A Collective Lens.
Informing Ontario’s response to COVID-19
About the Science Table
The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table is a group of scientific experts and health system leaders who evaluate and report on emerging evidence relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, to inform Ontario’s response.
The Science Table’s mandate is to provide weekly summaries of relevant scientific evidence for the COVID-19 Health Coordination Table of the Province of Ontario, integrating information from existing scientific tables, Ontario’s universities and agencies, and the best global evidence. The Science Table summarizes its findings for the Health Coordination Table and for the public in Science Briefs.
The Science Table is an independent group, hosted by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. There is no compensation for serving on the Science Table. However, the Scientific Director and the Secretariat are funded by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Public Health Ontario.
Science Table Members
Leadership
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Adalsteinn Brown
DPhil, AB
Co-Chair Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Senior Fellow, Massey College
Adalsteinn Brown
DPhil, AB
Co-Chair Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Senior Fellow, Massey College
Adalsteinn Brown is the Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He has worked with decision-makers in Ontario and elsewhere to develop research and capacity development programs in performance measurement, quality improvement, and leadership.
Prior to becoming Dean, he was the Director of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and the Dalla Lana Chair of Public Health Policy also at the University. Other past roles include head of strategy for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care and the head of policy and science for the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.
He received his undergraduate degree in government from Harvard University and his doctorate from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He was also named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 for his work on healthcare performance.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto, DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-12 (PDF), 2020-08-11 (PDF)
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Brian Schwartz
MD, MScCH
Co-Chair Vice-President, Public Health Ontario Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Brian Schwartz
MD, MScCH
Co-Chair Vice-President, Public Health Ontario Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Brian Schwartz provides executive leadership for PHO’s public health science and population health programs including environmental and occupational health, health promotion, chronic disease and injury prevention, and research and ethics services. Previous portfolios include health protection, emergency preparedness, communicable diseases and infection prevention and control. Dr. Schwartz served as Scientific Advisor to the Emergency Management Branch of the Ministry of Heath and Long Term Care from 2004 to 2011, and was Public Health Ontario’s inaugural Chief of Emergency Management Support. He acted as Vice-chair of the Ontario SARS Scientific Advisory Committee in 2003 and was Chair of the Scientific Response Team for the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
Before entering public health Dr. Schwartz practiced emergency medicine for over 30 years in community and academic settings. He held the position of Director of the Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Care from 1996 to 2009, and has published extensively in emergency medicine, prehospital/paramedic care, and health emergency preparedness and response. He has been a member of the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan Working Group since its inception.
Brian obtained his medical degree and Master of Science in Community Health from the University of Toronto and in 2012. He received his certification in emergency medicine from and is a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
- Publications:
- Pubmed , ResearchGate
- Affiliated with:
- Public Health Ontario, DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-01-02 (PDF), 2020-07-19 (PDF)
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Peter Jüni
MD, FESC
Scientific Director Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Director, Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
Peter Jüni
MD, FESC
Scientific Director Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Director, Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
Peter is the Director of the Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC) at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Clinical Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, and is a Professor at the Department of Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland, completed his training in internal medicine at various hospitals in Switzerland, and was a Research Fellow at the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Bristol, UK. Prior to joining St. Michael’s Hospital, Peter was the Director of the Institute of Primary Health Care and Professor of Primary Care and Clinical Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland. He held previous appointments as Director of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern and Founding Director of CTU Bern, the University’s clinical trials unit.
Peter is internationally renowned for his methodological work and for his clinical research on the management of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders. A Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, he has had leading roles in several major cardiovascular trials, including SIRTAX, LEADERS, FAME 2 and MATRIX, served as a member of several task forces of the European Society of Cardiology and co-authored the European guidelines on myocardial revascularization and on the management of acute myocardial infarction. Peter served as Editor of two Cochrane Review Groups, and contributed to the Cochrane Risk of bias tools for randomized and non-randomized studies. Since March 2020, he has worked nearly exclusively on clinical trials, observational studies, basic research and science communication related to COVID-19. Peter contributed to over 400 papers, which were cited more than 100,000 times. Since 2015 he has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile, Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto, AHRC, St. Michael’s Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-07-02 (PDF), 2021-05-12 (PDF), 2021-02-07 (PDF), 2020-08-11 (PDF)
Members
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Upton Allen
MBBS, FRCPC
Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto
Upton Allen
MBBS, FRCPC
Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto
Upton Allen is a professor at the University of Toronto. He is chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Allen is a senior associate scientist in the Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children. His primary appointment is with the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics. He is cross-appointed as a professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto.
Dr. Allen is a past director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a Fellow of the Society. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ad the Royal College of Physicians (UK). In 2018, he was awarded the Order of Ontario, whoch is the highest honored awared by the province of Ontario, CVanada.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto, SickKids
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-12 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Vanessa Allen
MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto Chief, Microbiology and Laboratory Science, Public Health Ontario Medical Director, Provincial COVID-19 Diagnostic Network, Ontario Health Clinical Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Vanessa Allen
MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto Chief, Microbiology and Laboratory Science, Public Health Ontario Medical Director, Provincial COVID-19 Diagnostic Network, Ontario Health Clinical Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Vanessa Allen is a medical microbiologist and clinical infectious disease specialist, serving as Chief of Microbiology and Laboratory Science at Public Health Ontario since 2013, and Medical Director of the Provincial COVID-19 Diagnostics Network at Ontario Health. She attends as a clinical Infectious Diseases Specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto.
Her public health contributions and research have focused on strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance primarily in the areas of bacterial sexually transmitted infections and enteric pathogens, including work in addressing multidrug resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and the implementation and evaluation of the use of novel diagnostic methods such as genomics, artificial intelligence and point of care testing to advance infectious disease and public health response.
Vanessa received her medical degree from McGill University, and completed her internal medicine, infectious diseases and medical microbiology residencies at the University of Toronto (2005, 2007 and 2008). She received her Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 2012.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-26 (PDF)
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Laura Desveaux
PT, PhD
Scientific Lead, Institute for Better Health; Learning Health System Program Lead, Trillium Health Partners; Innovation Fellow, Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Women’s College Hospital; Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Executive Director, Women Who Lead
Laura Desveaux
PT, PhD
Scientific Lead, Institute for Better Health; Learning Health System Program Lead, Trillium Health Partners; Innovation Fellow, Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Women’s College Hospital; Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Executive Director, Women Who Lead
Laura is a scientist and physical therapist whose work draws on behavioural psychology and implementation science to design and evaluate interventions that aim to optimize care. To understand what makes an initiative successful and how to scale it, her team examines what drives behaviour, how and why things work, and the process, mechanisms of change and the contextual factors that characterize success (and failure). This approach provides insights into what works best, for whom, and in what circumstance and helps inform how to effect change at a system level. She collaborates with health system decision-makers to bridge the research to practice gap by helping them apply the principles of implementation science and behaviour change to their work.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- Women’s College Research Institute, Institute for Better Health, Women Who Lead
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-03-01 (PDF)
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Gerald Evans
MD, FRCPC
Professor of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control, Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Gerald Evans
MD, FRCPC
Professor of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control, Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Dr. Gerald Evans is the Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases and a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Pathology & Molecular Medicine at Queen’s University He was initially appointed to a faculty position at Queen’s University in 1990.
He is an attending physician in Infectious Diseases at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Providence Care Hospital. Dr. Evans has been Medical Director of Infection Prevention & Control at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Providence Care Hospital since 2011. He is an Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) consultant physician with Public Health Ontario, and an Affiliate Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES-Queens).
He was the President of AMMI Canada from 2009-2011 and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Official Journal of the Association of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada.
- Publications:
- NCBI
- Affiliated with:
- Department of Medicine, Queen’s University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-02 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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David Fisman
MD MPH FRCP(C)
Professor of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
David Fisman
MD MPH FRCP(C)
Professor of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Dr. David Fisman is Professor in the Division of Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, at the University of Toronto, and a practicing Internist with a focus on infectious diseases.
- Publications:
- PubMed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-04 (PDF)
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Jennifer Gibson
PhD
Director, Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto Sun Life Financial Chair in Bioethics Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Jennifer Gibson
PhD
Director, Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto Sun Life Financial Chair in Bioethics Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Professor Gibson is Sun Life Financial Chair in Bioethics and Director of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics. She is Associate Professor in the Division of Clinical Public Health and the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Jennifer has a PhD in Philosophy with a focus on ethical issues in contemporary health institutions and systems. Jennifer has advised governments and policymakers on topics such as medical assistance in dying, public health emergency preparedness, health technology assessment, drug funding and supply, and resource allocation. Jennifer is Chair of the COVID-19 Bioethics Table in the Ontario health system response structure.
At the Joint Centre for Bioethics, Jennifer founded and leads the ‘Ethics and AI for Good Health’ program to explore and engage emerging ethical and social issues associated with AI-enabled technologies in health care and public health.
- Publications:
- Pubmed
- Affiliated with:
- Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-04 (PDF), 2020-08-14 (PDF)
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Anna Greenberg
MPP
Vice President, Health System Performance, Health Quality Ontario Adjunct Lecturer, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Anna Greenberg
MPP
Vice President, Health System Performance, Health Quality Ontario Adjunct Lecturer, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Anna is President of Ontario Health’s business unit focused on Quality. Her portfolio encompasses setting provincial quality standards to reduce variation in patient care, making evidence-based recommendations on whether to publicly fund new health technologies, monitoring and reporting on health system performance, and supporting continuous and targeted quality improvement.
Before leading Ontario Health (Quality), Anna was Vice President, Health System Performance for Health Quality Ontario where she oversaw all aspects of the agency’s legislated mandate to monitor and report on system performance, including the expansion of tailored reports to individual clinicians in family practice, long-term care and specialty care to support local improvement in patient care. She also expanded Health Quality Ontario’s routine public reporting of complex information on how well the health system is performing.
Anna previously served as Director, Strategic Policy at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in Ontario. She also spent over a decade in leadership roles in the cancer system where she spearheaded Ontario’s first publicly-reported system performance measurement cancer tool and led cancer system planning, policy development and knowledge management at Cancer Care Ontario, Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network, and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.
Anna holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University.
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-16 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Anne Hayes
MPH, BA
Chair, Evidence Synthesis Network Director, Research, Analysis and Evaluation Branch, Strategic Policy, Planning and French Language Services Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care
Anne Hayes
MPH, BA
Chair, Evidence Synthesis Network Director, Research, Analysis and Evaluation Branch, Strategic Policy, Planning and French Language Services Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care
Anne has an international track record in strategic policy and research development through progressive leadership roles in government organizations and universities in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom and Canada. Since her recruitment to Ontario ten years ago, Anne has frequently been recognized with public service awards (ie ACE and Amethyst Awards) for her work on strategic policy and research initiatives at the Ministries of Health / Long-Term Care. Most recently, Anne has led the modernization of the research function creating the new Applied Health Evidence Program to guide strategic and relevant research investments applying integrated knowledge translation, and patient-oriented research approaches. She leads a team of high skilled policy and research analysts who provide tailored evidence synthesis, economic analysis, and evaluation consultancy services to clients across the ministries. She has actively brokered stronger relationships between the research community and health system knowledge users and is frequently a health system knowledge user on CIHR funded research grants. Anne and her team quickly responded to the COVID-19 pandemic including: established the Evidence Synthesis (ES) Network of leading ES experts across the province; produced a number of Evidence Synthesis Briefing Notes; produced weekly Evidence Updates for the sector; developed the COVID-19 Research Priorities Framework and Challenge Question initiative; partnered with Ministry of Colleges and Universities and CIHR on COVID-19 research funding opportunities; and participated in the COVID-19 modelling table.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-06 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Michael Hillmer
PhD
Assistant Deputy Minister, Capacity Planning and Analytics Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Michael Hillmer
PhD
Assistant Deputy Minister, Capacity Planning and Analytics Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Michael is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic, coordinated approaches to health workforce and capacity planning ensuring that an optimal supply, mix, and distribution of health professionals. He leads the data and analytics portfolio for the ministries of health and long-term care providing insights to improve planning, programming, and accountability.
He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation where he teaches and publishes in the areas of health services research and knowledge translation.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-01 (PDF), 2020-08-14 (PDF)
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Jessica Hopkins
MD, MHSc, CCFP, FRCPC, FCFP
Deputy Chief, Health Protection, Public Health Ontario Assistant Professor (part-time), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University Adjunct Lecturer, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Jessica Hopkins
MD, MHSc, CCFP, FRCPC, FCFP
Deputy Chief, Health Protection, Public Health Ontario Assistant Professor (part-time), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University Adjunct Lecturer, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Dr. Jessica Hopkins is the Deputy Chief, Health Protection, Medical and System Support at Public Health Ontario (PHO) and provides leadership to PHO’s infection prevention and control Regional Support and Research, Evaluation and CQI Support Teams, and physicians in the areas of communicable diseases, emergency preparedness and response, and infection prevention and control.
Dr. Hopkins has 10 years of experience in local public health and previously worked as the Medical Officer of Health for Peel Region, and as an Associate Medical Officer of Health In Hamilton and Niagara Region. She works as a family doctor and is an Assistant Professor (part-time) with the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University and Adjunct Lecturer with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
Dr. Hopkins obtained her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Western Ontario and her Master of Health Science from the University of Toronto in the field of Community Health and Epidemiology. She completed residencies in Family Medicine and Public Health and Preventive Medicine at McMaster University.
- Publications:
- Investigation and management of psittacosis in a public aviary: a One Health approach., Raccoon rabies outbreak in Hamilton, Ontario: a progress report, A cohort study of factors associated with LTBI treatment initiation and completion in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Hamilton Supervised Injection Site Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study, Supervised Consumption Site Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study for the Region of Peel. Region of Peel – Public Health
- Affiliated with:
- Public Health Ontario
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-11-09 (PDF)
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Fiona Kouyoumdjian
MD, MPH, PhD, CCFP, FRCPC
Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Ministry of Health; Adjunct Scientist, ICES Central Populations & Public Health Research Program
Fiona Kouyoumdjian
MD, MPH, PhD, CCFP, FRCPC
Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Ministry of Health; Adjunct Scientist, ICES Central Populations & Public Health Research Program
Dr. Fiona Kouyoumdjian is an Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health in the Ontario Ministry of Health. She is a Public Health Physician, Family Physician, and Epidemiologist.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- McMaster University, ICES
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-03-02 (PDF)
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Audrey Laporte
BA, MA, PhD
Professor and Director, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Director, Canadian Centre for Health Economics
Audrey Laporte
BA, MA, PhD
Professor and Director, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Director, Canadian Centre for Health Economics
Professor Audrey Laporte is an economist whose research focuses in general on the development of dynamic theory and the application of econometric methods to address questions of policy interest to health and health care. More specifically her work has centred on a set of themes: modelling of individual health capital accumulation and addictive behaviours; health human resource modelling, e.g. nurse, physician and personal support labour markets; and modelling the impact of policy changes on the performance of health care organizations, e.g. institutional long-term care, hospitals. Her more recent work in collaboration with her students has focused on the impact of health conditions and socio-economic circumstance in early life on later life outcomes. Professor Laporte is President-Elect of the International Health Economics Association and Director of the Canadian Centre for Health Economics. She is an incoming Associate Editor of Health Economics, International co-Editor of the International Journal for Reviews in Empirical Economics and incoming co-Editor of Healthcare Papers.
- Publications:
- PubMed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-25 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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John Lavis
MD, PhD
Professor, Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University
John Lavis
MD, PhD
Professor, Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University
John Lavis holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Evidence-Informed Health Systems. He is the Director of the McMaster Health Forum, Co-Lead of Rapid-Improvement Support and Exchange (RISE), Co-Lead of the COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END), Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Evidence-Informed Policy, Professor in the Department of Health Evidence and Impact at McMaster University, and Adjunct Professor at the Africa Centre for Evidence at the University of Johannesburg. John supports policymakers and stakeholders to harness research evidence, citizen values and stakeholder insights to strengthen health and social systems and get the right programs, services and products to the people who need them. He holds an MD from Queen’s University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a PhD (in Health Policy) from Harvard University.
- Publications:
- Pubmed , Google Scholar , ResearchGate
- Affiliated with:
- McMaster Health Forum
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Linda Mah
MD, MHSc, FRCPC
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Associate Member, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Senior Scientist, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Staff Psychiatrist, Baycrest Health Sciences
Linda Mah
MD, MHSc, FRCPC
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Associate Member, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Senior Scientist, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Staff Psychiatrist, Baycrest Health Sciences
Dr. Linda Mah is a Clinician Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, an Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and an Associate Member of the Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Dr. Mah obtained her MD at the University of Calgary and completed a psychiatric residency at McGill University, followed by clinical neuropsychiatry specialty training at the University of Massachusetts and formal research training in cognitive and affective neurosciences at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. She has a Master of Health Sciences degree from Duke University, USA.
Dr. Mah’s research program focuses on understanding the relationship between cognition and emotion and their neuroanatomical correlates in healthy aging and in disorders of the elderly, including late-life depression (LLD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Her research employs converging methods including behavioural paradigms, neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging, and more recently, psychophysiology. She has a particular interest in examining emotion dysregulation and other neuropsychiatric symptoms as potential biomarkers of AD risk, and in understanding the link between stress and development of AD. Dr. Mah is also the PI or site PI on clinical trials focused on treatment-refractory depression in older adults and studies using brain stimulation as an intervention for cognitive decline in older adults at risk for developing AD, including those with remitted depression, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) or MCI.
Dr. Mah’s work has been funded by the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, Brain Canada, and the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Publications:
- Pubmed , ResearchGate
- Affiliated with:
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-02 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Doug Manuel
MD, FRCPC, MSc
Distinguished University Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa Senior Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Doug Manuel
MD, FRCPC, MSc
Distinguished University Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa Senior Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Dr. Manuel is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Ottawa in the Departments of Family Medicine and School of Epidemiology and Public Health. He is a Senior Scientist at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, a Clinical Scientist with C.T. Lamont Primary Health Care Research Centre, Bruyère Research Institute, a Senior Core Scientist at ICES and a Senior Medical Advisor for Statistics Canada.
Dr. Manuel’s research combines interests in public health, health care systems and primary care. He collaborates to develop advanced predictive algorithms and microsimulation models to assess population health and the health impact of health strategies. He has written on how societies with the best population health have achieved their success. He has published over 250 studies, including papers in the leading medical journals. For over 25 years, Dr. Manuel has been a primary care doctor in rural, remote and underserved Canadian communities.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar , ORCiD
- Affiliated with:
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-08 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Allison McGeer
MSc, MD, FRCPC
Microbiologist and Infectious Disease Consultant, Mount Sinai Hospital Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Allison McGeer
MSc, MD, FRCPC
Microbiologist and Infectious Disease Consultant, Mount Sinai Hospital Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Dr. McGeer completed an undergraduate and master’s degree in biochemistry, then her medical degree at the University of Toronto. She specialized in internal medicine and infectious diseases followed by a fellowship in hospital epidemiology at Yale New Haven Hospital.
She returned to Mount Sinai Hospital in 1989 and worked as a microbiologist and the director of infection prevention and control until March of 2019. In April of 2019 she moved to full time research as a Senior Clinician Scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of the Sinai Health System. Her major research interests are in the prevention of infection in hospitals and nursing homes, the use of surveillance to advance the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, and emerging infectious diseases including antimicrobial resistance. She is the principal investigator of the Toronto Invasive Bacterial Diseases Network, a collaborative surveillance network that performs surveillance for serious bacterial and viral diseases, including COVID19, in south central Ontario.
Dr. McGeer is a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She currently serves as an external expert to the influenza working group of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization and is a meeting of Canada’s COVID19 Immunity Task Force Leadership Group. She was the lead for the hospital investigation of SARS-CoV-1 in Ontario in 2003, investigated the first outbreak of MERS in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2013, and worked for the World Health Organization as the infection prevention and control focal point in Liberia during the 2014/15 West African Ebola Outbreak.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-08-15 (PDF)
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David McKeown
MDCM, MHSc, FRCPC
Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Ministry of Health Adjunct Professor, Clinical Public Health Division, University of Toronto
David McKeown
MDCM, MHSc, FRCPC
Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Ministry of Health Adjunct Professor, Clinical Public Health Division, University of Toronto
Dr. David McKeown is the Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health for the province of Ontario, with responsibility for supporting the provincial covid-19 response. He is a physician specialist who has worked in the public health field for over 30 years. From 2004-2016 he led Toronto Public Health, Canada’s largest local public health agency, serving a diverse population of 2.7 million people. He has also served as the Medical Officer of Health for East York, the Region of Peel, and the former City of Toronto prior to municipal amalgamation. Dr. McKeown led the local public health response to the H1N1 pandemic, a major outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease, and the first outbreak of West Nile Virus in Canada.
Dr. McKeown holds a medical degree from McGill University, a Master’s degree in Community Health and Epidemiology from the University of Toronto, and is Assistant Professor (adjunct) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow in Public Health and Preventive Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a certificant of the American College of Preventive Medicine.
Dr. McKeown has published public reports on a wide range of public health issues, including Health Inequities, Child health, Newcomer Health, the Built Environment, and Racialization and health.
- Publications:
- Pubmed
- Affiliated with:
- DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-07 (PDF), 2020-08-17 (PDF)
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Andrew Morris
MD SM (Epi)
Professor, Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto; Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Sinai Health and University Health Network
Andrew Morris
MD SM (Epi)
Professor, Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto; Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Sinai Health and University Health Network
Dr. Andrew Morris is a Specialist in Infectious Diseases, and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is the Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai Health and University Health Network.
He is Past Chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Resistance Committee for the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada and of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee for the Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America.
His academic interests overlap the fields of epidemiology, behaviour change techniques, implementation science, and quality improvement as they relate to antimicrobial use and resistance.
- Publications:
- PubMed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Sinai Health
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-12 (PDF)
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Samira Mubareka
MD
Clinician-Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
Samira Mubareka
MD
Clinician-Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
Samira completed her MD at Dalhousie University in 1999 and Internal Medicine training in 2002 at McGill University in Canada. She specialized in Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology at the University of Manitoba (2005). She went on to a research fellowship at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Palese, Department of Microbiology (2009). Since then she continued to pursue themes of viral transmission and spread.
Early in the pandemic Samira and colleagues isolated the SARS-CoV-2 virus in containment level 3 (CL3) and is the principle source of SARS-CoV-2 to most academic CL3 laboratories across the country. She serves on the Chief Science Advisor of Canada’s COVID-19 Panel, the Implementation Committee of the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN) Viral Seq project (Genome Canada) and Ontario Genomics’ Steering Committee for the Ontario COVID-19 Genomics Rapid Response Coalition.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-08 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Laveena Munshi
MD, MSc
Assistant Professor, Clinician Investigator, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, Sinai Health System/University Health Network, University of Toronto
Laveena Munshi
MD, MSc
Assistant Professor, Clinician Investigator, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, Sinai Health System/University Health Network, University of Toronto
Laveena Munshi is an Assistant Professor and Critical Care Physician at Sinai Health System/University Health Network in the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. She has research and clinical interests across critical care of the immunocompromised patient with an early focus on acute respiratory failure, frailty and long term outcomes. She has completed her Masters in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto supported by a Canadian Institute for Health Research fellowship award and the Eliot Phillipson Clinician Scientist Training program. She has been a member of the American Thoracic Society/Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Clinical Practice Guidelines on Mechanical Ventilation across Adults with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She is the co-founder of the Critical Care Oncologic Investigative Network – an initiative established to improve quality of care and communication between Oncology and Critical Care. Her publications span the areas of acute respiratory failure and oncologic/immunocompromised critical care.
- Publications:
- Pubmed
- Affiliated with:
- Critical Care Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-01 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Kumar Murty
PhD, FRSC, FNAS (India)
Co-Chair Director, Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences Professor of Mathematics, University of Toronto
Kumar Murty
PhD, FRSC, FNAS (India)
Co-Chair Director, Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences Professor of Mathematics, University of Toronto
Kumar Murty is the Director of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, a position he has held since July 2019. He received his doctorate from Harvard University in 1982. From 1982 to 1987 he held research positions at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, Concordia University, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. In 1987, he was appointed as Associate Professor at the Downtown campus of the University of Toronto, and in 1991 he was promoted to Full Professor. He was Chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Toronto Downtown campus during 2008-2013 and 2014-2017.
He has served on the Canadian Mathematical Society Board of Directors during 1995-1999 and was Vice President during 2009-2011. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1995, Fields Institute Fellow in 2003, and Senior Fellow of Massey College in 2020. He received the Coxeter-James Prize in 1991 and the University of Toronto’s Inventor of the Year Award in 2011.
Professor Murty works in the areas of number theory, algebraic geometry and their applications to information technology. He has over 125 published articles in leading scholarly journals and and he has authored or edited 7 books. His recent work has expanded to mathematical modelling in social, economic and health contexts. This includes his work on Smart Villages, which received a Connaught Global Challenges Award in 2017, and his work on integrative modelling related to the pandemic. In particular, he heads the CIHR funded Mathematical Modelling of COVID-19 Task Force to undertake research relating to COVID-19. Representing the Fields Institute, in partnership with AARMS, CRM, and PIMS, and in collaboration with PHAC, VIDO-Intervac, and the NRC, the task force brings together Canadian mathematics institutes, national and international co-investigators, collaborators, and team members, to mobilize a network of infectious disease modellers to assess transmission risk, predict outbreak trajectories, and evaluate the effectiveness of COVID-19 countermeasures.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- The Fields Institute
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-07-13 (PDF)
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Christopher Mushquash
PhD, CPsych
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine; Psychologist, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care; Director, Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research, Lakehead University, Interim Executive Vice President Research, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; Chief Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute
Christopher Mushquash
PhD, CPsych
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine; Psychologist, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care; Director, Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research, Lakehead University, Interim Executive Vice President Research, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; Chief Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute
Dr. Christopher Mushquash is a registered clinical psychologist and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, with expertise in rural and northern clinical practice and the development of culturally appropriate interventions for mental health and addiction difficulties in First Nations children, adolescents, and adults. He is an academic researcher and Indigenous scholar who was born and raised in rural Northwestern Ontario. He is Ojibway, and a member of Pays Plat First Nation.
- Publications:
- Personal Publication Profile
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-03-02 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Menaka Pai
MSc MD FRCPC
Associate Professor of Medicine, McMaster University; Head of Service, Benign Hematology, Hamilton Health Sciences; Transfusion Medicine Quality Lead, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program
Menaka Pai
MSc MD FRCPC
Associate Professor of Medicine, McMaster University; Head of Service, Benign Hematology, Hamilton Health Sciences; Transfusion Medicine Quality Lead, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program
Menaka Pai is an Associate Professor of Medicine at McMaster University, and a hematologist and thrombosis medicine physician at Hamilton Health Sciences. She is Head of Service for Benign Hematology at Hamilton Health Sciences, and Quality Lead for Transfusion Medicine in the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program.
Dr. Pai completed her medical training at McMaster University and the University of Toronto. She holds a Masters degree in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University, and her graduate work was supported by fellowships from Thrombosis Canada and the Canadian Hemophilia Society.
Dr. Pai is a member of the McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research (MCTR) and the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TAARI). As a benign hematologist, her clinical interests focus on thrombosis and bleeding disorders. Her research interests include venous thromboembolism, transfusion medicine, research methods in rare diseases, and clinical practice guideline development. She is currently Chair of the American Society of Hematology’s Guideline Oversight Subcommittee.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- McMaster University, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-06 (PDF)
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Samir Patel
PhD, FCCM, (D) ABMM
Deputy Chief, Microbiology, Public Health Ontario Clinical Microbiologist, Public Health Ontario Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto
Samir Patel
PhD, FCCM, (D) ABMM
Deputy Chief, Microbiology, Public Health Ontario Clinical Microbiologist, Public Health Ontario Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto
Dr. Samir Patel is a clinical microbiologist and deputy chief of microbilogy at Public Health Ontario where he provides clinical expertise in various areas, including bacterial vector borne diseases, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and hospital associated infections. Dr. Patel is also an associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. Dr Patel is a member of various provincial and national and international working groups including Lyme disease diagnostic working group, antimicrobial resistance working group (co-chair), Institute of Quality Management in Healthcare, Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute, and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology mentorship committee (co-chair). Dr. Patel has been awarded number of CIHR funded grants (co-PI) including CIHR-PHAC funded Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network.
- Affiliated with:
- Public Health Ontario, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-10 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Justin Presseau
PhD
Associate Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Justin Presseau
PhD
Associate Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Dr. Justin Presseau is an Associate Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and a Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute where he leads the Psychology and Health Research Group and is core faculty in the Centre for Implementation Research. He is the Scientific Lead for Knowledge Translation at the Ottawa Methods Centre SPOR Support Unit.
His research program operates at the intersection between health psychology and implementation science. His research draws on behavioural science to understand factors that promote and undermine behaviour change in healthcare, and in patients and the general public. He is the recipient of early career awards from the UK Society for Behavioural Medicine, the International Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the European Health Psychology Society, and a mid-career award from the Canadian Psychological Association. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and is Associate Editor for the journals Implementation Science, as well as being chair of the Canadian Psychological Association’s Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine section.
- Publications:
- Pubmed
- Affiliated with:
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-31 (PDF), 2021-01-27 (PDF)
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Fahad Razak
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Internist and Assistant Professor, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Research Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute Provincial Lead, Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine, Ontario Health
Fahad Razak
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Internist and Assistant Professor, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Research Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute Provincial Lead, Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine, Ontario Health
Fahad Razak is an internist and epidemiologist, with specialization in observational methods and global health. He is the inaugural Provincial Lead, Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine for Ontario Health where he co-leads a quality improvement network focused on improving the care of hospitalized medical patients (https://www.hqontario.ca/Quality-Improvement/Quality-Improvement-in-Action/The-General-Medicine-Quality-Improvement-Network).
Dr. Razak co-leads the General Medicine Inpatient Initiative (GEMINI), a big data network across hospitals that extracts data generated as part of routine medical care and uses this data for research and quality improvement (https://www.geminimedicine.ca/). GEMINI is supported by more than 20 funding organizations, including the Government of Ontario, the Canadian Cancer Society, CIHR, and NSERC. GEMINI is expanding to the 30 largest hospitals in the province, creating one of the first big-data quality improvement networks of its kind in the world. GEMINI data supports emerging projects with >50 co-investigators, and >30 trainees.
Dr. Razak was the first physician to be appointed the David E Bell Fellow at Harvard University (2013-2015), and remained a visiting scientist there until 2017. In 2018 he was the recipient of the Dean’s Emerging Leader Award at the University of Toronto and in 2019 he received the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine’s New Investigator Award. He has published 60 research papers (h-index of 24) including first/senior author publications in JAMA, BMJ, and PLOS Medicine. He co-founded “The Rounds Table,” a medical podcast which has been downloaded >200,000 times in >100 countries.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto, St Michael’s Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Robert Reid
MD, MPH, PhD
Chief Scientist, Trillium Health Partners Professor (status), Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto Professor (part-time), Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University Affiliate Associate Professor, Health Services, University of Washington
Robert Reid
MD, MPH, PhD
Chief Scientist, Trillium Health Partners Professor (status), Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto Professor (part-time), Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University Affiliate Associate Professor, Health Services, University of Washington
Dr. Robert Reid is inaugural Hazel McCallion Research Chair in Learning Health Systems, a research chair jointly created by Trillium Health Partners and the University of Toronto. He is also Chief Scientist at the Institute for Better Health (IBH) and Senior Vice President of Science at Trillium Health Partners (THP). As one of the largest community hospital systems in Canada with a diverse and growing population, THP’s mission is to create a new kind of health care for a healthier community. IBH, THP’s embedded research and innovation engine, focuses on generating cutting-edge science and innovation on novel ways to engage, design, deliver and finance health care, and on creating partnerships with patients, caregivers and our community in the pursuit of improving population health.
At the University of Toronto, Dr. Reid holds an academic appointment at the University of Toronto, as Professor (status) with the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, and with the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He also holds academic appointments as Professor (part-time) with McMaster University’s Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact; Affiliate Investigator with Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute; and Affiliate Associate Professor with the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
Dr. Reid received his medical degree from the University of Alberta and completed a Master’s Degree in in Epidemiology and a PhD in Health Policy and Management from the Johns Hopkins University. He is a global expert and thought leader in population health, learning health systems, and primary care. He is best known for his seminal work in developing and evaluating pioneering patient-centred medical home at Group Health Cooperative, now Kaiser Permanente, in Seattle, Washington, which integrated and streamlined team-based care to improve quality, patient experience and yield cost savings. He is also internationally acclaimed for his research to develop and test population-based innovations in primary care delivery, prevention services and chronic care. Dr. Reid is currently providing leading expertise in the re-design of Ontario’s health care system through the newly introduced Ontario Health Teams initiative and co-chairs the Evidence Synthesis Network, created to provide decision-makers in with rapid evidence related to the COVID-19 response in Ontario .
Dr. Reid has lectured nationally and internationally on the organization, financing and delivery of care – from the Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and Harvard to Ottawa, London and Auckland. Dr. Reid has published over 150 articles in refereed journals and has delivered over 150 scientific and policy invited presentations.
- Affiliated with:
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-03 (PDF)
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Paula Rochon
MD, MPH, FRCPC
Senior Scientist and Geriatrician Women’s College Hospital; Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; RTOERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine, University of Toronto.
Paula Rochon
MD, MPH, FRCPC
Senior Scientist and Geriatrician Women’s College Hospital; Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; RTOERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine, University of Toronto.
Dr. Rochon is a geriatrician and senior scientist at Women’s College Hospital. She is a professor in the Department of Medicine and is the inaugural RTOERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Rochon’s research focuses on understanding the unique needs of older adults, particularly older women, and promotes their health and wellness. She has contributed to our understanding of aging and its impact both on individual patients and the healthcare system. These contributions include highlighting the need to consider sex, gender and age in research so that results are more relevant to older women and men and tailoring prescribing strategies to reduce adverse drug events.
Dr. Rochon has a strong record of federal funding and has published more than 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals. She is the Vice-Chair of the CIHR Institute of Aging Advisory Board and has received research distinctions, including being elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and being awarded the Eaton Clinical Researcher of the Year Award for 2020 from the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. In January of 2020, she was invited to participate on an Advisory Group to support the Ministry of Long-Term Care in developing a long-term care staffing study; in April 2020 she was invited to join a national Task Group on COVID-19 in long-term care homes. This task group was convened to provide practical advice to the federal government on the topic of long-term care homes.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Women’s College Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-27 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF)
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Beate Sander
RN, MBA, MEcDec, PhD
Canada Research Chair in Economics of Infectious Diseases Scientist and Director, Population Health Economics Research, University Health Network Director, Health Modeling and Health Economics, Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment collaborative Associate Professor and Faculty Co-Lead Health Technology Assessment program, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Adjunct Scientist, Public Health Ontario Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Beate Sander
RN, MBA, MEcDec, PhD
Canada Research Chair in Economics of Infectious Diseases Scientist and Director, Population Health Economics Research, University Health Network Director, Health Modeling and Health Economics, Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment collaborative Associate Professor and Faculty Co-Lead Health Technology Assessment program, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Adjunct Scientist, Public Health Ontario Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Beate Sander, RN MBA MEcDev PhD, is an internationally recognized leader in infectious disease economics with extensive expertise in health economics and simulation modeling. Dr. Sander holds a Canada Research Chair in Economics of Infectious Diseases and is principal investigator of several multidisciplinary projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and other funders, including an evaluation of Zika virus – and recently COVID-19 – interventions using computer simulation. She has developed novel approaches to evaluate intersectoral interventions and pioneered research on the burden of infectious diseases in Canada using linked population-based data. Dr. Sander has received several awards for research excellence. She contributes substantively to federal/provincial policy decision-making, serving as an expert to national and international advisory bodies, including Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), where she also chairs the Economics Task Group and co-chairs the Economic Guidelines Task Group. Dr. Sander is the Faculty Co-Lead for the Health Technology Assessment emphasis at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, and teaches a popular graduate course on decision-analytic modeling and cost-effectiveness.
- Publications:
- PubMed, Google Scholar , ORCiD
- Affiliated with:
- Theta Collaborative, University of Toronto, UHN Research, IHPME, University of Toronto, ICES
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-23 (PDF), 2020-07-20 (PDF)
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Michael Schull
MD, MSc, FRCPC
CEO and Senior Core Scientist, ICES Professor and Clinician-Scientist, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto Senior Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Staff emergency physician, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Michael Schull
MD, MSc, FRCPC
CEO and Senior Core Scientist, ICES Professor and Clinician-Scientist, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto Senior Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Staff emergency physician, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Michael Schull is CEO and Senior Scientist at ICES, Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and a Senior Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. His research focuses on health service utilization, quality of care, health system integration and patient outcomes, and the evaluation of health policy. Under his leadership, ICES has expanded the types of data available for researchers, created a virtual data platform where researchers can access and analyze linked datasets, launched a health artificial intelligence data and analysis platform, and engaged the public in the work of ICES to ensure it remains aligned with public values. Schull leads the participation of ICES in the Health Data Research Network, a pan-Canadian initiative to build a national health and social data platform. He practices as an Emergency Medicine specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- ICES, Sunnybrook Research Institute, IHPME, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-02 (PDF), 2021-01-21 (PDF)
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Arjumand Siddiqi
ScD
Associate Professor and Division Head of Epidemiology, University of Toronto Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity
Arjumand Siddiqi
ScD
Associate Professor and Division Head of Epidemiology, University of Toronto Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity
Arjumand Siddiqi is Associate Professor and Division Head of Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, where she also holds the Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity. She is also appointed to the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, the Department of Sociology, and the Hospital for Sick Children/Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto, in addition to an adjunct appointment at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Dr. Siddiqi is interested in understanding how societal conditions produce and resolve inequities in population health and human development across the lifespan. Her research focuses primarily on the roles of resource inequities and social policies, the methods and metrics that enable scientific inquiry on health inequities, and mechanisms related to public and political uptake of evidence. Dr. Siddiqi is an alumnus of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Global Academy and former Associate Member of its Program on Successful Societies. She was also a member of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health Knowledge Hub on Early Child Development, and has consulted to several international agencies including the World Bank and UNICEF. Dr. Siddiqi received her doctorate in Social Epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Chris Simpson
MD, FRCPC, FACC, FHRS, FCCS, FCAHS
Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Queen’s University
Chris Simpson
MD, FRCPC, FACC, FHRS, FCCS, FCAHS
Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Queen’s University
Dr. Chris Simpson is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology (Heart Rhythm Service) at Queen’s University as well as Vice-Dean (Clinical) of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medical Director of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization (SEAMO). He is a member of the Queen’s School of Policy Studies Health Policy Council.
Dr. Simpson’s primary non-clinical professional interest is health policy – particularly access to care, seniors’ care, wait times and medical fitness to drive. He served as the Chair of the Wait Times Alliance (WTA) and is a past chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s (CCS) Standing Committee on Health Policy and Advocacy. He has severed on the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario (CorHealth) Board of Directors, is a past member of the CCS executive and a former governor of the American College of Cardiology. In 2014-15, he served as President of the Canadian Medical Association.
Dr. Simpson is currently the Clinical Science Lead, Ontario Health COVID-19 Health System Response Oversight Table, which has developed a suite of guidance for health sectors as they navigate the pandemic.
He is the CMIO of Novari Health. In 2015, Dr. Simpson was elected to fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and will assume the presidency of CAHS in the Fall of 2020.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Queen’s University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-01 (PDF), 2020-08-14 (PDF)
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Arthur Slutsky
CM, FRSC, MD
Scientist, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto Professor of Medicine, Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Arthur Slutsky
CM, FRSC, MD
Scientist, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto Professor of Medicine, Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Dr. Arthur Slutsky is a Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, and Professor of Medicine, Surgery and Biomedical Engineering (University of Toronto). His research has been highly translational, focusing on : (1) importance of atelectrauma (injury caused opening-closing of lung units), (2) discovery of biotrauma (pulmonary mediators released during mechanical ventilation can lead to distal organ dysfunction), (3) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and (4) COVID-19. Many of these findings were followed by clinical research and multi-centered randomized clinical trials addressing lung protective mechanical ventilation.
Dr. Slutsky has published >550 original papers, 70 books/chapters, and many randomized controlled trials which have changed clinical guidelines and practice. He has a (Google Scholar) H-index of 130, and his work has received >90,000 citations.
He has won numerous awards including:
• ATS Critical Care Lifetime Achievement Award (2012)
• Dame Margaret-Turner Warwick Respiratory Lecturer Award of the U.K. National Heart and Lung Institute (2014)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Health Researcher of the Year (2014)
• Election to the Royal Society of Canada (2015)
• Appointed to the Order of Canada (2018)
- Publications:
- Pubmed
- Affiliated with:
- St. Michael’s Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-03-25 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-08-10 (PDF)
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Janet Smylie
MD MPH
Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Research Scientist and Staff Physician, St. Michael’s Hospital
Janet Smylie
MD MPH
Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Research Scientist and Staff Physician, St. Michael’s Hospital
Dr. Smylie is the Director of the Well Living House Action Research Centre for Indigenous Infant, Child, and Family Health and Wellbeing, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Advancing Generative Health Services for Indigenous Populations in Canada, and Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Dr. Smylie’s research focuses on addressing Indigenous health inequities in partnership with Indigenous communities. She is particularly focused on ensuring all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are counted into health policy and planning wherever they live in ways that make sense to them; addressing anti-Indigenous racism in health services; and advancing community-rooted innovations in health services for Indigenous populations. She maintains a part-time clinical practice at Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto and has practiced and taught family medicine in a variety of Indigenous communities both urban and rural. A Métis woman, Dr. Smylie acknowledges her family, traditional teachers, and ceremonial lodge.
- Publications:
- PubMed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Well Living House, DLSPH, University of Toronto, St. Michael’s Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-09 (PDF), 2020-08-14 (PDF)
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Nathan Stall
MD, PhD(c), FRCPC
Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, Sinai Health and the University Health Network Hospitals Research Fellow, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital PhD Candidate, Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program and the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Nathan Stall
MD, PhD(c), FRCPC
Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, Sinai Health and the University Health Network Hospitals Research Fellow, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital PhD Candidate, Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program and the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Nathan Stall received his medical degree from Western University and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is currently a research fellow at Women‘s College Research Institute at Women’s College Hospital and is completing a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto. His doctoral research uses large administrative databases to study the population health impact of caregiving for dementia. His other research interests include drug safety for older adults, sex and gender-based determinants of ageing, and health care utilization among persons with dementia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been actively involved in research modelling long-term care home outbreaks and the factors associated with outbreaks occurring and the spread of COVID-19 throughout homes. His research is supported by the University of Toronto Department of Medicine’s Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. He has been a Staff Geriatrician at Sinai Health System since 2017. His clinical work focuses on acute care geriatrics. Dr. Stall attends on the inpatient Geriatric Medicine Consultation Service and on the Internal Medicine Clinical Teaching Units at Mount Sinai Hospital.
- Publications:
- PubMed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Sinai Health
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-07-02 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2021-01-08 (PDF)
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Tania Watts
PhD
Professor and Associate Chair, Post-doctoral program Department of Immunology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto
Tania Watts
PhD
Professor and Associate Chair, Post-doctoral program Department of Immunology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto
Dr. Tania Watts received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Alberta in 1983, followed by post-doctoral studies in Chemistry at Stanford University, California from 1983-1986. Dr. Watts joined the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor in Immunology in 1986. Dr. Watts has had a long-term interest in immunity to viruses, focusing on how T lymphocytes respond to and are regulated during acute and chronic infections, such as influenza virus or HIV. More recently she has studied T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 convalescent patients. Dr. Watts is also involved in a study of immunity to COVID19 vaccines in the immunocompromised. Dr. Watts is a former President of the Canadian Society for Immunology and has published 132 scientific papers.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Scott Weese
DVM, DVSc, DACVIM
Professor, Ontario Veterinary College and Director, Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, University of Guelph
Scott Weese
DVM, DVSc, DACVIM
Professor, Ontario Veterinary College and Director, Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, University of Guelph
Dr. Weese is a veterinary internist and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He is a Professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Director of the University of Guelph Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, and Chief of Infection Control at the Ontario Veterinary College Teaching Hospital.
- Affiliated with:
- Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-06-07 (PDF), 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
Secretariat
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Kali Barrett
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Assistant Scientific Director Clinical Associate, University Health Network Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto
Kali Barrett
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Assistant Scientific Director Clinical Associate, University Health Network Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Barrett received her BA (Hon) with a major in Art History and a minor in Health Studies at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario. She received her Medical degree from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario. She completed her training in Internal Medicine and Adult Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. She has a Master’s of Science in Health Policy, Planning & Financing from the London School of Economics & Policy, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and was awarded the Brian Abel Smith award for top marks in her course work and thesis. She is currently pursuing additional training in health technology assessment at IHPME.
Dr. Barrett works as a critical care physician at Toronto Western Hospital. Her research interests are value-based delivery of critical care medicine and health policy development. She is a member of the COVID-19 Modelling Collaborative. She sits on the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee at Ontario Health.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile
- Affiliated with:
- University Health Network, UofT
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-04-18 (PDF)
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Robert Steiner
MBA
Director of Communications Assistant Professor, Clinical Public Health and Institute of Health Policy; Management and Evaluation Director, Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Robert Steiner
MBA
Director of Communications Assistant Professor, Clinical Public Health and Institute of Health Policy; Management and Evaluation Director, Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Robert Steiner is Assistant Professor and director of journalism and health advocacy programs at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto. The Fellowship is the first journalism program designed specifically to teach outstanding specialists with graduate degrees or professional experience in a field how to cover their own disciplines as freelance reporters for media around the world.
Mr. Steiner began his career as a global finance correspondent for The Wall Street Journal with postings in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, where he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, won two Overseas Press Club awards and the Inter-American Press Association Award.
After leaving The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Steiner received his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He then worked as a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group and later led strategic planning for Bell Globemedia, parent of the Globe and Mail and CTV. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Steiner served as Assistant Vice President of the University of Toronto in charge of Strategic Communications.
Mr. Steiner also served as health and public health policy advisor and principal speechwriter for Paul Martin, during his Liberal Party leadership campaign and transition to being Prime Minister of Canada in 2003. He subsequently advised the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet on the creation of the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2004. In 2000, Mr. Steiner had managed the Liberal Party of Canada’s new media campaign in the period leading to and during the federal general election, working for Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
- Affiliated with:
- The Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-25 (PDF)
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Antonina Maltsev
BCom, MPH Student
Senior Project Manager MPH Epidemiology Student, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Antonina Maltsev
BCom, MPH Student
Senior Project Manager MPH Epidemiology Student, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Antonina Maltsev is the Senior Project Manager for the Science Table and is a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology student at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, with a specialization in Strategic Management. Antonina’s professional experiences range from working at a CPG start-up in Toronto, where she helped build out the strategic direction and marketing for a new line of nine medical products, to working at the World Bank’s Primary Health Care Performance Initiative, where she developed engagement materials for the initiative’s dedicated effort towards improving primary health care in low-and middle-income countries. Most recently, Antonina worked as a Research Assistant at the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, where she developed reports on Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-31 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Karen Born
MSc, PhD
Senior Research Associate Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Knowledge Translation Lead, Choosing Wisely Canada
Karen Born
MSc, PhD
Senior Research Associate Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Knowledge Translation Lead, Choosing Wisely Canada
Karen Born is knowledge translation lead for the Choosing Wisely Canada campaign. She holds an MSc in international health policy the London School of Economics and a PhD in health services research from the University of Toronto. Research interests include supporting international communities of practice on Choosing Wisely and de-implementation, resource stewardship education and sustainable health systems. She is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (University of Toronto) and teaches on knowledge translation, qualitative research methods, quality improvement, value and sustainability.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile
- Affiliated with:
- DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-04-08 (PDF)
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Gerald Lebovic
PhD
Senior Research Associate Investigator, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Gerald Lebovic
PhD
Senior Research Associate Investigator, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Gerald Lebovic received a M.Sc. in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the University of Toronto. He has over 15 years of experience working on observational studies and has collaborated with numerous researchers from various disciplines on a variety of projects. Currently he is a Biostatistician at the Applied Health Research Centre, Unity Health Toronto (St. Michael’s Hospital) and an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (University of Toronto). Gerald’s research interests include, health services research, chronic diseases, longitudinal data analysis and observational studies.
- Publications:
- Pubmed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-11-09 (PDF)
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Justin Morgenstern
MD, MSc
Senior Research Associate Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Justin Morgenstern
MD, MSc
Senior Research Associate Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Justin Morgenstern is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and works as an emergency physician at Markham Stouffville Hospital. He completed his Master of Science in health professional education with a focus on ethics and research methodology. He is actively involved in medical education with a particular interest in evidence based medicine. He is the founder and editor in chief of the emergency medicine educational blog First10EM and a senior editor with Emergency Medicine Cases and the Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar, ORCiD
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-10-06 (PDF)
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Ayodele Odutayo
MD, DPhil
Senior Research Associate Resident Physician, University of Toronto
Ayodele Odutayo
MD, DPhil
Senior Research Associate Resident Physician, University of Toronto
Ayodele Odutayo completed General Internal Medicine residency training at the University of Toronto (UofT) and is now an Adult Nephrology Fellow at UofT. He has an interest in epidemiology and clinical trials and has completed an MSc in Global Health Science and a DPhil in Epidemiology, both at the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. In the future, his aim is to pursue a career as a clinical scientist.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Pavlos Bobos
MSc, PhD
Research Associate Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
Pavlos Bobos
MSc, PhD
Research Associate Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
Pavlos Bobos is a professionally trained clinician (physiotherapy) and a clinical epidemiologist.
His graduate studies were conducted at the Bone and Joint Institute at Western University and
the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at University of Toronto. Currently, he is a Postdoctoral
fellow at the Applied Health Research Centre in Toronto funded by The Arthritis Society of
Canada.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-28 (PDF), 2020-08-14 (PDF)
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Nicolas Bodmer
MMed
Research Associate Resident Physician, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen Doctoral student, University of Zurich
Nicolas Bodmer
MMed
Research Associate Resident Physician, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen Doctoral student, University of Zurich
Nicolas S. Bodmer completed his master’s degree in medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and started his residency in emergency medicine. He is also a senior research associate in a private research and med-tech company, working as a methodologist. He focusses on research synthesis and cost-effectiveness analyses. In the past, he participated in the development of digital health products in the healthcare sector.
Nicolas Bodmer was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Blizard Institute, Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in London (2014) and at the Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC) at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto (2019). He is currently planning his Ph.D. in clinical epidemiology.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-01 (PDF), 2020-11-03 (PDF)
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Yoojin Choi
PhD, MD Student
Research Associate MD Student, The University of British Columbia (UBC)
Yoojin Choi
PhD, MD Student
Research Associate MD Student, The University of British Columbia (UBC)
Yoojin Choi is a medical student at the University of British Columbia. She received an Honours BSc degree in Microbiology and Immunology from McGill University and a PhD in Immunology from the University of Toronto. During her graduate studies, Yoojin received CIHR’s Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral program and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship/Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology program.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Roisin McElroy
MD, MPH, CCFP(EM)
Research Associate Emergency Medicine Physician, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Unity Health Toronto Lecturer, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Roisin McElroy
MD, MPH, CCFP(EM)
Research Associate Emergency Medicine Physician, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Unity Health Toronto Lecturer, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Roisin McElroy is an emergency medicine physician and researcher at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Unity Health Toronto. She completed an MPH in Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University. She is the recent recipient of a FAFM COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Impact Grant (Co-RIG) for her work investigating therapeutics for COVID-19 outpatients at risk of complicated illness. Dr. McElroy is an Investigator within the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-08 (PDF), 2021-01-18 (PDF)
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Ashini Weerasinghe
MPH
Research Associate Epidemiologist, Public Health Ontario
Ashini Weerasinghe
MPH
Research Associate Epidemiologist, Public Health Ontario
Ashini Weerasinghe is an epidemiologist within the Health Promotion, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Program at Public Health Ontario. She holds a master’s degree in epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Within her role as an epidemiologist at Public Health Ontario, she has provided analytical expertise to examine the impact of alcohol warning labels on adult drinkers’ awareness of alcohol-related health risks and ability to make more informed and safer drinking choices, which has resulted in six peer-reviewed publications. She also advises staff within Public Health Ontario on matters related to statistical and epidemiological methods. She has previous experience preparing scientific manuscripts and presentations within the Ontario Breast Screening Program at Cancer Care Ontario. In addition, she has worked as a research coordinator within the Nicotine Dependence Clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where she established, maintained and managed a database of health care practitioners providing smoking cessation counselling in Ontario.
- Publications:
- Pubmed
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-01-29 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Diana Yan
HBSc Student
Research Associate HBSc Data Science & Pharmacology Student, University of Toronto
Diana Yan
HBSc Student
Research Associate HBSc Data Science & Pharmacology Student, University of Toronto
Shujun (Diana) Yan is a fifth year undergraduate student studying data science and pharmacology in University of Toronto. She spent a year working at Applied Health Research Center (AHRC) as a research assistant in the biostatistics team, where she provided data collection, processing, and statistical analysis for both randomized controlled trials and observational studies. AHRC is also where she gradually developed her interests in health care research work and gained experience using R. Shujun is also a teaching assistant of an undergraduate data structure course.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-09 (PDF), 2020-11-09 (PDF)
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Gabrielle Katz
BHSc (Honours) Student
Research Assistant
Gabrielle Katz
BHSc (Honours) Student
Research Assistant
Gabrielle is an undergraduate student who recently finished her first year in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) program at McMaster University. She previously worked as a summer research assistant with the Alain Lab at Rotman Research Institute, examining how music and sound affect the onset of mild cognitive impairment. Through her experience at Baycrest and her volunteer work, she developed her strong interest in health research and geriatrics.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-18 (PDF)
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Anna Perkhun
OCD
Research Assistant
Anna Perkhun
OCD
Research Assistant
Anna Perkhun is the Project and Research Assistant for the Science Table and is a recent Biotechnology-Health program graduate. Before joining the Science Table she worked as a Research Assistant in clinical trials in a private Dermatology Centre. Anna is aspiring to pursue a career in the biomedical field and wants to study neuroscience in the future.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-31 (PDF), 2021-01-26 (PDF)
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Victoria Chechulina
Administrative Assistant
Victoria Chechulina
Administrative Assistant
Victoria Chechulina is the Administrative Assistant for the Science Table. She is a student in the International Baccalaureate program in Toronto. She has worked with numerous youth organizations, including Ontario DECA, and recently completed a project examining the digital safety of marginalized communities at the UofT Global Ideas Institute. She is passionate about biomedical sciences and hopes to pursue a career in healthcare.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-06-02 (PDF)
Observers
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Patrick Feng
About the Working Groups
The Science Table has set up Working Groups to bring together a smaller, more focused group of experts to address topics in a particular COVID-19-related field. Working Group members were selected by drawing upon existing Science Table members, who are joined by additional subject-matter experts.
The Working Groups regularly report their findings to the Science Table, which are then published as Science Briefs to our website.
Behavioural Science Working Group
The Behavioural Science Working Group is a group of behavioural science experts and public health leaders who summarise behavioural science evidence in the context of COVID-19 and identify actionable guidance for Ontario’s pandemic response.
Behavioural science experts were selected based on their specific expertise in behaviour change, spanning behavioural medicine, health, clinical and social psychology, behavioural economics, and implementation science. Public Health leaders joining the group were invited based on their expertise in promoting health-protective behaviours and vaccination.
Leadership
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Justin Presseau
PhD
Co-Chair Associate Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Justin Presseau
PhD
Co-Chair Associate Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Dr. Justin Presseau is an Associate Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and a Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute where he leads the Psychology and Health Research Group and is core faculty in the Centre for Implementation Research. He is the Scientific Lead for Knowledge Translation at the Ottawa Methods Centre SPOR Support Unit.
His research program operates at the intersection between health psychology and implementation science. His research draws on behavioural science to understand factors that promote and undermine behaviour change in healthcare, and in patients and the general public. He is the recipient of early career awards from the UK Society for Behavioural Medicine, the International Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the European Health Psychology Society, and a mid-career award from the Canadian Psychological Association. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and is Associate Editor for the journals Implementation Science, as well as being chair of the Canadian Psychological Association’s Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine section.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile
- Affiliated with:
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-31 (PDF), 2021-01-27 (PDF)
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Laura Desveaux
PhD, PT
Co-Chair Scientific Lead, Institute for Better Health; Learning Health System Program Lead, Trillium Health Partners; Innovation Fellow, Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Women’s College Hospital; Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Executive Director, Women Who Lead
Laura Desveaux
PhD, PT
Co-Chair Scientific Lead, Institute for Better Health; Learning Health System Program Lead, Trillium Health Partners; Innovation Fellow, Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Women’s College Hospital; Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Executive Director, Women Who Lead
Laura is a scientist and physical therapist whose work draws on behavioural psychology and implementation science to design and evaluate interventions that aim to optimize care. To understand what makes an initiative successful and how to scale it, her team examines what drives behaviour, how and why things work, and the process, mechanisms of change and the contextual factors that characterize success (and failure). This approach provides insights into what works best, for whom, and in what circumstance and helps inform how to effect change at a system level. She collaborates with health system decision-makers to bridge the research to practice gap by helping them apply the principles of implementation science and behaviour change to their work.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- Women’s College Research Institute, Institute for Better Health, Women Who Lead
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-27 (PDF)
Members
-
Upton Allen
MBBS, FRCPC
Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto
Upton Allen
MBBS, FRCPC
Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto
Upton Allen is a professor at the University of Toronto. He is chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Allen is a senior associate scientist in the Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children. His primary appointment is with the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics. He is cross-appointed as a professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto.
Dr. Allen is a past director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a Fellow of the Society. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ad the Royal College of Physicians (UK). In 2018, he was awarded the Order of Ontario, whoch is the highest honored awared by the province of Ontario, CVanada.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto, SickKids
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-12 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Trevor Arnason
MD, MSC, CCFP, FRCPC
Associate Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health; Adjunct Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa
Trevor Arnason
MD, MSC, CCFP, FRCPC
Associate Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health; Adjunct Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa
Trevor Arnason has an MD from the University of Toronto, and did a combined residency in Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. In 2016, he moved to the east coast to be the Regional Medical Officer of Health for Halifax where he worked on several health promotion initiatives and co-led responses to multiple vaccine preventable disease outbreaks including one of the largest measles outbreaks in Canada in recent years. In January 2019, he returned to his hometown to work as an Associate Medical Officer of Health with Ottawa Public Health where is consultant to the vaccination and sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections portfolio. He also works part-time as a family doctor in an urgent care clinic.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- uOttawa School of Epidemiology and Public Health
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-12 (PDF)
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Adalsteinn Brown
DPhil, AB
Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Senior Fellow, Massey College
Adalsteinn Brown
DPhil, AB
Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Senior Fellow, Massey College
Adalsteinn Brown is the Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He has worked with decision-makers in Ontario and elsewhere to develop research and capacity development programs in performance measurement, quality improvement, and leadership.
Prior to becoming Dean, he was the Director of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and the Dalla Lana Chair of Public Health Policy also at the University. Other past roles include head of strategy for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care and the head of policy and science for the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.
He received his undergraduate degree in government from Harvard University and his doctorate from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He was also named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 for his work on healthcare performance.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto, DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-12 (PDF), 2020-08-11 (PDF)
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Judy Buchan
RN, BScN, MN, PMP
Director of Public Health Emergencies, Region of Peel
Judy Buchan
RN, BScN, MN, PMP
Director of Public Health Emergencies, Region of Peel
She has a Bachelor of Political Science degree from McMaster University, a Baccalaureate of Nursing Science from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Nursing from Ryerson University. She has also completed the Advanced Health Leadership Program at the Joseph L Rotman School of Management – University of Toronto and well as a Project Management Professional certification.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-01 (PDF)
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Rachel Burns
PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton University
Rachel Burns
PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton University
Dr. Rachel Burns is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University. She received a PhD in Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2014. She complemented this training with a postdoctoral fellowship in mental health epidemiology at McGill University and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal.
Dr. Burns’ research leverages psychological theory to identify the social and psychological processes that shape health behaviour and outcomes with an eye towards understanding how these processes unfold over time. Her work has appeared in journals such as Health Psychology and Annals of Behavioral Medicine. She is currently an Associate Editor for Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Carleton University Health Psychology Lab
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-18 (PDF)
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Kim Corace
PhD, CPsych
Vice President, Innovation & Transformation, The Royal Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa Clinical Investigator, Institute of Mental Health Research Adjunct Research Professor, Carleton University President, Canadian Psychological Association
Kim Corace
PhD, CPsych
Vice President, Innovation & Transformation, The Royal Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa Clinical Investigator, Institute of Mental Health Research Adjunct Research Professor, Carleton University President, Canadian Psychological Association
Dr Kim Corace is the Vice President of Innovation and Transformation at The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at University of Ottawa, an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University, a Clinical Investigator with the Institute of Mental Health Research, and a Clinical Health Psychologist. She has expertise in health behavior change, including how behaviour change theories can be used to guide and inform novel interventions to improve healthcare worker vaccination uptake and hand hygiene adherence. Dr. Corace is a founding member of the Canadian Network for Health Behavior Change and Promotion. She works at regional, provincial, and national levels to develop innovative interventions that lead to improved healthcare access and outcomes for priority populations (specifically people living with substance use and mental health co-morbidities), with a focus on developing collaborative care models. She contributes her expertise to numerous standards and guidelines committees as well as policy development initiatives to improve mental health and addictions care. Dr. Corace is currently the President of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA).
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- The Royal Mental Health – Care & Research , uOttawa Department of Psychiatry , Psychology – Carleton University, Canadian Psychological Association
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-01 (PDF)
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Vinita Dubey
MD, MPH, FRCPC
Associate Medical Officer of Health, The Vaccine Preventable Disease Program, Toronto Public Health; Adjunct Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Vinita Dubey
MD, MPH, FRCPC
Associate Medical Officer of Health, The Vaccine Preventable Disease Program, Toronto Public Health; Adjunct Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Dr. Vinita Dubey works as an Associate Medical Officer of Health for Toronto Public Health specializing with the Vaccine Preventable Disease program. She also works as an emergency medicine physician outside the GTA. She holds an Adjunct Professor appointment with the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-28 (PDF)
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Gerald Evans
MD, FRCPC
Professor of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University; Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control, Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Gerald Evans
MD, FRCPC
Professor of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University; Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control, Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Dr. Gerald Evans is the Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases and a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Pathology & Molecular Medicine at Queen’s University He was initially appointed to a faculty position at Queen’s University in 1990.
He is an attending physician in Infectious Diseases at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Providence Care Hospital. Dr. Evans has been Medical Director of Infection Prevention & Control at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Providence Care Hospital since 2011. He is an Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) consultant physician with Public Health Ontario, and an Affiliate Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES-Queens).
He was the President of AMMI Canada from 2009-2011 and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Official Journal of the Association of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada.
- Publications:
- NCBI
- Affiliated with:
- Department of Medicine, Queen’s University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-25 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Leandre Fabrigar
PhD, CPsych
Professor of Psychology, Queen’s University
Leandre R. Fabrigar is a Professor of Psychology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Dr. Fabrigar’s primary research interests fall within the domain of attitude and persuasion research. Within this domain, his research has investigated the effects of attitude structure and social context in regulating the susceptibility of attitudes to persuasion and the impact of attitudes on behavior, judgment, and information processing. His research has also explored methods of measuring attitudes and their underlying structural properties. Other research interests include the psychological mechanisms underlying social influence tactics and methodological issues in the application of statistical methods (e.g., factor analysis and structural equation modeling) to psychological research. From 2003-2005, he served as an associate editor of Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. From 2013-2016, he served as co-editor of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. He was elected to the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (SMEP) in 2002 and to the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP) in 2003. He is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), Association for Psychological Science (APS), and Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA). Dr. Fabrigar has served as principal investigator on research projects sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (OPGRC).
- Affiliated with:
- Queen’s University – Department of Psychology
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-26 (PDF)
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Jeremy Grimshaw
MBChB, PhD
Senior Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Professorof Medicine, University of Ottawa
Jeremy Grimshaw
MBChB, PhD
Senior Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Professorof Medicine, University of Ottawa
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal College of Edinburgh. He has received the CIHR Knowledge Translation award twice; in 2004, he received the inaugural award for his personal contribution to the field and in 2013 Cochrane Canada (under his leadership) also received the award. In 2018, he received the CIHR Barer-Flood career achievement award for Health Services and Policy Research. He has over 600 peer reviewed publications. Since 2015, he has consistently ranked as a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher, based on the high citation rate of his published work.
- Publications:
- The Ottawa Hospital
- Affiliated with:
- The Ottawa Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-01-26 (PDF)
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Anne Hayes
MPH, BA
Director, Research, Analysis and Evaluation Branch, Strategic Policy, Planning and French Language Services Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care
Anne Hayes
MPH, BA
Director, Research, Analysis and Evaluation Branch, Strategic Policy, Planning and French Language Services Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care
Anne has an international track record in strategic policy and research development through progressive leadership roles in government organizations and universities in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom and Canada. Since her recruitment to Ontario ten years ago, Anne has frequently been recognized with public service awards (ie ACE and Amethyst Awards) for her work on strategic policy and research initiatives at the Ministries of Health / Long-Term Care. Most recently, Anne has led the modernization of the research function creating the new Applied Health Evidence Program to guide strategic and relevant research investments applying integrated knowledge translation, and patient-oriented research approaches. She leads a team of high skilled policy and research analysts who provide tailored evidence synthesis, economic analysis, and evaluation consultancy services to clients across the ministries. She has actively brokered stronger relationships between the research community and health system knowledge users and is frequently a health system knowledge user on CIHR funded research grants. Anne and her team quickly responded to the COVID-19 pandemic including: established the Evidence Synthesis (ES) Network of leading ES experts across the province; produced a number of Evidence Synthesis Briefing Notes; produced weekly Evidence Updates for the sector; developed the COVID-19 Research Priorities Framework and Challenge Question initiative; partnered with Ministry of Colleges and Universities and CIHR on COVID-19 research funding opportunities; and participated in the COVID-19 modelling table.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-26 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Julian House
PhD
Behavioural Scientist, Ontario Public Service Research Fellow, Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman, University of Toronto
Julian House
PhD
Behavioural Scientist, Ontario Public Service Research Fellow, Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman, University of Toronto
Julian House is a scientist in the Ontario government’s Behavioural Insights Unit (BIU). He also teaches behavioural economics and marketing at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, where he is a research fellow. His research into how behavioural science can be applied to advance public policy and social welfare aims appears in top academic journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Management Science, and the Behavioural Science and Policy Journal.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-27 (PDF)
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Doug Manuel
MD, FRCPC, MSc
Distinguished University Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa Senior Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Doug Manuel
MD, FRCPC, MSc
Distinguished University Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa Senior Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Dr. Manuel is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Ottawa in the Departments of Family Medicine and School of Epidemiology and Public Health. He is a Senior Scientist at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, a Clinical Scientist with C.T. Lamont Primary Health Care Research Centre, Bruyère Research Institute, a Senior Core Scientist at ICES and a Senior Medical Advisor for Statistics Canada.
Dr. Manuel’s research combines interests in public health, health care systems and primary care. He collaborates to develop advanced predictive algorithms and microsimulation models to assess population health and the health impact of health strategies. He has written on how societies with the best population health have achieved their success. He has published over 250 studies, including papers in the leading medical journals. For over 25 years, Dr. Manuel has been a primary care doctor in rural, remote and underserved Canadian communities.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar, ORCiD
- Affiliated with:
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-08 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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David McKeown
MDCM, MHSc, FRCPC
Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Ministry of Health Adjunct Professor, Clinical Public Health Division, University of Toronto
David McKeown
MDCM, MHSc, FRCPC
Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Ministry of Health Adjunct Professor, Clinical Public Health Division, University of Toronto
Dr. David McKeown is the Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health for the province of Ontario, with responsibility for supporting the provincial covid-19 response. He is a physician specialist who has worked in the public health field for over 30 years. From 2004-2016 he led Toronto Public Health, Canada’s largest local public health agency, serving a diverse population of 2.7 million people. He has also served as the Medical Officer of Health for East York, the Region of Peel, and the former City of Toronto prior to municipal amalgamation. Dr. McKeown led the local public health response to the H1N1 pandemic, a major outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease, and the first outbreak of West Nile Virus in Canada.
Dr. McKeown holds a medical degree from McGill University, a Master’s degree in Community Health and Epidemiology from the University of Toronto, and is Assistant Professor (adjunct) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow in Public Health and Preventive Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a certificant of the American College of Preventive Medicine.
Dr. McKeown has published public reports on a wide range of public health issues, including Health Inequities, Child health, Newcomer Health, the Built Environment, and Racialization and health.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-01-26 (PDF), 2020-08-17 (PDF)
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Rhiannon Mosher
PhD
Senior Policy Advisor, Ontario Public Service
Rhiannon Mosher
PhD
Senior Policy Advisor, Ontario Public Service
Dr. Rhiannon Mosher is a Senior Policy Advisor for the Ontario government’s Behavioural Insights Unit (BIU). In this role, she works with partners in ministries across Ontario and other public sector organizations to help improve program and service delivery through evidence-based, human-centred solutions. Rhiannon has helped design and test solutions to improve programs and service in health, labour, and transportation. Most recently, she has been supporting work to inform the province’s response to COVID-19.
Rhiannon holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from York University. Her past academic research has focused on issues of citizenship, civic participation, structural inequality and diversity in the context of immigration and settlement.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-22 (PDF)
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Robert Reid
MD, PhD
Chief Scientist, Trillium Health Partners Professor (status), Institute for Health Policy & Management, University of Toronto Professor (status), Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto Professor (part-time), Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University Affiliate Associate Professor, Health Services, University of Washington
Robert Reid
MD, PhD
Chief Scientist, Trillium Health Partners Professor (status), Institute for Health Policy & Management, University of Toronto Professor (status), Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto Professor (part-time), Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University Affiliate Associate Professor, Health Services, University of Washington
Dr. Robert Reid is inaugural Hazel McCallion Research Chair in Learning Health Systems, a research chair jointly created by Trillium Health Partners and the University of Toronto. He is also Chief Scientist at the Institute for Better Health (IBH) and Senior Vice President of Science at Trillium Health Partners (THP). As one of the largest community hospital systems in Canada with a diverse and growing population, THP’s mission is to create a new kind of health care for a healthier community. IBH, THP’s embedded research and innovation engine, focuses on generating cutting-edge science and innovation on novel ways to engage, design, deliver and finance health care, and on creating partnerships with patients, caregivers and our community in the pursuit of improving population health.
At the University of Toronto, Dr. Reid holds an academic appointment at the University of Toronto, as Professor (status) with the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, and with the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He also holds academic appointments as Professor (part-time) with McMaster University’s Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact; Affiliate Investigator with Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute; and Affiliate Associate Professor with the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
Dr. Reid received his medical degree from the University of Alberta and completed a Master’s Degree in in Epidemiology and a PhD in Health Policy and Management from the Johns Hopkins University. He is a global expert and thought leader in population health, learning health systems, and primary care. He is best known for his seminal work in developing and evaluating pioneering patient-centred medical home at Group Health Cooperative, now Kaiser Permanente, in Seattle, Washington, which integrated and streamlined team-based care to improve quality, patient experience and yield cost savings. He is also internationally acclaimed for his research to develop and test population-based innovations in primary care delivery, prevention services and chronic care. Dr. Reid is currently providing leading expertise in the re-design of Ontario’s health care system through the newly introduced Ontario Health Teams initiative and co-chairs the Evidence Synthesis Network, created to provide decision-makers in with rapid evidence related to the COVID-19 response in Ontario .
Dr. Reid has lectured nationally and internationally on the organization, financing and delivery of care – from the Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and Harvard to Ottawa, London and Auckland. Dr. Reid has published over 150 articles in refereed journals and has delivered over 150 scientific and policy invited presentations.
- Affiliated with:
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-07 (PDF), 2021-02-03 (PDF)
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Brian Schwartz
MD, MScCH
Vice-President, Public Health Ontario Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Brian Schwartz
MD, MScCH
Vice-President, Public Health Ontario Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Brian Schwartz provides executive leadership for PHO’s public health science and population health programs including environmental and occupational health, health promotion, chronic disease and injury prevention, and research and ethics services. Previous portfolios include health protection, emergency preparedness, communicable diseases and infection prevention and control. Dr. Schwartz served as Scientific Advisor to the Emergency Management Branch of the Ministry of Heath and Long Term Care from 2004 to 2011, and was Public Health Ontario’s inaugural Chief of Emergency Management Support. He acted as Vice-chair of the Ontario SARS Scientific Advisory Committee in 2003 and was Chair of the Scientific Response Team for the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
Before entering public health Dr. Schwartz practiced emergency medicine for over 30 years in community and academic settings. He held the position of Director of the Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Care from 1996 to 2009, and has published extensively in emergency medicine, prehospital/paramedic care, and health emergency preparedness and response. He has been a member of the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan Working Group since its inception.
Brian obtained his medical degree and Master of Science in Community Health from the University of Toronto and in 2012. He received his certification in emergency medicine from and is a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
- Publications:
- PubMed , ResearchGate
- Affiliated with:
- Public Health Ontario, DLSPH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-06 (PDF), 2020-07-19 (PDF)
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Gilla Shapiro
MA(Cantab), MPP/MPA, PhD, CPsych
Psychologist, Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network; Psychologist, Evidence-Based Therapy, Training and Testing (EBT3); Research Consultant, World Health Organization; Postdoctoral Fellow, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network
Gilla Shapiro
MA(Cantab), MPP/MPA, PhD, CPsych
Psychologist, Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network; Psychologist, Evidence-Based Therapy, Training and Testing (EBT3); Research Consultant, World Health Organization; Postdoctoral Fellow, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network
Dr. Gilla Shapiro is a Clinical and Health Psychologist. Her clinical and research interests include vaccination, psychosocial oncology, the determinants of health, health services, equity, and policy. Dr. Shapiro has published over 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals, multiple book chapters, and patient education booklets. She has conducted research for the World Health Organization, Hospital for Sick Children, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, the Global Public Policy institute, the Social Science Research Center Berlin, among others. Her research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute. She is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS), and Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO).
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile, ORCID Profile
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-06-02 (PDF)
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Robert Steiner
MBA
Assistant Professor, Clinical Public Health and Institute of Health Policy; Management and Evaluation Director, Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Robert Steiner
MBA
Assistant Professor, Clinical Public Health and Institute of Health Policy; Management and Evaluation Director, Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Robert Steiner is Assistant Professor and director of journalism and health advocacy programs at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto. The Fellowship is the first journalism program designed specifically to teach outstanding specialists with graduate degrees or professional experience in a field how to cover their own disciplines as freelance reporters for media around the world.
Mr. Steiner began his career as a global finance correspondent for The Wall Street Journal with postings in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, where he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, won two Overseas Press Club awards and the Inter-American Press Association Award.
After leaving The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Steiner received his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He then worked as a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group and later led strategic planning for Bell Globemedia, parent of the Globe and Mail and CTV. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Steiner served as Assistant Vice President of the University of Toronto in charge of Strategic Communications.
Mr. Steiner also served as health and public health policy advisor and principal speechwriter for Paul Martin, during his Liberal Party leadership campaign and transition to being Prime Minister of Canada in 2003. He subsequently advised the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet on the creation of the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2004. In 2000, Mr. Steiner had managed the Liberal Party of Canada’s new media campaign in the period leading to and during the federal general election, working for Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
- Affiliated with:
- The Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-25 (PDF)
Secretariat
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Ashini Weerasinghe
MPH
Research Associate Epidemiologist, Public Health Ontario
Ashini Weerasinghe
MPH
Research Associate Epidemiologist, Public Health Ontario
Ashini Weerasinghe is an epidemiologist within the Health Promotion, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Program at Public Health Ontario. She holds a master’s degree in epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Within her role as an epidemiologist at Public Health Ontario, she has provided analytical expertise to examine the impact of alcohol warning labels on adult drinkers’ awareness of alcohol-related health risks and ability to make more informed and safer drinking choices, which has resulted in six peer-reviewed publications. She also advises staff within Public Health Ontario on matters related to statistical and epidemiological methods. She has previous experience preparing scientific manuscripts and presentations within the Ontario Breast Screening Program at Cancer Care Ontario. In addition, she has worked as a research coordinator within the Nicotine Dependence Clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where she established, maintained and managed a database of health care practitioners providing smoking cessation counselling in Ontario.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-07 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Premy Selvakumar
BCom
Administrative Assistant
Premy Selvakumar
BCom
Administrative Assistant
Premy Selvakumar currently works at Public Health Ontario as an Administrative Assistant in the Health Promotion, Chronic Disease, Injury Prevention Department. She has over 10 years of administrative experience and has supported a variety high level of executives. She holds a Bachelor of commerce degree with a major in Human Resources and a minor in Marketing.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-03 (PDF)
Observers
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Ali Merali
Congregate Care Setting Working Group
The Congregate Care Setting Working Group is a group of scientific experts and public health leaders who summarise emerging evidence related to the congregate settings of vulnerable older adults, such as long-term care and retirement homes, to inform Ontario’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Working Group members are internationally recognized researchers with expertise in older people living in congregate care settings, who come from diverse backgrounds and geographic areas of Ontario.
Leadership
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Paula Rochon
MD, MPH, FRCPC
Chair Senior Scientist and Geriatrician Women’s College Hospital; Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; RTOERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine, University of Toronto.
Paula Rochon
MD, MPH, FRCPC
Chair Senior Scientist and Geriatrician Women’s College Hospital; Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; RTOERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine, University of Toronto.
Dr. Rochon is a geriatrician and senior scientist at Women’s College Hospital. She is a professor in the Department of Medicine and is the inaugural RTOERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Rochon’s research focuses on understanding the unique needs of older adults, particularly older women, and promotes their health and wellness. She has contributed to our understanding of aging and its impact both on individual patients and the healthcare system. These contributions include highlighting the need to consider sex, gender and age in research so that results are more relevant to older women and men and tailoring prescribing strategies to reduce adverse drug events.
Dr. Rochon has a strong record of federal funding and has published more than 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals. She is the Vice-Chair of the CIHR Institute of Aging Advisory Board and has received research distinctions, including being elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and being awarded the Eaton Clinical Researcher of the Year Award for 2020 from the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. In January of 2020, she was invited to participate on an Advisory Group to support the Ministry of Long-Term Care in developing a long-term care staffing study; in April 2020 she was invited to join a national Task Group on COVID-19 in long-term care homes. This task group was convened to provide practical advice to the federal government on the topic of long-term care homes.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- Women’s Collage Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-27 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF)
Members
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Pat Armstrong
MA, PhD, FRSC
Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology, York University
Pat Armstrong
MA, PhD, FRSC
Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology, York University
Pat Armstrong is Distinguished Research Professor in Sociology at York University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She held a CHSRF/CIHR Chair in Health Services and Nursing Research and chaired Women and Health Care Reform, a group funded for over a decade by Health Canada. She has served as Chair of the Department of Sociology at York, Director of the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University and as a board member of both the Canadian Health Coalition and of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. She was Principal Investigator of the 10-year study “Reimagining Long-term Residential Care: An International Study of Promising Practices” as well as of numerous other research projects’, including a current one on families and COVID.
- Affiliated with:
- York University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-28 (PDF)
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Kevin Antoine Brown
MS, PhD
Scientist, Infection Prevention and Control, Public Health Ontario Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Kevin Antoine Brown
MS, PhD
Scientist, Infection Prevention and Control, Public Health Ontario Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Kevin Brown is an infectious disease epidemiologist and health services researcher at Public Health Ontario and the University of Toronto. He received his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Toronto and his MSc in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina. He studies healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance, with a specialty in Clostridiodes difficile. His research has focused on creating reproducible indexes of antibiotic risk, understanding the role of built environment in infectious disease transmission, and documenting geographic variation in diagnosis of infections, prescribing of antibiotics, and outcomes.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- ICES, DLSPH, UofT, Public Health Ontario
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-12 (PDF)
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Andrew Costa
PhD
Associate Professor & Schlegel Chair in Clinical Epidemiology & Aging; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact; Department of Medicine, McMaster University. Research Director, Centre for Integrated Care, St. Joseph’s Health System Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Andrew Costa
PhD
Associate Professor & Schlegel Chair in Clinical Epidemiology & Aging; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact; Department of Medicine, McMaster University. Research Director, Centre for Integrated Care, St. Joseph’s Health System Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Andrew Costa is the Schlegel Research Chair in Clinical Epidemiology & Aging and an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact as well as Department of Medicine at McMaster University. He serves as the Scientific Director of the St. Joseph’s Centre for Integrated Car, Research Director of the McMaster School of Medicine (Waterloo Campus), and is an Associate Scientific Director of the Canada Longitudinal Study on Aging. His program of research makes use of health information (‘big data’) to target, develop, and evaluate models of care in home and community care, emergency departments, hospitals, and long-term care (https://bdg.mcmaster.ca/). He also leads work on digital tools for health care, including caregivers (https://www.yourcareplus.ca). He is leading or co-leading large federally funded teams to answer questions how COVID-19 is impacting older adults, including long-term care, retirement homes, and hospital inpatients (https://www.coregontario.ca/).
- Publications:
- Google Scolar
- Affiliated with:
- HEI, McMaster University, BDG, McMaster
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-26 (PDF)
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Sudeep Gill
MD MSc FRCPC
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Queen’s University Senior Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Geriatrician and health services researcher with interest in optimizing prescribing for frail older adults and transitions across different settings of care.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- Queen’s University, ICES
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-06-02 (PDF), 2021-01-26 (PDF)
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Michael Hillmer
PhD
Assistant Deputy Minister, Capacity Planning and Analytics Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Michael Hillmer
PhD
Assistant Deputy Minister, Capacity Planning and Analytics Division, Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Michael is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic, coordinated approaches to health workforce and capacity planning ensuring that an optimal supply, mix, and distribution of health professionals. He leads the data and analytics portfolio for the ministries of health and long-term care providing insights to improve planning, programming, and accountability.
He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation where he teaches and publishes in the areas of health services research and knowledge translation.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-10 (PDF), 2020-08-14 (PDF)
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Jennie Johnstone
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto
Jennie Johnstone
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto
Dr. Johnstone is an Infectious Diseases Physician at UHN/Sinai Health and is the Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) at Sinai Health. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. Her research interests focus on prevention of healthcare associated infections and she has published more than 90 peer reviewed research articles in the field. She has been involved in the COVID-19 pandemic response locally as Medical Director at Sinai Health and as an IPAC Hub providing support to Congregate Care settings and through her roles as Vice Chair of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Advisory of IPAC, as Chair of the Ontario’s Provincial Expert Testing Strategy Panel, and as Chair of the Toronto Region IPAC Hub Coordination Table.
- Publications:
- PubMed , ResearchGate
- Affiliated with:
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-01 (PDF)
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Aaron Jones
PhD
Postdoctoral fellow, ICES
Aaron Jones
PhD
Postdoctoral fellow, ICES
Aaron Jones is a health services research and postdoctoral fellow at ICES in Toronto. He received his PhD in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University and a MSc in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina. He is primarily interested in understanding how health services can be better organized and delivered for older adults with more complex care needs. His research uses large, health administrative databases to study the health service use of older adults across home care, primary care, hospital, and long-term care settings.
- Publications:
- Google Scolar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- ICES
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-01-27 (PDF)
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Pamela Leece
MD, MSc, CCFP(AM), FRCPC
Public Health Physician, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention (HPCDIP) department, Public Health Ontario; Courtesy Staff, The Substance Use Service, Women’s College Hospital; Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Pamela Leece
MD, MSc, CCFP(AM), FRCPC
Public Health Physician, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention (HPCDIP) department, Public Health Ontario; Courtesy Staff, The Substance Use Service, Women’s College Hospital; Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Pamela Leece is a Public Health Physician with the Health Promotion, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention (HPCDIP) department at Public Health Ontario (PHO). During the COVID-19 response, her work has focused on congregate settings (e.g., long-term care, retirement, and other congregate settings) and health equity. She is an Assistant Professor cross-appointed with the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health at University of Toronto. She also practices part-time as a Courtesy Staff in the Substance Use Service at Women’s College Hospital. Her current research focuses on public health approaches to substance use.
- Publications:
- Pubmed
- Affiliated with:
- Public Health Ontario
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-02 (PDF)
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Rachel Savage
PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Women’s College Hospital
Rachel Savage
PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Women’s College Hospital
Dr. Savage received her MSc in epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a PhD in epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She has over ten years of local and provincial public health experience, and a proven track record in conducting impactful, applied, and collaborative public health research. Her research aims to improve the health of older adults, immigrants, and women. She is the principal investigator of a national study, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, that explores how loneliness and social isolation affects how older adults use the healthcare system. She is also a collaborator on a transnational initiative to explore medication safety in older women and men. Dr. Savage’s research is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research postdoctoral fellowship.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-01-28 (PDF)
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Nathan Stall
MD, PhD(c)
Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, Sinai Health and the University Health Network Hospitals Research Fellow, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital PhD Candidate, Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program and the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Nathan Stall
MD, PhD(c)
Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, Sinai Health and the University Health Network Hospitals Research Fellow, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital PhD Candidate, Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program and the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Nathan Stall received his medical degree from Western University and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is currently a research fellow at Women‘s College Research Institute at Women’s College Hospital and is completing a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto. His doctoral research uses large administrative databases to study the population health impact of caregiving for dementia. His other research interests include drug safety for older adults, sex and gender-based determinants of ageing, and health care utilization among persons with dementia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been actively involved in research modelling long-term care home outbreaks and the factors associated with outbreaks occurring and the spread of COVID-19 throughout homes. His research is supported by the University of Toronto Department of Medicine’s Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. He has been a Staff Geriatrician at Sinai Health System since 2017. His clinical work focuses on acute care geriatrics. Dr. Stall attends on the inpatient Geriatric Medicine Consultation Service and on the Internal Medicine Clinical Teaching Units at Mount Sinai Hospital.
- Publications:
- PubMed, Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Sinai Health
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-07-02 (PDF), 2021-02-07 (PDF), 2021-01-08 (PDF)
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Peter Tanuseputro
MHSc, MD
Assistant Professor, Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Peter Tanuseputro
MHSc, MD
Assistant Professor, Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Peter completed training as a Public Health and Preventive Medicine physician, and as a Family Physician at the University of Toronto. His current research includes using linked big data at ICES to develop population perspectives on aging and end of life in Ontario. Peter is involved in several provincial and national expert panels aimed at improving care for the aging. He holds a Tier 2 Clinical Research Chair in Palliative Care and Predictive Analytics, University of Ottawa. Peter also practices family medicine in the community including providing home visits to dying patients.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- The Ottawa Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-01-26 (PDF)
Secretariat
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Donna Seymour
Administrative Assistant
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-07 (PDF)
Drugs & Biologics Clinical Practice Guidelines Working Group
The Drugs & Biologics Clinical Practice Guidelines Working Group is a group of scientists with recognized clinical or scientific expertise in drugs and biologics. The Working Group will evaluate existing scientific data, disease epidemiology, drug availability, and implementation issues in order to develop Clinical Practice Guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19 using medication and biologics.
The members are selected based on their recognized clinical and/or scientific expertise in drugs and biologics. Specifically, membership includes representation from academic and community medicine, critical care medicine, family medicine, general internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, nursing, and pharmacy. The Working Group also includes a methodologist, epidemiologist, and knowledge translation and implementation science expert.
Leadership
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Andrew Morris
MD, SM
Co-Chair Professor, Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto; Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Sinai Health and University Health Network
Andrew Morris
MD, SM
Co-Chair Professor, Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto; Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Sinai Health and University Health Network
Dr. Andrew Morris is a Specialist in Infectious Diseases, and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is the Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai Health and University Health Network.
He is Past Chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Resistance Committee for the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada and of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee for the Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America.
His academic interests overlap the fields of epidemiology, behaviour change techniques, implementation science, and quality improvement as they relate to antimicrobial use and resistance.
- Publications:
- PubMed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Sinai Health-University Health Network Antimicrobial Stewardship Program:
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-12 (PDF)
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Menaka Pai
MSc MD FRCPC
Co-Chair Associate Professor of Medicine, McMaster University; Head of Service, Benign Hematology, Hamilton Health Sciences; Transfusion Medicine Quality Lead, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program
Menaka Pai
MSc MD FRCPC
Co-Chair Associate Professor of Medicine, McMaster University; Head of Service, Benign Hematology, Hamilton Health Sciences; Transfusion Medicine Quality Lead, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program
Menaka Pai is an Associate Professor of Medicine at McMaster University, and a hematologist and thrombosis medicine physician at Hamilton Health Sciences. She is Head of Service for Benign Hematology at Hamilton Health Sciences, and Quality Lead for Transfusion Medicine in the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program.
Dr. Pai completed her medical training at McMaster University and the University of Toronto. She holds a Masters degree in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University, and her graduate work was supported by fellowships from Thrombosis Canada and the Canadian Hemophilia Society.
Dr. Pai is a member of the McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research (MCTR) and the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TAARI). As a benign hematologist, her clinical interests focus on thrombosis and bleeding disorders. Her research interests include venous thromboembolism, transfusion medicine, research methods in rare diseases, and clinical practice guideline development. She is currently Chair of the American Society of Hematology’s Guideline Oversight Subcommittee.
- Publications:
- PubMed, Google Scholar , ResearchGate
- Affiliated with:
- McMaster University, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-08 (PDF)
Members
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Zainab Abdurrahman
BSc, MMath, FRCPC
Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) of Pediatrics, McMaster University
Zainab Abdurrahman
BSc, MMath, FRCPC
Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) of Pediatrics, McMaster University
Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman is an adjunct assistant clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto Medical School and completed both her Pediatrics training as well as her subspecialty training in Clinical Immunology and Allergy at McMaster University. She also has a Masters degree in Statistics (Biostatistics) from the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo.
At McMaster Children’s Hospital she is the allergy lead in the Special Immunization Clinic focusing on vaccine allergy. She also practices in the community in the Greater Toronto Area mainly in Mississauga.
At a provincial level she is the Section Chair for the Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Ontario Medical Association as well as a member of the OMA Civility, Diversity, and Inclusion committee. She is also the Fellows in Training co-Supervisor for the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
- Affiliated with:
- McMaster University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-08 (PDF)
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Nisha Andany
MD, MPH, FRCPC
Physician, Division of Infectious Diseases, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Andany completed medical school at the University of Toronto, followed by residency training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, also at the University of Toronto. She has a Masters of Public Health (MPH) Degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Andany is an Infectious Diseases and HIV Specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a member of the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile
- Affiliated with:
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-08 (PDF)
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Martin Betts
MD, FRCPC
Chief, Department of Critical Care; Medical Director, Critical Care Program – Scarborough Health Network; Lecturer, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto
Martin Betts
MD, FRCPC
Chief, Department of Critical Care; Medical Director, Critical Care Program – Scarborough Health Network; Lecturer, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto
Martin Betts is the inaugural Chief of the Department of Critical Care and Medical Director of the Critical Care Program at Scarborough Health Network and appointed in the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. In addition to critical care medicine he practices in internal medicine and adult sleep medicine and has advanced training in patient safety and quality improvement.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-08 (PDF)
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Stephanie Carlin
PharmD, ACPR2
Clinical Pharmacist, Hamilton Health Sciences
Stephanie Carlin
PharmD, ACPR2
Clinical Pharmacist, Hamilton Health Sciences
Stephanie Carlin is a critical care pharmacist at Hamilton Health Sciences. She recently completed an advanced practice pharmacy residency in thrombosis at Sunnybrook Health Sciences. Dr. Carlin is an active student and resident preceptor. Her research interests include optimization of antithrombotic use in clinical practice.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF)
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William Ciccotelli
MD
Medical Director Infection Prevention and Control Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology, Grand River and St. Mary’s General Hospitals; Part time assistant professor – Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine, McMaster University
Dr. W. Ciccotelli has been practicing as an Infectious Diseases consultant and Medical Microbiologist since 2008. He is currently serving as the Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control for Grand River and St. Mary’s Hospitals. A graduate of McMaster University, he remains a member of their faculty and is involved in post graduate medical education at the local campus.
Over the years he has served on a number of working groups and professional committees related to best practice development in infection control, antimicrobial stewardship and resource utilization (Choosing Wisely Canada).
- Affiliated with:
- McMaster University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-08 (PDF)
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Wayne Gold
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF)
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Christopher Graham
MD, FRCPC
Lecturer, University of Toronto; Investigator, Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners
Infectious diseases physician at Trillium Health Partners since 2005. Physician lead for the THP Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, with an interest in quality improvement work, and researcher at THP’s Institute for Better Health.
- Publications:
- Changing results to change results: Nudging antimicrobial prescribing for C. difficile. , Identification and characterization of invasive multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Bacteroides genomospecies in Canada. , Predictors of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Occlusion in the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy Setting. , Severe delayed hemolysis associated with regulated parenteral antimalarial drug. , Evaluation of the Binax NOW ICT test versus polymerase chain reaction and microscopy for the detection of malaria in returned travelers.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-08 (PDF)
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Andrew Healey
MD, FRCPC
Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, McMaster University
Andrew Healey
MD, FRCPC
Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, McMaster University
Andrew is an emergency and critical care physician at William Osler Health System. He is the former medical director and division head of Critical Care and now serves as the Chief of Emergency Services. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Andrew has co-chaired the COVID Clinical Response Committee for Osler. He is the Chief Medical Officer (Donation) for Trillium Gift of Life Network remaining committed to an interest in end of life care inside and outside of the ICU. He currently works part-time as an emergency physician at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
Originally from Newfoundland, Andrew completed medical school at Memorial University of Newfoundland and his residency and fellowship training at McMaster University. He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons examination boards for Critical Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine and chairs the Area of Focus Competency (AFC) Committee for Acute Care Point of Care Ultrasound.
He is married to his overly supportive wife Michelle and has four beautiful (home-schooling!) children (12, 10, 7, and 5).
- Publications:
- Google Scholar, ORCID Profile
- Affiliated with:
- McMaster University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-31 (PDF), 2021-02-09 (PDF)
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Lianne Jeffs
RN, PhD, FAAN, FCAN
Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation; Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
Lianne Jeffs
RN, PhD, FAAN, FCAN
Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation; Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
Dr. Lianne Jeffs has extensive leadership experience and an impressive track record in clinical and health services research with a focus on quality improvement, patient safety and implementation science. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in high impact journals and has secured over $10 million in funding as principal and co-investigator. Her program area of research focused on improving care transitions for complex patients; optimizing the use of performance data to drive quality care; and translating evidence to enhance quality care, organizational learning and health system performance. She currently holds an Associate Professor status with the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She has also held a variety of leadership positions in policy and research that has included the development of evaluation frameworks and performance measures to evaluate impact of new models of care and interventions. She has been involved in advancing the profession of nursing forward globally with the work she has done in nursing human health resources with the International Council of Nurses and nationally and provincially co-leading a variety of expert committees. She has received numerous awards for leadership and scholarship efforts including being inducted into the inaugural Fellow of Canadian Academy of Nursing in 2020 and Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in October 2015.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile, Publons Profile
- Affiliated with:
- Sinai Health, DLSPH, University of Toronto, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
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Peter Jüni
MD, FESC
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Director, Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
Peter Jüni
MD, FESC
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Director, Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
Peter is the Director of the Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC) at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Clinical Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, and is a Professor at the Department of Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland, completed his training in internal medicine at various hospitals in Switzerland, and was a Research Fellow at the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Bristol, UK. Prior to joining St. Michael’s Hospital, Peter was the Director of the Institute of Primary Health Care and Professor of Primary Care and Clinical Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland. He held previous appointments as Director of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern and Founding Director of CTU Bern, the University’s clinical trials unit.
Peter is internationally renowned for his methodological work and for his clinical research on the management of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders. A Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, he has had leading roles in several major cardiovascular trials, including SIRTAX, LEADERS, FAME 2 and MATRIX, served as a member of several task forces of the European Society of Cardiology and co-authored the European guidelines on myocardial revascularization and on the management of acute myocardial infarction. Peter served as Editor of two Cochrane Review Groups, and contributed to the Cochrane Risk of bias tools for randomized and non-randomized studies. Since March 2020, he has worked nearly exclusively on clinical trials, observational studies, basic research and science communication related to COVID-19. Peter contributed to over 400 papers, which were cited more than 100,000 times. Since 2015 he has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile, Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- IHPME, University of Toronto, AHRC, St. Michael’s Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-07-02 (PDF), 2021-05-12 (PDF), 2021-02-12 (PDF), 2020-08-11 (PDF)
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Bradley Langford
BScPhm, PharmD, BCIDP
Pharmacist Consultant, Public Health Ontario Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist Lead, Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre
Bradley Langford
BScPhm, PharmD, BCIDP
Pharmacist Consultant, Public Health Ontario Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist Lead, Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre
Bradley Langford is a pharmacist consultant with the antimicrobial stewardship program at Public Health Ontario and the lead antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist at Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre. Brad received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at the University of Toronto and Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Colorado. Brad is a Board-Certified Infectious Disease Pharmacist and his practice and research interests include implementation and evaluation of initiatives to improve the quality of antimicrobial use in all healthcare settings.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF)
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Elizabeth Leung
PharmD, MSCI, BCPS AQ-ID
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship), St. Michael’s Hospital/Unity Health Toronto. Practice-Based Researcher (Status), Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
Elizabeth Leung
PharmD, MSCI, BCPS AQ-ID
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship), St. Michael’s Hospital/Unity Health Toronto. Practice-Based Researcher (Status), Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
Dr. Leung is an infectious diseases clinical pharmacist, and co-leads the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto. She completed her Doctorate of Pharmacy at MCPHS-Boston in 2009, and holds a Masters of Clinical Investigation (MSCI) from Northwestern University. Dr. Leung’s post-graduate clinical training includes a PGY1 clinical practice residency (UCSF), and PGY2/3 specialty residency training in infectious diseases and critical care (Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Rush Medical Center, Midwestern University/Chicago College of Pharmacy).
Dr. Leung is a practice-based researcher with the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute (LKSKI) and Adjunct Lecturer with Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (LDFP), University of Toronto. She is the current chair of the Board of Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BPS) inaugural ID Specialty Council, which advises upon conferring specialty certification designation to qualified infectious diseases clinical pharmacists, and current co-chair of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) COVID-19 Pharmacy Specialty Network (PSN). Dr. Leung is also an active member of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP), and has served as an invited panelist for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Standards Setting Committee for Board Certified Critical Care Pharmacists (BCCCP). Her research interests include antimicrobial stewardship, optimizing pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) for multi-drug resistant organisms, and enhancing microbiology antibiograms for clinical use.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Affiliated with:
- St. Michael’s Hospital
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-08 (PDF)
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Kate Miller
MD, CCFP, FCFP
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University
Kate Miller
MD, CCFP, FCFP
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University
Dr Miller is a generalist family physician and Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University. Her scope of clinical practice includes primary care, maternal-newborn care and emergency medicine in both rural and community hospitals. This breadth of clinical and geographic experience informs her context expertise in health care delivery, especially in the areas of low-risk maternal newborn care and care close to home. Most recently, she served as Co-Chair for the Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health’s COVID-19 Pregnancy Care Guidelines.
- Publications:
- Maternal-Neonatal COVID-19 Pregnancy Care Guideline, PCMCH General Guideline
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-08 (PDF)
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Laveena Munshi
MD, MSc
Assistant Professor, Clinician Investigator, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, Sinai Health System/University Health Network, University of Toronto
Laveena Munshi
MD, MSc
Assistant Professor, Clinician Investigator, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, Sinai Health System/University Health Network, University of Toronto
Laveena Munshi is an Assistant Professor and Critical Care Physician at Sinai Health System/University Health Network in the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. She has research and clinical interests across critical care of the immunocompromised patient with an early focus on acute respiratory failure, frailty and long term outcomes. She has completed her Masters in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto supported by a Canadian Institute for Health Research fellowship award and the Eliot Phillipson Clinician Scientist Training program. She has been a member of the American Thoracic Society/Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Clinical Practice Guidelines on Mechanical Ventilation across Adults with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She is the co-founder of the Critical Care Oncologic Investigative Network – an initiative established to improve quality of care and communication between Oncology and Critical Care. Her publications span the areas of acute respiratory failure and oncologic/immunocompromised critical care.
- Publications:
- PubMed , Google Scholar
- Affiliated with:
- Critical Care Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-10 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
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Ullanda Niel
MD, CCFP, FCFP
Family Physician, Scarborough Center for Healthy Communities
Ullanda Niel
MD, CCFP, FCFP
Family Physician, Scarborough Center for Healthy Communities
Dr. Ullanda Niel is a Family Physician at the Scarborough Center for Healthy Communities in Toronto. She completed a residency in Family Practice and a Fellowship in the Primary Care of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities at Queen’s University. Dr. Niel participated in creating The 2018 Canadian consensus guidelines on primary care for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and clinical resources for the transition of youth with intellectual disabilities to adult care. Through her inner city community health center, she cares for new immigrants, refugees and people with intellectual disabilities/autism including work at an in-school health clinic. She also works at Participation House, Markham, a group home for adults with cerebral palsy/intellectual disabilities.
- Publications:
- Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program, Primary care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Affiliated with:
- Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, Participation House
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-11 (PDF)
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Caroline Nott
MBBS, MSc, FRCPC
Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, The Ottawa Hospital; Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa; Clinician Investigator, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Caroline Nott
MBBS, MSc, FRCPC
Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, The Ottawa Hospital; Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa; Clinician Investigator, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Caroline Nott is an Infectious Diseases physician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is the Director of The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Chair of the Antimicrobial Sub-committee of the TOH Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, and a COVID-19 Pandemic Support Lead for TOH. Nationally, she is a member of the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Resistance Committee of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (AMMI) Canada.
Dr. Nott holds a MSc in Public Health, Health Services Management, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and is a Clinician Investigator in the Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI). Her research focuses on novel strategies, such as the use of behavioural techniques, to improve antimicrobial prescribing.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF)
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Sumit Raybardhan
BSc Phm, ACPR, MPH, BCIDP
Board Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist, North York General Hospital
Sumit Raybardhan
BSc Phm, ACPR, MPH, BCIDP
Board Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist, North York General Hospital
Sumit Raybardhan is a Board Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist that practices at North York General Hospital, where he also co-leads the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. His post-graduate work included a Masters in Public Health specializing in Epidemiology and International Health from Boston University. He has had experiences in the institutional hospital setting as a clinical pharmacist and at regional and international organizations such as Public Health Ontario, UNICEF, and Medicines for Malaria Venture. He currently focuses on pragmatic practice-based research on optimizing antimicrobial use.
- Publications:
- PubMed
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-02-10 (PDF)
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Noel Rosen
B.Sc., MD, CCFP, FCFP
Patient Representative Community Family Physician, DFCM, NYGH
Noel Rosen
B.Sc., MD, CCFP, FCFP
Patient Representative Community Family Physician, DFCM, NYGH
In active family practice since 1969. Developed severe COVID-19 pneumonia in January, 2021, requiring mechanical ventilation.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-05-04 (PDF)
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Liliana Volnikova
RPN
Patient Representative Director Of Health and Wellness, Bradgate Arms Retirement Residence, REVERA
Liliana Volnikova
RPN
Patient Representative Director Of Health and Wellness, Bradgate Arms Retirement Residence, REVERA
Liliana completed her medical degree in Russia prior to coming to Canada. She brings almost 20 years of experience working with seniors in one of the prestigious retirement residences in Toronto. Liliana brings insight on COVID both as a nursing care provider and a patient.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF)
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Anu Wadhwa
MD, MEd, FRCPC
Associate Professor, University of Toronto; Staff Physician, Hospital for Sick Children
Anu Wadhwa
MD, MEd, FRCPC
Associate Professor, University of Toronto; Staff Physician, Hospital for Sick Children
Anu Wadhwa is a staff physician and clinician educator in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-10 (PDF)
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Peter E. Wu
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Staff Physician, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University Health Network/Sinai Health System; Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology/Toxicology Specialist, with a Masters degree in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Staff Physician in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the University Health Network/Sinai Health System. Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Toronto.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-02-10 (PDF)
Observers
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Helen Groves
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Adam Komorowski
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF)
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Carsten Krueger
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Xena Li
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF)
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Carson Lo
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF)
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Alice Zhabokritsky
Mental Health Working Group
The Mental Health Working Group is a group of mental health experts and public health leaders who summarize scientific evidence on mental health in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Working Group focuses on the topics of maintaining mental health during COVID-19, the mental health burden of disease and public health interventions on individuals across the lifespan, including children and adolescents, and the older adult population, as well as the need for assessment and recommendations regarding the mental health of communities and populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including Black, Indigenous, and other racialized populations.
The Working Group members were selected based on specific expertise in mental health of children and youth, adults and geriatric populations, mental health of health care providers, women’s health, mental health among LGBTQ persons, mental health among Black, Indigenous, and other racialized populations, and COVID-19.
Leadership
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Linda Mah
MD, MHSc, FRCPC
Co-Chair Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Associate Member, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Senior Scientist, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Staff Psychiatrist, Baycrest Health Sciences
Linda Mah
MD, MHSc, FRCPC
Co-Chair Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Associate Member, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Senior Scientist, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Staff Psychiatrist, Baycrest Health Sciences
Dr. Linda Mah is a Clinician Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, an Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and an Associate Member of the Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Dr. Mah obtained her MD at the University of Calgary and completed a psychiatric residency at McGill University, followed by clinical neuropsychiatry specialty training at the University of Massachusetts and formal research training in cognitive and affective neurosciences at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. She has a Master of Health Sciences degree from Duke University, USA.
Dr. Mah’s research program focuses on understanding the relationship between cognition and emotion and their neuroanatomical correlates in healthy aging and in disorders of the elderly, including late-life depression (LLD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Her research employs converging methods including behavioural paradigms, neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging, and more recently, psychophysiology. She has a particular interest in examining emotion dysregulation and other neuropsychiatric symptoms as potential biomarkers of AD risk, and in understanding the link between stress and development of AD. Dr. Mah is also the PI or site PI on clinical trials focused on treatment-refractory depression in older adults and studies using brain stimulation as an intervention for cognitive decline in older adults at risk for developing AD, including those with remitted depression, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) or MCI.
Dr. Mah’s work has been funded by the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, Brain Canada, and the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Publications:
- Pubmed , ResearchGate
- Affiliated with:
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-04-05 (PDF), 2021-03-25 (PDF), 2021-02-02 (PDF), 2020-07-30 (PDF)
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Christopher Mushquash
PhD, CPsych
Co-Chair Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine; Psychologist, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care; Director, Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research, Lakehead University, Interim Executive Vice President Research, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; Chief Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute
Christopher Mushquash
PhD, CPsych
Co-Chair Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine; Psychologist, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care; Director, Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research, Lakehead University, Interim Executive Vice President Research, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; Chief Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute
Dr. Christopher Mushquash is a registered clinical psychologist and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, with expertise in rural and northern clinical practice and the development of culturally appropriate interventions for mental health and addiction difficulties in First Nations children, adolescents, and adults. He is an academic researcher and Indigenous scholar who was born and raised in rural Northwestern Ontario. He is Ojibway, and a member of Pays Plat First Nation.
- Publications:
- Personal Publication Profile
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-03-25 (PDF), 2021-03-02 (PDF), 2020-07-22 (PDF)
Members
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Peter Braunberger
PhD, MD, FRCPC
Assistant Professor, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist in Northern Ontario.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-04-13 (PDF)
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Chiachen Cheng
MD, FRCP(C), MPH
Assistant Professor Northern Ontario School of Medicine; Medical Director Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St Joseph’s Care Group Thunder Bay and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Chiachen Cheng
MD, FRCP(C), MPH
Assistant Professor Northern Ontario School of Medicine; Medical Director Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St Joseph’s Care Group Thunder Bay and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Dr. Chiachen (Chi) Cheng is a Child & Adolescent, Adult Psychiatrist and Physician-Researcher. Dr. Cheng completed her General Psychiatry residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry sub-specialization at McMaster University. After receiving Master’s of Public Health at Harvard University, she moved to Northern Ontario to implement and evaluate Northwestern Ontario’s sole early psychosis intervention program.
Dr. Cheng’s primary research interests are early intervention for youth mental health, evidence based practice as it interfaces with paediatric and youth mental health policy, and models of care for vulnerable populations in rural or remote settings.
In 2012, Dr. Cheng was awarded a three-year New Investigator Research Grant from the Sick Kids Foundation and Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the NorthBEAT Project, with the goal to identify the mental health service needs of youth in Northern Ontario. In 2017, Dr. Cheng and the NorthBEAT team received an Ontario Trillium Foundation-Youth Opportunities Fund grant to support the NorthBEAT Collaborative. This diverse collaborative will enhance access to appropriate services for youth with psychosis who live in Northwestern Ontario. Dr. Cheng received the PSI Foundation’s four-year PSI-50 Mid-Career Clinical Research Award in 2019 to continue her research program in health services and policy research.
Dr. Cheng participates in peer review committees including at NOAMA, Sick Kids Foundation, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She is an Associate Editor of the Early Intervention in Psychiatry Journal and an Associate Editor on the Board of Mental Health Services, specialty section of Frontiers in Health Services, a new journal that will be launched in April 2021. Her research has examined program implementation and development, fidelity to Ontario’s Early Psychosis Intervention standards, evaluation of training for healthcare workers, evaluation of delivery of services in rural and remote regions, and pathways to care among vulnerable populations such as youth, or Indigenous communities.
- Affiliated with:
- NorthBEAT
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-04-06 (PDF)
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David Dozois
PhD
Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology, University of Western Ontario
David Dozois
PhD
Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology, University of Western Ontario
Dr. Dozois is a Full Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, and Director of the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Dozois is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), the CPA Section on Clinical Psychology, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (CACBT), and the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is also a former Beck Institute Scholar at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research. Dr. Dozois’ research focuses on cognitive vulnerability to depression and cognitive-behavioral theory/therapy. He has published 182 scientific articles, book chapters and books, and 88 non-peer reviewed papers, and has presented over 340 research presentations at national and international conferences. He is editor of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: General Strategies (2014, Wiley) and Abnormal Psychology: Perspectives (6th ed., 2019, Pearson), and co-editor of the Handbook on the State of the Art in Applied Psychology (2021; Wiley), Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (4th ed., 2019; Guilford), Risk Factors in Depression (2008; Elsevier/Academic Press), and The Prevention of Anxiety and Depression: Theory Research and Practice (2004, American Psychological Association). Dr. Dozois received the Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Profession award from CPA in 2020. He was twice President of the CPA (2011–12; 2016–17) and is currently President of the CACBT and on the Board of Directors for Mental Health Research Canada and the International Association of Applied Psychology. In addition, he maintains a small private practice.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- Dozois Lab, Western University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-03-25 (PDF)
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Melanie Kohn
MBA, PhD
Assistant Deputy Minister, Mental Health and Addictions and Adjunct Lecturerr, University of Toronto
Melanie Kohn
MBA, PhD
Assistant Deputy Minister, Mental Health and Addictions and Adjunct Lecturerr, University of Toronto
Melanie Kohn has worked in the Ontario public healthcare sector for almost 20 years.
In July 2020, she was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, Mental Health and Addictions, overseeing the funding and operations of the sector, the realization of the Roadmap to Wellness, and to support standing up the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence at Ontario Health.
In 2016, Melanie joined the Ministry of Health as the inaugural Director of the Hospitals Branch. She was responsible for overseeing the operations, finances, and administration of the Public and Private Hospital Acts providing legislative and regulatory oversight for the province’s 145 hospitals.
Prior to joining the Ontario Public Service, she spent the majority of her career in acute hospitals, most notably at St. Michael’s Hospital for over 12 years, in senior operational and strategic roles, including strategy and corporate planning, project management and research administration.
Melanie holds an MBA, with a specialization in Health Services Management, from McMaster University, and a PhD in Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation from University of Toronto. She is Adjunct Lecturer at University of Toronto, at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Faculty of Medicine, and is a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the School of Health Services Management at Ryerson University.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-04-13 (PDF)
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Paul Kurdyak
MD, PhD(c)
Clinical Lead, Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health Clinician Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH); Core Senior Scientist, ICES; Chair, Addiction and Mental Health Policy, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Paul Kurdyak
MD, PhD(c)
Clinical Lead, Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health Clinician Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH); Core Senior Scientist, ICES; Chair, Addiction and Mental Health Policy, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Dr. Paul Kurdyak is a psychiatrist, clinician scientist in the Institute of Mental Health Policy Research, and Medical Director of Performance Improvement at CAMH. He is also a Core Senior Scientist and Lead of the Mental Health and Addiction Program at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. He holds the position of Clinical Lead of the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence at Ontario. He holds the Chair in Addictions and Mental Health Policy, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile
- Affiliated with:
- DLSPH, University of Toronto, CAMH, Ontario Health
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-03-25 (PDF)
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Robert Maunder
MD
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Deputy Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Sinai Health
Robert Maunder
MD
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Deputy Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Sinai Health
Bob Maunder is the Chair of Health and Behaviour at Sinai Health System. His research, in collaboration with Dr. Jon Hunter, focuses on how interpersonal relationships and psychological stress influence health. He was the lead author of a series of studies describing the long-term psychological impact of SARS on hospital workers and is leading a CIHR-funded study of the positive impact of Peer Resilience Champions to mitigate the psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers. He is the author of 4 books and over 100 papers and chapters describing this work.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile, Google Scholar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-03-25 (PDF)
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Kwame McKenzie
MD
CEO Wellesley Institute; Professor Psychiatry U of T; Director of Health Equity CAMH
Dr. Kwame McKenzie is CEO Of Wellesley Institute an international expert on the social causes of mental illness, suicide and the development of effective, equitable health systems.
D. McKenzie is also Director of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), a Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a consultant working with the World Health Organization on equity.
As a policy advisor, clinician and academic with over 250 papers, 5 books, and numerous awards he has worked across a broad spectrum to improve population health and health services for three decades.
He is a Co-Chair of the Expert Task Force on Substance Misuse, a member of the National Advisory Council on Poverty, a member of Canada’s Expert Advisory Panel on COVID-19 and Mental Health, the Minister of Health’s Covid-19 Testing and Tracing Advisory and was a member of Canada’s Delegation to the High Level Political Forum on the Social Development Goals.
Dr. McKenzie was previously a Human Rights Commissioner for Ontario and Chair of the Research and Evaluation Advisory Committee of Ontario’s Basic Income Pilot. In addition to his academic, policy and clinical work, Kwame has been a columnist for the Guardian, Times-online and Toronto Star and a past BBC Radio presenter.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile
- Affiliated with:
- CAMH
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-03-29 (PDF)
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Braden O’Neill
MD, DPhil, CCFP
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto; Clinician-Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
Braden O’Neill
MD, DPhil, CCFP
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto; Clinician-Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
Dr. O’Neill is a Scientist in the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. He is a Family Physician in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto.
His research interests include primary care for people with serious mental illness, and the use of electronic medical record data for improving the quality and provision of primary care. His research is at the intersection of primary care and psychiatry, identifying ways to work together better across health and social care to improve the lives of people with complex physical and mental health needs. Dr. O’Neill’s research program includes collaborators in academic and community settings. He collaborates on large-scale primary care randomized controlled trials in several areas including hypertension management and deprescribing among older adults. He has an MD from the University of Calgary and a DPhil (PhD) from the University of Oxford, and completed Family Medicine residency at the University of Toronto. He practices comprehensive family medicine at the St. Lawrence Health Centre, part of the St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team in Toronto.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-03-25 (PDF)
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Kathryn H. Short
PhD
Executive Director, School Mental Health Ontario
Kathryn H. Short
PhD
Executive Director, School Mental Health Ontario
Dr. Kathy Short is a Clinical Child Psychologist (UBC, 1995) with research and practice interests in school mental health promotion, knowledge mobilization, and implementation science. She is the Executive Director for School Mental Health Ontario, a provincial implementation team supporting the uptake and sustainability of evidence-based mental health promotion and prevention programming in schools. Dr. Short is a founding member of the Canadian School Mental Health Leadership Network, a cross-provincial group that strives to equip school system leaders with evidence-based information to guide decision-making related to school mental health. She co-chairs the School Mental Health International Leadership Exchange (SMHILE), a network of global leaders focused on key themes in mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention in schools.
- Affiliated with:
- School Mental Health Ontario
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-03-26 (PDF)
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Gillian Strudwick
RN, PhD, FAMIA
Chief Nursing Executive (Interim) and Scientist; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Gillian Strudwick
RN, PhD, FAMIA
Chief Nursing Executive (Interim) and Scientist; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Gillian Strudwick conducts research at the intersection of mental health, health services and digital health/informatics, often drawing upon approaches from implementations science.
- Publications:
- PubMed Profile, Google Scholar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- CAMH, University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-26 (PDF), 2021-03-25 (PDF)
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Nancy Young
BScPT, MSc, PhD
Research Chair in Rural and Northern Children’s Health, Laurentian University; Scientist, SickKids Research Institute; Senior Scientist, CHEO Reserach Institute; Senior Scientist, ICES
Nancy Young
BScPT, MSc, PhD
Research Chair in Rural and Northern Children’s Health, Laurentian University; Scientist, SickKids Research Institute; Senior Scientist, CHEO Reserach Institute; Senior Scientist, ICES
Dr. Nancy Young is a child health measurement scientist who completed her graduate training in Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Science at the University of Toronto. She began her career as a Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children, where she remains an Adjunct Scientist. She is currently a Professor and Director of the School of Rural and Northern Health at Laurentian University, where she has held a Research Chair in Rural and Northern Children’s Health since 2005. She is also a Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute and IC/ES.
Dr. Young has spent 25 years applying measurement science to give children a voice in their own health assessment. Her primary focus is the assessment of Indigenous children’s health. This work is based on respectful collaboration with leaders from Nandewege Gegamig Wikwemikong Health Centre and other Indigenous organizations. Together they are gathering high-quality local data to inform health services planning and evaluation. Her research program is funded by CHIR, SPOR, the Cundill Foundation and MCCSS and is working to develop and share best practices for evidence gathering and sharing with and for Indigenous communities.
- Publications:
- ResearchGate Profile, ORCiD Profile, ACHWM Profile
- Affiliated with:
- Laurentian University
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-03-25 (PDF)
Secretariat
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Erik Friesen
MSc, PhD(c)
Research Associate PhD Candidate, Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto; MD/PhD Student, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Erik Friesen
MSc, PhD(c)
Research Associate PhD Candidate, Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto; MD/PhD Student, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Erik Friesen is an MD/PhD student at the University of Toronto and a PhD candidate at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation within the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He completed an HBSc in neuroscience at the University of Toronto (’16) followed by an MSc thesis focused on the molecular biology of neurodegenerative disease through the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto (’18). His doctoral research in clinical epidemiology focuses on identifying geographic disparities in substance use and substance-related harms in Ontario and understanding the ways in which these disparities can be addressed through health policy.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile, ResearchGate
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF), 2021-04-19 (PDF)
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Cinthia Tao
MSc, PhD(c)
Research Associate PhD Candidate, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
Cinthia Tao
MSc, PhD(c)
Research Associate PhD Candidate, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
Cinthia Tao is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto in the Department of Psychology. She completed a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Psychology at Queen’s University in Kingston with a focus on the neurobiology of stress and anxiety in animal models. Her doctoral research broadly examines the complex relationships between stress and substance use behaviours. Using both behavioural and neurobiological methods, she aims to link various forms of stress (childhood adversity, acute and chronic stress, current life stress) to the underlying processes involved in reward and risk-taking. Concurrently, she also considers the roles that social determinants of health serve as factors influencing this relationship.
- Publications:
- Google Scholar Profile
- Affiliated with:
- University of Toronto
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-05-25 (PDF)
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Elaine Toombs
PhD
Research Associate Dilico Anishinabek Family Care
Elaine Toombs
PhD
Research Associate Dilico Anishinabek Family Care
Dr. Elaine Toombs has recently completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University. Her dissertation research examined adverse childhood experiences in a First Nations substance use treatment-seeking population. She currently is employed clinically with a primary care travelling team through Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, an Indigenous health organization located in Fort William First Nation. Through this role, Dr. Toombs provides on-reserve mental health services to 13 Indigenous communities in the district of Thunder Bay. Dr. Toombs’ research interests include First Nations mental health, adverse childhood experiences, culturally-relevant treatment, and resilience.
- Publications:
- ResearchGate Profile
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-04-20 (PDF)
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Lynn Zhu
PhD, MSc
Research Associate Postdoctoral researcher, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences
Lynn Zhu
PhD, MSc
Research Associate Postdoctoral researcher, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences
Dr. Lynn Zhu is an epidemiologist and postdoctoral researcher at the Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Health Sciences, where she specializes in gerontology, program and service evaluation, and digital technologies to improve cognitive health.
Prior to this, Dr. Zhu was a postdoctoral researcher at Women’s College Hospital, where she conducted health services research in a geriatric and dementia context. She holds a PhD in Population Epidemiology (Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University) and a MSc in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Health and Aging stream, Western University). She also has over 10 years of work experience evaluating innovative services and programs for regional and international organizations, including the Canadian Red Cross.
Additionally, Dr. Zhu is a reviewer for the scientific journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and a co-organizer of a mental health outreach event for the East Asian Women Empowerment initiative – a grassroots group focused on mentoring and mobilizing diverse young women of East Asian descent in Canada.
- Publications:
- ResearchGate Profile
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-04-20 (PDF)
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Kathy Torkos
Administrative Assistant Administrative Assistant, Environmental and Occupational Health, Public Health Ontario
Kathy Torkos
Administrative Assistant Administrative Assistant, Environmental and Occupational Health, Public Health Ontario
Kathy Torkos currently works at Public Health Ontario as an Administrative Assistant in Environmental and Occupational Health. She has worn many hats in her role as an Administrative Assistant within PHO. She started with the Regional Infection Control Networks during the SARS era in 2007, followed by 12 years with the Infection Prevention and Control Department before transitioning to current position with the Environmental and Occupational Health Department. Kathy has over 20 years of administrative experience working for both the Private and Public Health sectors and has supported a variety of high level executives throughout.
- Declaration(s) of Interest:
- 2021-04-29 (PDF)