Philip Stephen Wells

Philip Stephen Wells serves as a Full Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and holds the position of Chief/Chair of the Department of Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital, a role he assumed in March 2009. He is a central figure in the Thrombosis Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, which conducts around 25 clinical trials annually in venous thromboembolic diseases, driven by peer-reviewed funding and industry collaborations.

Dr. Wells' educational journey includes medical school and Internal Medicine specialty training at the University of Ottawa, followed by specialized Hematology training at McMaster University, where he concentrated on venous thrombosis.

His research is internationally recognized for the development of the Wells' Models—clinical prediction rules for diagnosing deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism—which are incorporated into global clinical guidelines. Current research priorities include thrombosis in cancer patients, prediction of bleeding risk beyond standard anticoagulant therapy, and the application of new oral anticoagulants (e.g., Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban, Apixaban). He is particularly focused on identifying cancer patients who would benefit from thromboprophylaxis and studying adherence to novel anticoagulant regimens.

Dr. Wells' research is supported by major grants from the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). His team recently completed a large multi-center study establishing a prediction tool for bleeding risk after 3-6 months of anticoagulation, addressing a critical gap in long-term anticoagulant management. He also leads investigations into adherence issues with new oral anticoagulants due to the lack of routine monitoring.

He founded the Thrombosis Treatment and Assessment Unit at The Ottawa Hospital and co-leads the VECTOR (Venous ThromboEmbolism Clinical Trials Organization) network, a national collaboration with investigators in Halifax, Montreal, and London, enabling multi-center clinical trials in venous thromboembolism across Canada.