Co-Lead
Co-Lead
Director, Operations & Strategic Partnerships
Director, Data Science & Innovation
Co-Lead
Manager, Research Data Operations
Scientific Lead & Manager
Co-Lead
Director, Data Science & Innovation
Director, Operations & Strategic Partnerships
Manager, Information Systems
Manager, Research Program
Co-Lead
I am an internal medicine physician and scientist at Unity Health Toronto and the Temerty Professor of AI Research and Education in Medicine at the University of Toronto.
I completed a BSc in Microbiology and Immunology at Dalhousie, medical school and residency at the University of Toronto, a Masters in Economic and Social History at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, a 1-year interdisciplinary fellowship with the Canadian Frailty Network a 2-year research fellowship studying big data and advanced analytics in the Clinician Investigator Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a 1-year fellowship in Artificial Intelligence and Compassion with AMS Healthcare.
I serve as a Provincial Clinical Lead for Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine with Ontario Health, the Vice-Chair of the Researcher Council of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, and was a member of the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on Health Data Sharing. I received the 2023 Canadian Society of Internal Medicine New Investigator Award, the 2022 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Early Career Leadership Award and the 2022 Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s early career Trailblazer Award in Population and Public Health Research.
I am near the ocean.
Co-Lead
I am a hospital-based general internist at St Michaels Hospital and Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. I am co-lead of the GEMINI program. I am also the Provincial Co-Lead, Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine at Ontario Health, and I find this a great fit for my clinical work and research focus.
At the University of Toronto, I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. I am a member of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
My training includes a degree in Engineering Science (Biomedical Engineering), Medical Doctorate, Residency and Fellowship in General Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto. I was the first physician appointed as a David E. Bell Fellow at Harvard University and my post-doctoral training focused on social determinants of health and population health through use of large datasets.
Notable research recognitions at the University of Toronto include the Dean’s Emerging Leader Award, the President’s Impact Award, and being named a Senior Fellow at Massey College. I received the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine’s New Investigator Award and the Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship from the PSI Foundation. I have received >$65 million in grant funding as Principal Investigator from sources such as CIHR, NSERC, and the Canadian Cancer Society. I have published >100 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 35, >50 as first/senior author), including in high impact journals such as JAMA, the BMJ, PLOS Medicine and PNAS as first/senior author.
I am a Canada Research Chair in Data-Informed Health Care Improvement and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. I serve as a Provincial Clinical Lead for Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine with Ontario Health, and am Vice-President Research at the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine. I am on the advisory board of the BMJ.
I was the Scientific Director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table and co-authored >50 science and policy briefs that shaped the policy, public health and clinical response to the COVID-19 crisis. I am a member of the Federal Expert Panel on Science Advisory and Research convened by the Minister of Health.
I can see something grow that I have nurtured and cared for. For GEMINI, I feel inspired as I see our team grow stronger and more skilled in striving to achieve the complex and broad goals we have set for ourselves.
Director, Operations & Strategic Partnerships
PhD in Pharmaceutical Science, University of Toronto
MSc in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto
BSc (Hons) in Biology and Psychology, York University
Prior to joining GEMINI, I managed a research program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, aimed at developing and evaluating the effectiveness of brief interventions for addictive disorders and co-morbid mental health issues. In my role, I guided the execution of randomized controlled trials and prospective studies, developed protocols and grants proposals, and managed all data collection and analysis efforts. Some of my key accomplishments include successfully leading a national trial on the real-world effectiveness of nicotine patches which involved over 2,000 participants, acquiring grant funding for problem gambling and tobacco dependence research from national and provincial agencies, and authoring dozens of publications in top-tier scientific journals.
I have the freedom to explore different ideas and make something my own.
Backcountry canoe camping with my friends and kids
Building something with my kids (i.e. mini catapult, fuel-powered rocket, etc.), essentially anything that has the potential to be launched or explode
Backyard BBQ with friends and family on a sunny summer afternoon
Director, Data Science & Innovation
I have a Computer Science undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Masters and PhD in Bioinformatics from Boston University.
I have been fortunate to have been involved with several major data projects that include managing a national longitudinal database of clinical patient data for a rare disease to studying mental illness using anonymized genetic data.
I know I can’t save lives directly but try to contribute in other ways to make a meaningful impact.
Relaxing with a cup of coffee or glass of wine (depending on the time of day)
Rewatching my favourite shows
Sitting by a fire doing any of the above!
Manager, Research Data Operations
I completed a Master’s of Public Health at Boston University in Biostatistics. For my thesis, I was able to work with the National Emergency Data Set and used both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques to better understand factors that affect emergency department length of stays.
Prior to joining GEMINI, I worked as a Statistician at the University of Guelph. I helped develop a forecast model to help future budgeting and enrolment planning at the University. I also worked with student services to develop models to help better understand student success.
Before I worked at the University of Guelph, I worked with Abt Associated in Boston. There, I helped construct research-ready datasets for the Department of Justice, and conducted analysis on Medicaid data to better understand access to mental health services.
I’m working with great and friendly colleagues.
Playing soccer (before the pandemic)
Running after my kids
Scientific Lead & Manager
I completed my PhD at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, and my bachelors in Biological Sciences at The University of Chicago.
I am an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining GEMINI, I co-led the creation of the Canadian Network for Autoimmune Liver disease (CaNAL). CaNAL is a pan-Canadian registry collecting both retrospective and prospective long-term follow-up of individual patient data. I also serve as a freelance consultant providing analytical and data science services. After my bachelors, I spent a year teaching, mentoring, and evaluating twelve students in a for-credit 9th grade algebra class in south Chicago.
When I’m surrounded by people who are passionate about what they do.
Playing 30-second online bullet chess (I can click faster than I can think)
Discovering new and interesting hot sauces
Manager, Information Systems
A graduate of Economics, I have actively pursued a career in Linux Infrastructure management, Automation, Containerization and Orchestration, over an 8-year period, attaining the RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer) and RHCDS (Red Hat Certified Datacenter Specialist) credentials.
I have worked as a DevOps Engineer where I created and maintained various continuous integration and deployment strategies for clients in Banking, Telecoms, Education, and Hospitality —using CI/CD tools like Ansible and Jenkins to cut deployment time by 40%.
I share something that helps others overcome a challenge.
I make genuine connections I didn’t think possible, and with someone /people I could never have imagined.
I experience people who transcend their limitations to achieve a feat, small or big.
In knowing that I am a better person today, because of my actions yesterday.
Cooking
Photography
Discovering new places
Manager, Research Program
I received my Bachelor’s of Science, majoring in Life Science, and then my Masters of Science in Epidemiology from Queen’s University.
My past experiences include my Masters thesis project, which investigated the prevalence and determinants of physical activity among ovarian cancer survivors. After completing my masters thesis, I worked at SickKids Hospital for The Children’s Stroke Program, coordinating an international multi-centre study that investigated the Vascular Effects of Infection in Paediatric Stroke.
Movie theatre popcorn (with lots of butter)
Dogs
Swimming in lakes/oceans/pools