Dr. Anthony Lang says inclusion on the prestigious list, "serves to validate the value of the work that I and my many collaborators have been doing in the field of Parkinson’s disease and related movement disorders." (Photo: UHN)
Dr. Anthony Lang of the Krembil Neuroscience Centre (KNC) has been ranked among the world's most highly influential biomedical researchers by the European Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Lang, director of the Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic and the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease at KNC at Toronto Western Hospital, and Jack Clark Chair for Parkinson's Disease Research, is one of 400 biomedical researchers from around the world to be included on the list.
"I will be honest and say that I was pleasantly surprised to hear that I was on this prestigious list," said Dr. Lang.
Related to this story
The selection committee based the list on the following combined criteria:
- the number of articles published by biomedical researchers between 1996 and 2011;
- the total citation counts of a researcher's combined articles; and
- an h-index calculated by using the above criteria.
An h-index is an index that assesses both the productivity and citation impact of the published research papers of a scientist or scholar. For example, an h-index of 10 means that researcher has 10 research papers among all of their papers that have been highly cited by other scientists.
Nobel Prize recipients have an average h-index of 40-45.
In the research world, citations are important as it shows that other researchers are paying attention to a particular scientist's work and that the research is changing the way that particular field is being practiced.
With 486 papers cited over 24,000 times and an h-index of 78 over the evaluation period, Lang's contribution to the research on movement disorders is unparalleled.
"It serves to validate the value of the work that I and my many collaborators have been doing in the field of Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders," Dr. Lang said of the recognition. "And, it strengthens my commitment to working even harder towards the necessary breakthroughs that our patients and their families so sorely need."
