[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Torrance_George.jpg” caption=”George Torrance”]George Torrance, former dean of the DeGroote School of Business and professor emeritus in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, will be honoured this week with a lifetime achievement award from the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. Torrance has been a leading researcher, teacher and practitioner in the field of health economics and outcomes research for more than 30 years. He is currently principal consultant for i3 Innovus, a global leader in health economics, outcomes and data analysis.

During the society's annual meeting in Philadelphia, Torrance will receive the 2006 Avedis Donabedian Outcomes Research Lifetime Achievement Award. Donabedian was a pioneer in the measurement of outcomes and quality of care. Torrance, a former member of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA), pioneered many of the methods used today in health economics, including those used to measure the preferences of health outcomes, as well as the cost-effectiveness and value of health interventions such as drugs, treatments or devices. He has trained generations of researchers and practitioners through his courses and workshops at McMaster University and elsewhere, as well as through his journal articles and textbook writing.

As a practitioner, Torrance applied research methodologies in a wide variety of applications, including neonatal intensive care, end-stage kidney disease, childhood cancer, prenatal diagnosis, arthritis, and the evaluation of new drugs and devices for a range of diseases. Torrance's studies helped lay a foundation for evidence-based medicine and health policy, and contributed to a more efficient allocation of resources in health care.

The award Torrance is receiving this weekend is his third lifetime achievement award. In 2001 he received the Award for Career Achievement from the Society for Medical Decision Making, and in 2002 he won the President's Award from the International Society for Quality of Life Research. He was a founding member of CHEPA, serving from 1988 to 1998. He served as dean of the DeGroote School of Business from 1984-89. He retired from his role as a professor at McMaster University in 1998.