Three St. Michael’s scientists recognized with prestigious Chairs
Dr. Andrew Pinto, Dr. Andrea Tricco and Dr. Warren Lee
Three scientists at St. Michael’s Hospital have received prestigious research chair awards to support impactful projects in the areas of improving public health and reducing inequities, advancing the science of knowledge synthesis and developing treatments for leaky blood vessels caused by lung viruses and heart disease.
Dr. Andrew Pinto, scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions and founder and director of the Upstream Lab, has been awarded a CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in Upstream Prevention in Primary Healthcare.
Dr. Andrea Tricco, scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and director of the Knowledge Synthesis Team in the Knowledge Translation Program, has had her Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis renewed.
Dr. Warren Lee, a scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science and a physician at St. Michael’s, also had his Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Endothelial Permeability renewed.
We spoke with the three recipients to learn more about the impact of these awards.
Dr. Andrew Pinto, recipient of a CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in Upstream Prevention in Primary Healthcare
What does this CIHR Chair mean for you and your research team?
Being awarded this CIHR Chair means we can continue our work with individuals and communities to “go upstream” of the negative social and economic policies that impair their health, and co-design solutions and rigorously evaluate them. This Chair will help sustain our work over the next six years, and achieve our vision of being a resource nationally and internationally.
Which research projects and work will it contribute to?
This will support four new research areas at the Upstream Lab, including bringing together the latest evidence on the most effective upstream interventions and supporting scale-up and studying how health organizations implement upstream action to improve population health.
We will identify gaps in the evidence, and obtain funding to develop and evaluate new upstream interventions. We will also link upstream efforts in health care to rapid responses to future health threats in collaboration with public health.
Is there anything else you’d like to add about this achievement?
We will also host an annual international Upstream Summer Institute to engage more early-career researchers and graduate students in this work. This is one of only seven Chairs funded across the country, and the only one at the University of Toronto. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the crucial need for these Applied Public Health Chairs.
Dr. Andrea Tricco, recipient of a renewed Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis
What does this Canada Research Chair renewal mean for you and your research team?
The Chair will allow me and my team to continue working on advancing the science of knowledge synthesis, which is something I am incredibly passionate about. We need to advance the science to continue providing high-quality and up-to-date evidence to our decision-making partners, such as patients, health-care providers, and policymakers.
Which research projects and work will it contribute to?
The Canada Research Chair will contribute to a number of studies to advance the science of knowledge synthesis. I am focusing on advancing scoping reviews, rapid reviews, and network meta-analysis methodologies. These are very helpful for decision makers and the methods are continuing to evolve.
Examples of projects we are planning include updating reporting guidance on scoping reviews, expediting the knowledge synthesis process using machine-learning techniques, and working with an international panel to create a risk of bias tool for assessing the scientific validity of network meta-analysis.
What has the impact of the Chair been so far?
The Canada Research Chair has allowed me to attract and retain highly qualified personnel and trainees. I have also been able to support decision-makers from a large number of organizations across Canada and internationally, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Public Health Agency of Canada, and Health Canada.
For example, my team synthesized the evidence surrounding the effects of recreational cannabis use on glycemic outcomes and self-management behaviours in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Canada used this work in their Diabetes Canada Position Statement, a series of policies that focus their agenda with governments, business and the public, and directly impact the 2 million Canadians living with diabetes.
Another example of the way we have supported stakeholders is our WHO report on infection prevention control measures in long-term care facilities, used by millions of clinicians and practitioners around the world to prevent COVID-19 prevention among the residents and staff in long-term care.
Dr. Warren Lee, recipient of a renewed Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Endothelial Permeability
What does this Canada Research Chair renewal mean for you and your research team?
I’m very grateful for the renewal, which reflects that external reviewers have assessed and approved of my research progress and my proposed work. It also means that the institution (St. Michael’s and Unity Health Toronto) is supportive of my work. Research can be tough, and positive feedback is appreciated.
Which research projects and work will it contribute to?
The Canada Research Chair will allow me to continue to work on developing treatments for lung injury caused by viruses like influenza and Sars-CoV-2.
It’s also supporting my lab’s work into understanding the first stages of heart disease. Even though lung injury and heart disease appear to have little in common, they both involve disorders of endothelial permeability – which is how leaky blood vessels are. The endothelium is the innermost layer of blood vessels and when that layer becomes leaky, it can lead to disease.
What has the impact of the Chair been so far?
Reviewers of my grant applications have commented on several occasions that the proposed work is highly novel. Holding a Canada Research Chair has given me the freedom to explore these research projects. The prestige associated with the Chair has also helped with knowledge sharing, including presenting at conferences and invitations to collaborate.
By: Ana Gajic