Mark Crowther, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Crowther received the honour in recognition of his research contributions toward the treatment and prevention of blood clot complications.

As such, he has been elected to the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada, which is the country's highest academic honour.

"It is a great honour to be selected to the Royal Society of Canada," says Crowther. "This organization, that brings together some of Canada's most prestigious leaders in a wide variety of domains, is a wonderful group to join. While I remain surprised that I 'exceeded the bar' for this group I will do my utmost to live up to, and exceed, the expectations of the Royal Society."

Crowther holds joint appointments to the departments of medicine and pathology and molecular medicine, and he is also an associate member of the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact.

Crowther's research is focused on exploring ways to improve existing anticoagulant drugs. He is currently investigating whether daily, fixed, small doses of Vitamin K can improve the quality of the commonly used blood thinner, warfarin, and he is also studying the use of anticoagulant drugs in patients with kidney failure, in addition to a number of other research projects.

His clinical interest is in the treatment and prevention of blood clotting complications.

"His work has altered clinical practice with key research achievements in developing optimal therapies to improve the quality of anticoagulant control," reads Crowther's citation from the Royal Society of Canada.

"He has also developed and published guidelines aimed at improving clinical practice, subsequently benefiting the millions of patients worldwide who suffer from hematologic conditions."

Crowther holds a Career Investigator Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and is the LEO Pharma Chair in Thromboembolism Research. He is the past chair of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and the past vice-president of research at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.

Crowther, along with Lorraine York, professor of English and cultural studies at McMaster, will be inducted into the Royal Society on Nov. 23 in Winnipeg, Man.

The pair brings the total number of McMaster affiliated Fellows of the Royal Society to 71.