Dr. Amir Azarpazhooh (l.) receives the Canadian Cochrane Review of the Year Award from Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, director of The Canadian Cochrane Centre and co-chair of The Cochrane Collaboration
The Canadian Cochrane Centre presented its Canadian Cochrane Review of the Year Award to Dr. Amir Azarpazhooh, assistant professor in the faculty of dentistry at the University of Toronto—the first time this award has been presented to a dentist.
Dr. Azarpazhooh was recognized for his Cochrane review examining the efficacy and safety of xylitol in preventing middle ear infection in children up to 12 years old. Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, director of The Canadian Cochrane Centre and co-chair of The Cochrane Collaboration, presented Dr. Azarpazhooh with the award at the Cochrane Canada Symposium held in Winnipeg in May 2012.
The Canadian Cochrane Review of the Year Award is given annually to the lead or contact Canadian author of a new or updated Cochrane review. Recipients are selected according to the use of high quality methods; the review’s potential impact relating to health care practice, policy, research or consumers; and clarity of writing and presentation. All reviews with a Canadian lead or contact author from reviews published in 2011 in The Cochrane Library were eligible.
Dr. Azarpazhooh’s Cochrane review, conducted in collaboration with fellow University of Toronto researchers, was previously featured in jcda.ca. The study provided evidence that xylitol, a sweetener sometimes found in gum and candies, may prevent ear infections in children (acute otitis media)—a common bacterial infection among young children.