Associate Members

Clinical research focused on evaluating determinants and outcomes of obstetrical conditions. Specifically, research is on cesarean delivery rates, prematurity, and rare diseases of pregnancy using predominantly large administrative databases and secondary analyses of prospective cohorts.  The questions of interest that we study seek to address clinical problems faced by obstetrical care providers and/or maternal health issues that have public health implications.

Dr. Ahmed conducts research aimed at improving health outcomes for individuals with chronic disease. Her research includes studies that 1) address the challenges of using patient reported outcomes (e.g. health-related quality of life, self-efficacy) in chronic disease management programs, and the use of advanced psychometric approaches for improving the precision and efficiency of outcome evaluations, 2) develop and evaluate the impact of chronic disease computer-enabled self-management interventions integrated into electronic personal health records (e.g. web-based asthma and COPD self-management applications), and 3) knowledge exchange and transfer related to best practices for chronic disease management.

I am a dentist with professional training in the fields of oral surgery and dental public health and research training in the field of clinical epidemiology. Broadly, my research interests concern the psychosocial and behavioural aspects of oral health and oral health care. In particular, I am interested in the evaluation of various educational interventions, the development and validation of health-related quality of life and similar instruments, the use of these instruments to describe the oral health of various populations and to evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions, and the investigation of how psychosocial factors are involved in the aetiology of oral health problems and how they effect patient prognosis.

Anne Andermann is a family doctor, a public health physician and the founding director of the CLEAR Collaboration (www.mcgill.ca/clear) that aims to help frontline health workers address the underlying social causes of poor health through a combination of direct patient care, referral and advocacy for larger social change. Dr. Andermann has previously worked on research capacity strengthening for low- and middle-income countries at the World Health Organization in Geneva where she was also a member of the WHO Research Ethics Review Committee and a main contributing author of the World Health Report 2008 on increasing universal access to primary health care. Dr. Andermann has been a visiting lecturer in the USA (Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs, Princeton University), Brazil (Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia), Germany (Berlin School of Public Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin) and the UK (Centre for Evidence Based Health Care, Oxford University). Currently, she is the Medical Specialist in Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Health Canada’s Quebec Regional Office, a Public Health Physician at the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay Northern Quebec, Chair of the Community Oriented Primary Care Committee at St Mary’s Hospital (https://www.mcgill.ca/familymed/education/postgrad/curriculum/copc), and the focal point at the McGill Faculty of Medicine responsible for incorporating a greater emphasis on the social determinants of health and a population health approach into the new medical school curriculum. Dr. Andermann was recently awarded the Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health award from Grand Challenges Canada and the Clinical Research Scholars award from FRQ-S. Her new book entitled Evidence for Health: From Patient Choice to Global Policy is now available from Cambridge University Press at www.cambridge.org/9781107648654.

Technology assessment of endoscopic digestive techniques. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Biliary diseases. Pancreatic diseases. malignant biliary obstruction. Helicobacter pylori. Dyspepsia.

The objective of Dr. Basu's program is to research, develop and apply ecosystem-based approaches to address key problems in the environmental health sciences. The focus is on applying ecotoxicology and environmental epidemiology to increase understanding of risks associated with contaminants arising from the extraction of natural resources. Key to this approach is the ability to scrutinize and integrate data across species in a comparative manner (i.e. humans along with fish, birds, marine and terrestrial mammals) and to scale responses across multiple tiers of biological organization in an integrative fashion (e.g. cell --> individual --> ecosystem).

Dr. Behr’s research interest is the application of bacterial genetics to study the epidemiology and pathogenesis of mycobacterial diseases, specifically, M. tuberculosis, the cause of TB, BCG, the vaccine used against TB, and non-tuberculous mycobacteria, including members of the M. avium-intracellular complex.

Dr. Bernatsky's research has focused on an international cohort study of cancer and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with further assessments of risk factors for cancer in this disease. Using various administrative database sources, she has also evaluated other outcomes in other rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Other areas of interest include co-morbidity, the economic impact of rheumatic diseases, and access to care.

His research interests include epidemiology, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management (self-management and pulmonary rehabilitation) and cardiorespiratory exercise physiology. His research methodologies include epidemiological (database, population and clinical based research) and evaluative research applied to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He can give access to many clinical databases that have implemented over the years in various COPD studies (regional, provincial and national studies).

Research themes include: COPD patients: large national and provincial cohorts (disease characterization and burden, exacerbation, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management); Integrated approach of care for COPD patients and impact on health status and health service use (RCT and field studies); Pulmonary rehabilitation (RCT and pathophysiological studies); Pharmacological studies (RCT and pathophysiological studies).

Dr Brassard is a Public Health physician with post graduate training in parasitology and epidemiology. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at McGill University in Montreal and a clinician investigator in Clinical Epidemiology at the McGill University Health Center and an associate member of the Lady Davis Research Institute of the Jewish General Hospital. Current topic of interest deals with the epidemiology, pharmaco-epidemiology and clinical management of inflammatory bowel diseases. Moreover, using molecular epidemiology tools, he recently looked into the natural history of the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as a precursor of cervical dysplasia in Inuit women of Northern Canada and currently exploring palliative care in the Quebec North to eventually lead to a larger cancer screening, prevention and promotion research agenda focusing on the modern cancers touching the Inuit population of Canada.

Dr. Bussières' research interest focuses on clinical practice guidelines development and uptake to improve patient care and health outcome, knowledge synthesis, implementation research and professional behaviour change.

Environmental and Occupational exposure and disease etiology for cancer and other chronic diseases. Occupational health. Exposure assessment and disease etiology for mineral fibers and non-fibrous particulates. Diagnostic confirmation of disease in analytical epidemiology.

Kaberi Dasgupta’s research program focuses on the epidemiology of type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and hypertension; and the development and testing of intervention strategies to prevent and manage these conditions. She is an FRQS Senior Scientist and Director of Clinical Epidemiology at the McGill University Health Centre.

Dr. Deckelbaum’s research interests revolve around global surgical education and development, as well as disaster preparedness and response in resources limited settings. Co-director of the Centre for Global Surgery at the MUHC, he aims at developing and implementing trauma and emergency capacity building programs in many countries around the world where the plight of injury is constantly on the rise. He is also active in identifying innovative approaches to enhance medical students’ education in global surgery and has supervised numerous students and resident through their global surgical research, education and clinical activities.

Randomized trials of alternatives to hospital care in pediatrics

Cardiology, Clinical Trials, Technology Assessment, Health Services, Outcomes Research, Registries Angioplasty, Myocardial Infarction, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.

Pharmacoepidemiology of respiratory disease. Asthma education and therapy.

Randomized clinical trials, efficacy studies, cost-effectiveness, nutritional and socio-behavioral outcomes involving patient populations with chronic orofacial conditions, such as edentulism, UADT cancers and pain.

Dr. Beth Foster is a pediatric nephrologist and clinical epidemiologist and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University. Her primary research interest is in the long term outcomes of children and young adults with kidney transplants. Dr. Foster’s research focuses in particular on adolescent and young adult kidney transplant recipients, whom are at particularly high risk of graft loss. Graft losses in this interval are often due to poor adherence to immunosuppressive medication related to developmental stage and to transfer from pediatric to adult-oriented care.

Dr. Foster is leading a multi-centre study funded by the U.S. NIH to test an intervention to improve medication adherence among adolescent kidney transplant recipients. She also leads a Canadian national cohort study to identify care processes and structures that promote better adherence. She has also done a number of studies using large databases such as the United States Renal Data Systems database.

Short and long term effects on human health and ambient air pollution. Environmental and occupational risk factors for female breast cancer. Health services provided to women with breast cancer.

Nutritional epidemiology; Nutritional status of high risk populations and the evaluation of interventions.

Measuring the burden and impact of infectious diseases in the immigrant population and modeling interventions to decrease this burden.  Developing evidence based guidelines to promote migrant health.  Documenting health disparities and promoting health equity and access to care for migrants.    In this program have used several research methodologies including observational studies (cross-sectional and linked administrative database cohort studies), systematic reviews and meta-analyses, economic modelling,  GRADE based clinical guidelines methods and health services research and surveys.

Epidemiology of thromboembolic disorders; etiologic mechanisms and outcomes (including quality of life) of thrombotic disorders, randomized trials in venous thrombosis prevention and treatment.

Dr. King conducts research in two areas: Public health ethics and policy: health inequalities; biosecurity, disaster response, and public health preparedness; ethical issues in responses to emerging diseases and the development of antimicrobial resistance. Health information, inequalities, and measurement: role of value judgments in statistical measurement and assessment of causality; the role of mathematical modeling and information aggregation in the development of infectious disease policies.

Dr. Marina Klein is Professor of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, in the Division of Infectious Diseases/Chronic Viral Illnesses Service where she is Director of Research. She is National co-Director of the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network and represents North America on the International AIDS Society Governing council. Her clinical interests focus on treatment of patients with HIV and chronic viral hepatitis. She is a prominent researcher in clinical and epidemiologic aspects of HIV and Hepatitis C co-infection and leads a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded prospective cohort study of over 1400 HIV-HCV co-infected patients to study the interaction of these chronic viral infections. She has also been a principal investigator in several clinical trials of HIV-HCV co-infection. Dr. Klein is also involved in a number of observational epidemiologic research collaborations (e.g. NA-ACCORD and CANOC) focused on understanding longterm clinical and treatment outcomes in HIV and in HIV-HCV co-infection.

Economic aspects of organization of mental health services. Includes: evaluations of cost-effectiveness of interventions, especially interventions designed to help people with severe mental illness (Housing First for the homeless, Assertive Community Treatment, Supported Employment); evaluations of policies concerning medications for people with mental illness.

Rehabilitation, disability and handicap, stroke, hip fracture, cerebral palsy, long-term outcome studies, scoliosis.

Evaluation of health-related outcomes of osteoporosis and implementation of health system improvement programs for patients who have sustained fractures such as fracture liaison services, pain management and recovery. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of atypical femur fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate use, and safety of calcium supplements on vascular health in postmenopausal women.

General research interests:
Infectious diseases epidemiology (HIV/AIDS and related co-infections); Global health research (maternal and child health and vulnerable populations); Evidence based medicine; Diagnostic research; Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses; Teaching of clinical epidemiology.

Specific research interests:
Implementation research with Point-of-care diagnostics for HIVAIDS and related co-infections; Epidemiological and clinical research on HIV/AIDS,  synthesis of evidence on novel diagnostic and prognostic point of care devices evaluations; self testing for HIV and multiplex testing for HIV and co-infections; health care models.

International health; Native Canadian health and Infectious diseases.

Cardiovascular epidemiology, health services research, outcomes of research. Analysis of government databases on acute myocardial infarction.

Dr Rahme’s research interests include the evaluation of the safety, effectiveness and economic implications of prescribed medications using large administrative databases. She has worked and published several studies addressing the utilisation of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug and their associated gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse event occurrence and costs. She has also published on the effect of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug on colorectal, esophageal and breast cancers. She is currently conducting a study to assess the utilisation of extended anticoagulant therapy in the prevention of thromboembolism in patients who have undergone total joint replacement. She holds funds to assess the rate of access-related infection among patients undergoing dialysis. She also holds funds to assess the prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in Quebec.

Genetic epidemiology of common, aging-related diseases such as osteoporosis. In particular, we are interested in identifying the genetic determinants of such diseases. Additional research interests include the epidemiology of osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome.

Dr. Sapir-Pichhadze's research focuses on the application of personalized medicine strategies for the prevention of immune-mediated injuries. Specifically, she is interested in identifying genetic determinants of donor and recipient compatibility in an effort to optimize organ allocation schemes, inform personalized surveillance schedules, and establish individually tailored therapeutic regimens in kidney transplant candidates and recipients.

My research program currently focuses on three topics in mental health research:

1. Mental-physical comorbidity: I am interested in the relationship between mental disorders and physical chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders.

2. Psychiatric epidemiology: Depression, anxiety disorders and psychological distress in the community and the risk factors for mental disorders, including neighbourhood, lifestyle, socioeconomic and biological risk factors is another research focus.

3. Measurement of health status: I am interested in the development and application of methods for the assessment of health status. This includes the evaluation of instruments as well as the development and application of sophisticated psychometric methods to study health outcomes.

My research focuses on designing more effective and cost-effective interventions for tuberculosis care and prevention, using predictions based on current knowledge of benefits, costs, and impacts including those on patients' quality of life. My current research focuses on the assessment of potential tuberculosis prevention strategies in Inuit communities using computer simulation techniques.

Dr. Sewitch is an epidemiologist and health services researcher with interests in patient and physician adherence, colorectal cancer screening, and quality assessment and improvement.  The goal of her work is to improve the patient clinical experience and health outcomes.  Current studies aim to: 1) develop a smartphone application for colonoscopy, 2) determine the diagnostic accuracy of the screening modalities in the Tianjin China colorectal cancer screening program, 3) construct a community-directed cancer control strategy in a First Nations community, and 4) assess adherence to Choosing Wisely recommendations.

You have a concussion. One physician recommends no physical activity or school/work for 1 week to hasten recovery time. Another physician recommends activity as tolerated. Which is the correct medical decision? Every day, patients and clinicians try to navigate the complex maze of medical decision-making. Dr. Shrier’s research focuses on 1) improving causal inference methods for injury and re-injury, and 2) examining differences in evidence synthesis and decision-making among clinicians and patients. Dr. Shrier has been a sports medicine clinician for 30 years, with a PhD in physiology and post-doc training in epidemiology. He has established collaborations to share data and analyses with Cirque du Soleil, the Canadian Football League, l’Institut National du Sport du Quebec, the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the University of Southern Denmark.

Dr. Vicky Tagalakis’s research interests include the epidemiology of venous thrombosis, the elucidation of risk factors for cancer-related thrombosis, and the evaluation of anti-cancer properties of anti-thrombotic medications using phamacoepidemiology methods.

My research focuses on investigating ways to improve mental health and quality of life among Canadians living with chronic medical illnesses. Much of my team’s work involves the application of innovative methodologies and critical analysis in order to improve our ability to answer important clinical questions. We have developed this work in 3 inter-related areas: (1) the development, testing, and evaluation of patient-centered interventions to improve quality of life among people with chronic medical illnesses, particularly rare diseases; (2) the evaluation of mental health service programs, focusing on depression screening in medical settings, and (3) the examination of how medical research is conducted, the aim being to improve methods and reduce bias.