Centre for Digital Therapeutics
The Centre for Digital Therapeutics is a research and development group focused on building novel digital therapeutics for chronic disease management to support patients in living well beyond chronic illness.
Lead: Quynh Pham
Affiliates: Emily Seto, Joseph A. Cafazzo, Ian Connell
Dr. Quynh Pham is committed to advancing a culturally competent digital health research agenda that champions the use of technology to support ethnic minority communities realize equitable health outcomes. She currently serves as the Scientific Director and Principal Investigator of the globally-renowned Centre for Digital Therapeutics at the University Health Network (UHN). She also holds scientific appointments at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and the KITE Institute at UHN, as well as faculty appointments at the University of Ottawa and Waterloo. In 2022, Dr. Pham was recognized by her peers as a Woman Leader in Digital Health for her achievements as “a female visionary who is harnessing the power of IT to transform health and healthcare in Canada.“
Dr. Pham’s program of research focuses on building novel digital therapeutics to support patients and families manage the impact of chronic disease on their health and wellbeing. She conducts collaborative research across the continuum of digital health innovation, from ideation through to impact. In recent years, she has expanded her portfolio to focus on (1) family-centered digital health for older ethnic adults and their family caregivers, and (2) student mental health stepped care portals. Her clinical interests lie in the digitally-mediated management of chronic conditions, particularly heart failure, asthma, cancer survivorship, and mental health. She leads an all-star research team to design, develop, evaluate, and implement therapeutics that can bridge the digital divide and meet the transcultural health and social needs of all people living across Canada and Canadians living abroad.
The Power Over Pain (PoP) portal is an online platform, co-designed by Canadian youth with chronic pain (CP) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Centre for Translational Digital Health advances the field of digital health in Canada, the UK, and Australia through the development, implementation, and translation of new technologies, policies, and service delivery models.
Soyun Oh
MSc Graduate Student
Thesis: Adaptation of the SOLAR Program to Support the Mental Health of Patients and Caregivers Living with Heart Failure: User-Centered Design of the Medly Mental Health Module
Supervisors: Quynh Pham
Ting Xiong
PhD Graduate Student
Thesis: Medly Caretown: A culturally safe and family-centered digital health intervention to support patient-caregiver dyads living with heart failure
Supervisors: Quynh Pham