Key Accomplishments

Many of the firsts delivered to patients at London Health Science Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph's Health Care, London (St. Joseph's) are made possible by the research endeavors of Lawson investigators.

2008

Lawson is proud to celebrate 25 years of organized research happening at the hospitals. Click here to view a list of milestones that have been achieved over the years in partnership with the hospitals.

2007

• Canadian first - totally endoscopic closed-chest robotic coronary artery bypass surgery on a patient's beating heart at LHSC
• Canadian first - a robotic assisted common bile duct exploration using the DaVinci robot at LHSC

2006

• Opening of Aging, Rehabilitation & Geriatric Care Research Centre at Parkwood Hospital, first centre of its kind in Canada at St. Joseph's

2005

• World first-robotic assisted left artrial appendage ligation to reduce chance of clot formation and stroke in high risk patients with Atrial Fibrillation at LHSC
• Launch of largest and most diverse Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study to guide future of screening and intervention at LHSC
• Launch of the Ontario Cardiac Rehabilitation Registry at St. Joseph's
• New research Chair, first of its kind in Canada, dedicated to helping Canada's aging population, at St. Joseph's
• Canadian first - minimally invasive robotically assisted double bypass surgery at LHSC
• Performed a robot-assisted partial cystectomy using the daVinci robot, believed to be a world's first at LHSC

2004

• Probiotics researchers at St. Joseph's launch a probiotic product in Malaysia and Hong Kong
• Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) redefines treatment of Glaucoma
  at St. Joseph's
• North American first - robotic cardiac bypass surgery combined with angioplasty at LHSC
• North American first - renal artery aneurysm repair with the da Vinci surgical robotic system at LHSC
• Development of small multi-channel recording and stimulating device aiding in the advancement of Deep Brain Stimulation at LHSC
• Launch of SNAC (Staged Nutrition and Activity Counselling study) to prevent hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at St. Joseph's
• Canadian first - robotic radical prostatectomy with da Vinci surgical robotic system at LHSC

2003

• Official opening of CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics) at LHSC's University Hospital
• Opening of the Victoria Research Laboratories at LHSC - first collaboration of its kind in Canada bringing together researchers from cancer, child health and vascular biology
• St. Joseph's is the first to study the role of sleep hormonal changes in the etiology and treatment of postpardum psychosis, which is the most serious psychiatric disorder following childbirth
• First treatment of pain with extremely low frequency magnetic field using specific pulsed magnetic fields at St. Joseph's

2002

• St. Joseph's has one of the busiest lithotripters in the world
• First Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics
  at St. Joseph's
• First Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Scanner in Canada at St. Joseph's

2001

• World-first robotic-assisted and mentored surgery using videoconferencing technology at LHSC
• St. Joseph's is one of five sites in the world piloting the Diabetes Electronic Management Systems
• Launch of CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics)
  at LHSC

2000

• Lawson Research Institute merges with London Health Sciences Centre Research Inc. and the Children's Health Research Institute to become the Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson)
• Initial studies of cerebral blood flow and metabolism in relation to electrocortical activity with severe cord occlusion in the near term ovine fetus and demonstrating the protective capacity of the brain for such insults
  at St. Joseph's
• St. Joseph's Urology was the first site in the world to implant an antibiotic coated penile implant called Inhibizone
• First development of CT Perfusion Imaging at St. Joseph's
• First adult-to-adult living donor partial liver transplant in Canada at LHSC

Previous to 2000

Lawson Health Research Institute (2000) and its predecessors were created in 1983. Although there was no formalized research institute within the hospitals prior to this time, many accomplishments took place in the hospitals during the early years. To view a list of previous accomplishments, click here.