the Health Care Corporation of St. John's. He is an internationally renowned scientist and clinical epidemiologist who has also provided outstanding leadership to the sport of rugby, coaching teams at the local, provincial and national levels and serving as president of Rugby Canada. In May 2004 he was named an officer of the Order of Canada, the country's highest lifetime achievement honour.

Dr. Parfrey's previous honours include the 2002 Medal for Research Excellence from the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Described by his peers as "phenomenally productive," he has been investigating the causes, risk factors and treatment of kidney disease for more than two decades. His early research was in the area of renal transplantation and his discovery of the adverse effect of certain anti-rejection treatments on patients with hepatitis B who had received a transplant has had direct clinical implication.

He has also made important contributions in the area of genetic renal disease and his research into a rare condition known as Bardet-Biedl syndrome has led to the identification of new genes and an understanding of the role of kidney disease in this syndrome.

Acknowledged as a leading world expert on the subject of cardiac disease in dialysis patients, Dr. Parfrey has been instrumental in focusing the attention of the research community on discovering ways to prevent it and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Parfrey's recognition of the potential benefit of multidisciplinary research has given rise to important collaborative studies. His latest project, Canadian Prevention of Renal and Cardiovascular Endpoints (CanPREVENT), involves specialists from across the country who will identify and treat individuals with early state chronic kidney disease using multiple risk factor intervention.

He is also the principal co-investigator at Memorial University of a five-year interdisciplinary multi-site study of the causes and impact of colorectal cancer. This study has received major funding over five years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

In the health care delivery area, Dr. Parfrey has established partnerships with the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and Community Services to evaluate restructuring in acute care hospitals, needs for long-term care beds, needs for coronary revascularization, and utilization of new drugs.

Dr. Parfrey has served as president of the Canadian Society of Nephrology, is on the editorial board of the Journal of American Society of Nephrology and Nephrology Dialysis Transplantion and has authored about 200 papers and multiple book chapters.

Dr. Parfrey has a M.B. from University College, Cork. He joined the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial in 1984.

For further information, please contact Dr. Patrick Parfrey using the Email contact form or by phone at 709 777-7261