Several IHPME faculty and researchers have received CIHR funding totaling nearly $500,000 to address critical health and social issues.
By: Marielle Boutin
Projects are focused on tackling drug shortages in Canada, air-pollution-related diseases in Pakistan, heat response in Toronto, dental care for racialized women affected by intimate partner violence and advancing Long COVID rehabilitation research.
With a total funding of $465,000, these initiatives aim to improve health outcomes and quality of life for diverse populations.
Explore the CIHR-Funded Projects:
Note: IHPME-affiliated faculty and researchers are bolded.
Disability and Access to Fertility Preservation in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients
Principal Investigator(s): Hilary Brown, Alyson L. Mahar
Co-investigator(s): Andria Bianchi, Maria Chiu, Sumit Gupta, Yona J. Lunsky, Paul C. Nathan, Sapna Oberoi, Alene Toulany, Maria Del Pilar Vélez.
Awarded: $74,864 over one year.
Strengthening Canada’s Drug Supply Chain: Establishing the Canadian Drug Shortage Observatory
Principal Investigator(s): Mina Tadrous, Saad Ahmed, Reed Beall, Christine Fahim, Tara Gomes
Co-investigators: Fiona Mary Clement, Aaron M. Drucker, Quinn Grundy, Jason R. Guertin, David N. Juurlink, Michael R. Law, Joel Lexchin, Colleen J. Maxwell
Awarded $100,000 over one year.
Led by Dr. Tadrous, this project aims to address and mitigate drug shortages in Canada. Dr. Tadrous and his team developed a national at-risk medicines list and an interactive tool to predict drug shortages. This grant will build on this work and support policymakers to develop evidence-based solutions to address shortages. From an implementation science perspective, the team has modelled effective use of a co-creation approach and engaged over 40 experts, health organizations, regulators and patient partners to address this significant problem. The work has already demonstrated tremendous impact and was highlighted as an integral component in developing Health Canada’s proposed critical drug and vulnerable list. — Christine Fahim, IHPME Faculty
Principal Investigator(s): Xiaolin Wei, Alan Abelsohn, Muhammad Amir Khan
Co-investigator(s): Raja Faisal Abbas, Garry Aslanyan, Anushka Ataullahjan, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Greg Evans, Erjia Ge, Shahzad Ali Khan, Audrey Laporte, Robert M. Schwartz, Kevin E. Thorpe, Teresa To, Ross E. Upshur, James Wallace
Awarded $100,000 over one year.
As an implementation scientist, I am always looking for opportunities to improve public health and health systems. We have seen tons of studies on the huge health consequences of air pollution, from wildfires in North America to burning crops in India, but there is a lack of strategies on how to reduce air pollution in communities or health systems. I learned the startling news that Lahore became the most polluted city in November 2024 and see the urgent need. This project brought the best know-how from faculties and students from the University of Toronto, including experts from public health, primary care, health systems, engineering and policymakers from Pakistan and WHO, to jointly design, pilot and test a comprehensive package of strategies including smoking cessations and eHealth innovations in health facilities, primary schools and communities. This will be one of the first in the world to explore the effectiveness of actionable solutions in communities to reduce air pollution. I am very excited about it. — Xiaolin Wei, IHPME Faculty
Principal Investigator(s): Sara Allin, Sheila J. Murray
Co-investigator(s): Erica Di Ruggiero, Lara Gautier, Monika Roerig, Melanie Seabrook, Stephanie Simpson, Edward Xie
Awarded $125,000 over one year.
Extreme heat is a leading contributor to weather-related mortality in Canada, and its negative health impacts are disproportionately borne by structurally disadvantaged populations. Our team recently conducted a comparative case study of local extreme heat response, and key informants agreed that collaboration between local government, public health authorities, and community organizations is critical to strengthening community resilience to climate change. However, a disconnect remains between community needs and the formal, government-led strategies for mitigating the health impacts of extreme heat. Our research will seek to address this gap by working with Toronto-based organizations, Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW) and Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), and the City of Toronto, to develop strategies for meaningful and sustained collaboration throughout the development, implementation, and evaluation of future local heat response initiatives. — Sara Allin, IHPME Faculty
Meaningful and sustained community engagement is critical to identifying and responding to the unique needs of populations disproportionately impacted by extreme weather and ultimately strengthening health equity and community resilience in the face of increasingly frequent and severe climate change emergencies in Canada. — Stephanie Simpson, Postdoctoral Fellow
Principal Investigator(s): Beverley M. Essue, Cyndirela Chadambuka
Co-investigator(s): Clara Juando Prats
Collaborators: Amaya Perez-Brumer, Matt Ratto, Tina Meisami, Isabel Arruda-Caycho
Awarded $20,000 over one year.
This planning and dissemination grant supports an in-person community exhibition that showcases artwork created by our research participants, developed as part of the research process, and a panel discussion that includes perspectives from community organizations, dental practitioners, GBV experts, and individuals with lived experiences. This event extends the reach and discussion of our findings to a broader audience, including those who may not engage with our academic publications. In this interactive event, we summarize our findings using artwork, digital media, photography and dialogue and through this process, unveil complex access barriers to care and support experiences by racialized women affected by intimate partner violence (IPV). Through his event, we aim to influence public opinion and policy on the role of dental care in an integrated community response for IPV survivors, especially those from racialized populations in Canada. — Beverley Essue, IHPME Faculty
Principal Investigator(s): Kelly K. O’Brien, Jessica DeMars, Jill I. Cameron
Co-investigator(s): Cara Kaup, Kiera McDuff, Mark H. Rutledge, Jaimie Coleman, Douglas P. Gross, Meera Premnazeer, Alexandra Rendely, Diana C. Sanchez Ramirez, Marina Wasilewski
Awarded $20,000 over one year.
The aim of this endeavour is to advance an international research agenda to address priorities in Long COVID and rehabilitation by strengthening partnerships among researchers, clinicians, and community organizations in Canada and internationally. This work is conducted in partnership with the Rehabilitation Science Research Network for COVID, Long COVID Web, and Long COVID Physio and includes persons living with Long COVID and other chronic episodic conditions, researchers, clinicians, education scholars, and community experts. Outcomes will enhance knowledge transfer, creation and exchange among persons living with complex chronic conditions, and establish partnerships for implementing an international, coordinated response to emerging research priorities in the field. — Kelly K. O’Brien, cross-appointed IHPME Faculty
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Communications
Marielle Boutin
Email Address: ihpme.communications@utoronto.ca