Nancy Olivieri
Dr. Nancy Olivieri, an internist and hematologist, began clinical research in the hemoglobin disorders, thalassemia and sickle cell disease at the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto in 1982. In 2003, she obtained a Masters in Medical Ethics and Law, from Kings’ College, London, UK, with a thesis examining ethical dilemmas in medical research. Dr. Olivieri is currently a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital, and Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto.
Her interests in international health arise from work in Asia begun in 1996. In Sri Lanka she and her collaborators documented the range of clinical severity and complications in patients with Hemoglobin E beta thalassemia, the world's most common serious hemoglobinopathy. Over this period their research teams have stimulated community outreach, prevention programs, clinical guidelines and capacity building for thalassemia. A National Thalassemia Center was established in Sri Lanka in 2001. Dr. Olivieri is pursuing similar work in Bangladesh and continues efforts to expand an Asian Thalassemia Network with links throughout Asia.
Dr. Olivieri is the author of over 200 scientific papers, reviews and book chapters, Dr. Olivieri was elected to The American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1996.
Dr. Olivieri was awarded the 2009 AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility and in 2023 was the recipient of the John Maddox Prize in recognition of her “determination to act with integrity…in the face of extreme pressure from the company producing it, ultimately at great personal cost”. The Maddox Prize is awarded by the UK-based Sense about Science charity in partnership with the journal Nature
Education
- MD, McMaster University
- BSc, University of Toronto
Research Interests
- Hematology
- Circulatory Systems
- Global Health
- Population Health
- Education