UCalgary researcher earns prestigious international award

Dr. Norman Campbell, MD, is the recipient of a prestigious World Hypertension League’s Graham MacGregor Excellence Award in Dietary Salt Reduction, which recognizes an individual for leadership, research and implementation of sodium reduction measures at the population level.

Campbell, who has a long history of advocacy work in sodium reduction both in Canada and internationally, is honoured by the recognition.  

“I am absolutely ecstatic to receive an award named after Graham MacGregor,” says Campbell, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine. “His model for government setting up voluntary targets on food, as well as his research and advocacy, have made him the global champion of sodium reduction.” 

According to Campbell, at least one third of high blood pressure cases—which are linked to heart attacks and strokes—are caused by high dietary sodium. Dietary sodium is a major cause of death around the world, accounting for about four million deaths annually.  

Campbell’s journey to population research and national and international advocacy work was a bit unusual. 

He completed a medical degree and a fellowship in internal medicine at Memorial University in Newfoundland. 

Encouraged by his mentors, Campbell undertook a fellowship in basic science-clinical pharmacology at the Mayo Clinic before returning to Newfoundland for a faculty position at Memorial University. There, he was greatly influenced by a mentor who was interested in hypertension at the population level. 

Campbell soon found himself involved in public clinical, health services and public health research— completely new areas for him— on hypertension and ultimately leading hypertension coalitions. 

“Taking over the Canadian hypertension coalition was definitely jumping into the deep water,” says Campbell, noting that hypertension prevention and control at the population level was a new field at the time. It was also a huge concern because when he started his career, only 13 per cent of Canadians controlled their blood pressure and most were unaware of their condition.

In 1990, Campbell was recruited to the University of Calgary by Dr. Eldon Smith, MD, and began conducting research, advocacy and raising awareness about the importance of high blood pressure control. 

“My research and advocacy was outside of the box and many universities may not have kept me, but visionaries like Eldon Smith and others saw what I was doing, and I received a lot of support,” says Campbell. 

In the following years, Campbell’s work had far-reaching impact. In the 2000s, he developed and led a national health coalition on hypertension control and sodium reduction, including national position statements and calls to action, and successfully advocated for a Canadian sodium reduction strategy through Health Canada. 

“It was big win,” says Campbell. “This coalition started the basis of Canada’s ongoing program to improve diet and reduce sodium.” 

Campbell didn’t stop at the national level. Over the years, Campbell has gained international renown for his work. 

International Impact

Working with such organizations as Resolve to Save Lives, the World Bank, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (WHO), Campbell has formed and transformed several international research coalitions and been a member of numerous expert panels. He is also a major contributor to national and international guidelines, policies, guidance documents and programs aimed at assisting governments in helping reduce sodium intake in their populations and to control hypertension. 

Campbell rose to leadership at the international level, having led the World Hypertension League, International Society of Hypertension, and Resolve to Save Lives’ Global Call to Action on Dietary Sodium, which was supported by more than 70 national and international organizations. He also led the World Hypertension League São Paulo call to action for the prevention and control of high blood pressure: 2020 with the support of 47 international and national organizations.

Over his career, Campbell has received numerous prestigious awards, including Hypertension Canada’s Senior Investigator Award for his significant contributions to the advancement and extension of knowledge in research related to high blood pressure. 

Ultimately, Campbell’s contributions, and those of his colleagues, helped raise Canada’s hypertension control rate from 13 to 66 per cent between 2000 and 2010, making our nation the world leader in this area.  The improvement in blood pressure control was estimated to have prevented over 850,000 premature deaths and over 4.5 million hospitalizations from cardiovascular disease. 

Canada still has the worlds highest national rates of control of hypertension and was recently recognized by the World Health Organization as a national model of high blood pressure control.   

Reflecting on his career and this latest award, Campbell is pleased to have made an impact. Although he is retired from clinical practice, his work continues: he is still involved with numerous international advocacy groups including the Pan American Health Organization and is active as an international consultant.  

Campbell is set to receive the Graham MacGregor Excellence Award in Dietary Salt Reduction on June 17 during Cardiac Sciences Grand Rounds from Dr. David Lackland, MD, PhD, a former president of the World Hypertension League. To take part in this special session, click here.

Dr. Norm Campbell is a professor emeritus in the departments of Medicine, Physiology & Pharmacology and Community Health Sciences at the Cumming School of Medicine. He is a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.