Gordon Henry Guyatt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1953-11-11)November 11, 1953 (age 72) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Education | University of Toronto (B.Sc.) McMaster University (M.Sc.) McMaster University (M.D.) |
| Known for | Pioneer inevidence-based medicine |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine |
| Institutions | McMaster University |
Gordon Henry Guyatt (born November 11, 1953) is a Canadian physician who is a professor atMcMaster University inHamilton, Ontario. He is known for his leadership inevidence-based medicine, a term that first appeared in a single-author paper he published in 1991.[1] Subsequently, a 1992JAMA article led by Guyatt proved instrumental in bringing the concept of evidence-based medicine to the world's attention.[2] Guyatt's concerns with the role of the medical system, social justice, and medical reform remain central issues that he promoted in tandem with his medical work. He was named to theCanadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2015.[3]
Guyatt was born and raised in Hamilton, home to McMaster University. On his father's side, he was the son of a deeply-rootedProtestant Hamilton family. His grandfather was a Hamilton physician and his father, a lawyer. On his mother's side, his roots were in Europe: his mother was aCzech Jew andAuschwitz andBelsen concentration camp survivor who immigrated to Hamilton.
Guyatt attended theUniversity of Toronto where he obtained a Bachelor of Science. He then obtained hismedical degree atMcMaster University Medical School and certified as ageneral internist. Later, Guyatt received a Master of Science in Design, Management, and Evaluation (now known as Health Research Methodology) fromMcMaster University.
Guyatt has published over 1200 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, many in leading medical journals such asThe New England Journal of Medicine,The Lancet,Journal of the American Medical Association, andThe BMJ. According to the Web of Science, his work has been cited over 100,000 times; according to Google Scholar over 340,000 times. In a Google scholar tabulation of the world's most cited scientists, he is listed 14th.
His writing has included many educational articles regarding evidence-based medicine. Guyatt is the co-editor of theUsers' Guides to the Medical Literature, a comprehensive set of journal articles and a textbook for clinicians who wish to incorporateevidence-based medicine principles into their practices. His contributions to quality of life research, randomized trials, meta-analysis and clinical practice guidelines have been considered groundbreaking. He has also written extensively on health care policy in the popular press. Guyatt previously published a regular health column on the editorial pages of theWinnipeg Free Press, and prior to that inThe Hamilton Spectator.
In 1979, Guyatt co-founded theMedical Reform Group, a Canadian organization of physicians and medical students devoted touniversal public health care.[4][5] Some of his popular press columns were archived at the MRC website.[6] The group continued its work for 35 years, after which theCanadian Doctors for Medicare has led the Canadian progressive medical community in addressing the issues that were central to the Medical Reform Group.
From 1990 to 1997, Guyatt directed the residency program at McMaster University that trains physicians to be specialists ininternal medicine. He used that program as a laboratory for developing and testing approaches to residency education focused on evidence-based approaches to care delivery. Since 1993, Guyatt has chaired the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Workshop at McMaster University, an annual workshop on teaching and incorporating evidence-based principles into clinical practice.[citation needed]
In 1996, Guyatt received the McMaster University President's Award for Excellence in Teaching (Course or Resource Design).[7][4]
Along withHolger Jens Schünemann, Guyatt is the co-chair of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation(GRADE) working group that began in the year 2000 as an informal collaboration of people with an interest in addressing the shortcomings of grading systems in clinical practice guidelines and systematic reviews. Guyatt played a key role in the development and refinement of the GRADE approach, a sensible and transparent structure for grading quality (or certainty) of evidence and strength of recommendations. The GRADE approach is now considered the standard in systematic review and guideline development with over 100 health care organizations worldwide having adopted the approach, including theWorld Health Organization,Centers for Disease Control,American College of Physicians and theCochrane Collaboration.[citation needed]
In 2007,TheBMJ launched an international election for the most important contributions to healthcare.[8] Evidence-based medicine came 7th, ahead of the computer and medical imaging.[8][3]
In 2010, he was one of 10 candidates short-listed (from a list of 117 nominees) for theBMJ Lifetime Achievement Award and ultimately finished second.[9]
In 2010, Guyatt was conferred the title of "Distinguished University Professor",[citation needed] the highest and rarest academic rank held by a full-time faculty member at McMaster University,[10] in the department of ClinicalEpidemiology &Biostatistics) and Medicine. This department later became the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI).
In 2018 Guyatt was forced to apologize for saying in front of aBlack Health Alliance panel: "I’m grateful to be here instead of an Indigenous woman."[11]
In 2019 Guyatt's team performed a GRADE study on the notion that eating red meat causes cancer and other negative health outcomes. The GRADE study showed that evidence was of very low to low certainty and provided a weak recommendation to continue current levels of red meat consumption.[12][13]
In 2021, theSociety for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) approached a member of Guyatt's team about doing aGRADE review of gender-affirming care. McMaster University accepted $250,000 to fund the research at the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI). This HEI-SEGM contract ended in 2024.[14] As a result of the contract the HEI team published three papers on the results of their contracted reviews: two inArchives of Disease in Childhood,[15][16] and one inPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery.[17]
Prior to completing the GRADE review of the evidence in the HEI-SEGM contract, in 2023[when?] Guyatt criticized theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics's position statement re-affirming its 2018 policy supporting gender-affirming care.[18]
Since May 2024, Guyatt has opposed withholding gender-affirming care and argued that SEGM places a low value on patient autonomy.[14][18]
In July 2025,The Spectator published an opinion piece calling for McMaster to break ties with SEGM.[19] One author[who?] later stated "the research is, by definition, not independent of the funder, because they selected the question".[14] Later that year, Guyatt and other members of the department released a statement that SEGM initially "appeared to us as non-trans, cisgender researchers to be legitimately evidence-based", that HEI would not work with SEGM going forward, and that it was 'profoundly misguided' to portray gender-affirming care as bad care or as driven by ideology. The HEI authors also donated toEgale Canada, a Canadian charity founded by the LGBTQ community.[14][20]
In September 2025 Guyatt stated that using the HEI-SEGM review to deny gender-affirming care is a "gross misuse of our work and is unconscionable".[14]
He is a Fellow of theCanadian Academy of Health Sciences.[21]
In 2011, he wasappointed as an Officer of theOrder of Canada "for his contributions to the advancement of evidence-based medicine and its teaching."[22][23]
In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Canada.[24]
In 2015, he was made a member of theCanadian Medical Hall of Fame.[3][25]
In 2022, he received honorary doctorate at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.[26]
In 2022, theEinstein Foundation Berlin honored him with theEinstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research [de] in the category international Individual Award.[27][28][25] His acceptance speech was entitled "How to Avoid Being Mislead (sic) by the Medical Literature".[29]
In 2024, Friends ofCanadian Institutes of Health Research (FCIHR) awarded him theHenry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research, which recognizes exceptional innovation by a visionary health leader of international stature.[30][25][31][32]
Guyatt ran as theNew Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in the2004,2006 and2008Canadian federal elections in the riding ofAncaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale and previously ran for the NDP in the2000 federal election in the former riding ofAncaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot.
{{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)The Berlin-based Einstein Foundation Award named Dr. Gordon Guyatt the winner of a €200,000 prize – worth about $280,000 – for his pioneering work promoting quality in medical research leading to better patient care.
