Sumathy Rangarajan, Program Director, Global Health, Population Health Research Institute, has received a President’s Award for Outstanding Service for making an outstanding contribution to the mission of McMaster University beyond that normally expected for their position. She was cited for creating a strong learning environment where information and skills are shared locally and globally, while working with a team of 40 people at PHRI. Sumathy has been particularly strong in connecting students with their senior researchers, and in establishing the kind of accurate, precise teams that produce international-caliber results.
“I am truly honoured and humbled to be chosen for the McMaster’s Presidents Award,” says Sumathy. “I enjoy my work at PHRI because we are making a difference for millions of people through research and innovation.”
Sumathy has achieved these results with a detailed, hands-on approach. She travels the world to learn about research sites personally and to mentor research partners. In the process she has helped develop tools – like a tablet-based offline data collection system – that make these projects even more effective. Sumathy has even implemented innovative ways of shipping frozen biological samples internationally at low cost in nitrogen vapour shippers.
Since joining McMaster in 1998 as a data management assistant, she’s worked as research assistant, research coordinator, research associate, and program manager in some of the university’s most influential research projects. Since 2016, Sumathy has been Director, Global Health Research Program, at PHRI, which includes such expansive studies as PURE with 225,000 patients across 25 countries.
Sumathy’s professionalism has helped McMaster build strong relationships with several hundred researchers in 35 countries. The results of that work include at least 80 important publications, many in the world’s top journals, and most importantly, revolutionary advances in cardiovascular disease prevention.
Dr. Salim Yusuf, Executive Director, Population Health Research Institute, Chief Scientist for Hamilton Health Sciences, and Professor, Medicine, McMaster University, says “please join me in congratulating Sumathy for her many years of contribution to PHRI, and especially to Global Health.
Sumathy Rangarajan, left, being introduced by Dr. Salim Yusuf.
Sumathy Rangarajan receives her award from Dr. Patrick Deane, President, McMaster University.
Sumathy (front row) with her Global Health research team.
