Pharmacologists honour MD at centre of Sick Kids' controversy
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* Patrick Sullivan

A doctor involved in a well-publicized dispute at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) has received the Senior Investigator Award from the Canadian Society for Clinical Pharmacology. Dr. Gideon Koren, the society president, was announced as recipient in a recent letter to *CMAJ.* He received it because he has "demonstrated excellent performance in clinical pharmacology."

Koren was temporarily suspended from his duties at the hospital in December after admitting to writing some "poison pen" letters to colleagues there ([www.cma.ca/cmaj/cmaj\_today/12_21.htm](http://www.cma.ca/cmaj/cmaj_today/12_21.htm)). The letters, sent anonymously, were tied to him through DNA testing. They involved his disagreements with Dr. Nancy Olivieri, another Sick Kids' researcher. One of the letters said that Dr. Peter Durie, the recipient, was "contaminating [the] air and fabric" at HSC. The dispute centres around Koren's and Olivieri's disagreement over the safety of the drug deferiprone, which is used to treat thalassemia.

The announcement of the Senior Investigator Award was contained in a list of 24 honours presented by the society. The letter was dated in December and arrived in January. A society spokesperson told *CMAJ* that "it is extremely unfortunate that the recent circumstances make the public recognition of this honour awkward."

The spokesperson said the award decision was made well in advance of the disclosures about events involving Koren at HSC and that "the society stands behind its decision to acknowledge the excellent research that Dr. Koren has performed."