Jean-Claude Tardif

Jean-Claude Tardif (born in 1964) is the Director of the Research Center at the Montreal Heart Institute and Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal. He received his medical degree (MD) in 1987 from the University of Montreal and specialized in cardiology and research in Montreal and Boston until 1994. Dr. Tardif holds the Canada Research Chair in personalized medicine and the University of Montreal endowed research chair in atherosclerosis. He is also the Scientific Director of Seriant (previously the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC)).

His research covers the molecular and genomic aspects of atherosclerosis and related diseases and also involves animal models, mechanistic and observational clinical studies as well as early clinical trials and large international randomized clinical trials. Dr. Tardif is or has been the international principal investigator or part of the study leadership of several large clinical trials in the field of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Tardif and his team have created the Beaulieu-Saucier Pharmacogenomics Center at the Montreal Heart Institute and he has created the Center of Excellence in Personalized Medicine, the latter funded by the Network of Centers of Excellence of Canada and which has also been supported by multiple pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies.

Dr. Tardif has authored more than 750 scientific articles and has won multiple awards, including the Research Achievement Award of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Distinguished Lecturer Award of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Genesis Award of BIOQuébec (for his outstanding contributions to life sciences), the Armand-Frappier Award of the Government of Québec (the highest scientific honour) and the Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize (for his outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of heart disorders). Because of his accomplishments, Dr. Tardif was named Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and was inducted in the Order of Canada (the highest distinction in the country).

Early life Jean-Claude Tardif was born in Laval, Quebec, Canada in 1964. He attended the University of Montreal where he received his MD degree in 1987. Tardif completed his residency at Maisonneuve-Rosemont and Notre-Dame hospitals in Montreal, Canada in 1990. Subsequently, he completed his cardiology fellowship at Sacré-Coeur Hospital and at the Montreal Heart Institute and then his research fellowship at the New England Medical Center of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts.

Career In his work as a clinical trialist, Tardif has designed, conducted, and served as Principal Investigator for trials like COLCOT, Dal-Gene, INITIATIVE and SPIRE. His work contributed to the approval of low-dose colchicine by Health Canada for the prevention of atherothrombotic events in patients with coronary artery disease and its entry into the European guidelines and South American guidelines for cardiovascular prevention.

Academic appointments

1987-1988, Assistant chief resident, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, Canada 1991, Chief resident, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada 1991-1992, Resident representative, Cardiology University Department, Université de Montréal 1992-1924, Instructor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 1994–present, Cardiologist, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada 1994–present, Director, Intravascular Ultrasound Core Laboratory, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada 1994-1999, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada 1999-2006, Associate Professor of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada 1999-2004, Director of Clinical Research, Research Center, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada 2003–present, Director, Research Chair, Pfizer Endowed Research Chair in Atherosclerosis, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada 2004–present, Director, Research Center, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada 2005-2009, Director, Quebec Cardiovascular Health Network (RSCV), Quebec Health Research Fund (FRSQ) 2006–present, Professor of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada 2012-2025, Director, Research Chair, Canada Research Chair in Translational and Personalized Medicine

Honors and awards

1980, Best High School graduate award, College Laval 1982-1983, University scholarship, Université de Montréal 1987, Rodolphe Boulet-Sandoz award of excellence in medicine at graduation 1987, Ciba-Geigy award of excellence in clinical medicine at medical graduation 1989, Merck award of excellence in clinical research, Quebec internist meeting 1991, Wyeth award of excellence in cardiology, Université de Montreal 1992-1924, McLaughlin Foundation of Canada, Grant for research fellowship 1998, First Martial Bourassa Award for excellence in research, Montreal Heart Institute 1999, Carsley Foundation Award for excellence in research, Montreal Heart Inst. 2003-2007, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Pfizer Research chair in atherosclerosis 2004, Quebec Society of Lipidology, Nutrition and Metabolism, Founders' Award 2004, Montreal La Presse, Personality of the week 2007, Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences 2008, Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Research Achievement Award 2008, Montreal La Presse, Personality of the week 2008, Montreal La Presse, Personality of the year 2011, Bio-Quebec Genesis Brio Award 2011, Armand-Frappier Award, Government of Québec 2013, Quebec Heart and Stroke Foundation, Cœur Québec Argent Award 2014-2015, Professor of the year, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal 2014, Member of the Order of Canada, Government of Canada 2015, Distinguished Lecturer in Cardiovascular Sciences, Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Circulatory Health Award 2015, Fellow, European Society of Cardiology 2016, Fellow, Canadian Cardiovascular Society 2021, Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize 2021, Recognition Award, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal 2022, Member, Royal Society of Canada