Atherosclerosis and Cognitive Decline: Prediction and Prevention
Speaker: J. David Spence C.M., B.A., M.B.A., M.D., FRCPC, FAHA, FCAHS, FWSO, ISHF
Professor Spence focused on prevention of stroke throughout his career. He pioneered the measurement of 2-dimensional carotid total plaque area beginning in 1986, and since 1994 has collaborated with Profs. Aaron Fenster and Grace Parraga at the Robarts Research Institute in measurement of 3D plaque volume, vessel wall volume, plaque ulceration and assessment of vulnerable plaque. His research program focuses on measurement of atherosclerosis by ultrasound, for risk stratification, genetic and biological study of atherosclerosis, and for assessing effects of new therapies. He pioneered a new approach to vascular prevention − “treating arteries instead of treating risk factors” − that has markedly reduced risk among high-risk patients with carotid stenosis. Other areas of expertise include the effect of grapefruit on drug metabolism, vitamin therapy for homocysteine, the clinical pharmacology of stroke prevention, physiologically individualized therapy for resistant hypertension, identification of high-risk asymptomatic carotid stenosis and the role of the intestinal microbiome in atherosclerosis. His publications include 4 books and more than 600 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has presented more than 600 lectures in 42 countries. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the American Heart Association Stroke Council, the International Stroke Society and the International Hypertension Society. In 2015 he received the Research Excellence Award from the Canadian Society for Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. In 2019 he was appointed to the Order of Canada, “for his contributions to the understanding of atherosclerosis and Stroke Prevention”. In 2020 he received the William Feinberg Award from the American Heart Association for excellence in clinical research.