UHN
Toronto Western Family Health Team Researchers
Dr. Noah Crampton
Dr. Noah Crampton, MD, MSc, is a Staff Physician and Health Services Researcher at Toronto Western Family Health Team. He holds the role of Clinician-Investigator. Dr. Crampton was previously research lead for the Toronto Western DFCM and is now a budding researcher in Digital Health and AI in primary care as well as long Covid
“My research focuses on evaluating how novel digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence and data analytics, are poised to transform primary and population care. I use validated methods to both quantitatively and qualitatively assess the impacts of the introduction of these tools on the quality and workflow of clinical care."
Dr. Catherine Ji
Dr. Catherine Ji, MD, MSc, CCFP, works as a Staff Family Physician at Toronto Western Family Health Team. Additionally, she is an Assistant Professor and Clinician-Investigator in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Ji’s expertise in epidemiology and public health drives her research focus on vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization coverage, chronic diseases, global health initiatives, and addressing health disparities among disadvantaged populations.
“My research mainly involves the use of primary care electronic medical records data to study primary health care services in Ontario, Canada, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on routine childhood immunizations, mental health, diabetes and hypertension. I am also interested in strengthening the primary care interprofessional family health team model, in Canada and abroad, and have undertaken research projects looking at fostering interprofessional collaboration for effective health promotion, and knowledge and training of community health workers for chronic disease management.”
Dr. Jeffrey C. Kwong
Dr. Jeffrey Kwong, MD, MSc, CCFP, FRCPC, is an esteemed epidemiologist, public health specialist, and academic family physician. Dr. Kwong is a Staff Physician at the Toronto Western Family Health Team, the Program Leader of the Populations and Public Health Research Program and a Senior Scientist at ICES (a research institute that houses a large array of linkable health-related databases), and a Scientist at Public Health Ontario. He is a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, and the Associate Director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases. His multifaceted career underscores a dedication to improving population health outcomes through integrated research, clinical practice, and education
“I am an epidemiologist, a specialist in public health and preventive medicine, and a practicing academic family physician. My research interests include infectious diseases, vaccine epidemiologic research, and using large linkable databases. My research lies at the interface between primary care and public health.”
Dr. Sumeet Sodhi
Dr. Sumeet Sodhi, MD, MPH, is Staff Physician with the Toronto Western Hospital Family Health Team at the University Health Network. She holds a position as Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and as an Academic Lead for the Indigenous Health Partners Program at the University of Toronto. She has over 20 years' experience working with vulnerabilized communities around the world. She is Research Lead for the Besrour Centre for Global Family Medicine and Medical Advisor for the SeeChange Initiative.
“In my role as a clinician-scientist, I focus on amplifying the voices of marginalized communities globally to enhance primary healthcare delivery and strengthen health systems. My research is driven by a dedication to health equity and social justice, focusing on community-identified priorities such as improving diabetes outcomes in First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario, tackling tuberculosis incidence in Nunavut, and exploring public health and primary care integration across diverse socioeconomic contexts. I collaborate closely with partners to co-design and implement innovative and sustainable solutions that prioritize the needs of vulnerablized populations.”
Dr. Karen Tu
Karen Tu, MD, MSc, CCFP, FCFP is an international leader in primary care big data research. Dr. Tu is the inaugural Chair in Family and Community Medicine Research in Primary Care at UHN and a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine with a cross-appointment in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health Dr. Tu is considered one of Canada’s pioneers in the secondary use of primary care electronic records for research and also has extensive expertise in the use of administrative data for research. She founded the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID), facilitating collaborative international comparative primary care research across several different countries situated across all the continents of the world.
Initially, I validated an administrative data algorithm to identify patients with hypertension. This led to a comprehensive body of work measuring hypertension management and outcomes in Canada, earning numerous citations and awards locally, nationally and internationally. This also led to the development of administrative data algorithms for over 20 different disease conditions, enabling a broad range of epidemiologic studies for a wide variety of diseases. Over two decades ago I created the Electronic Medical Record Administrative data Linked Database (EMRALD), a pioneering initiative, enabling secure extraction and linkage of primary care EMR data with administrative data in Ontario. Through this groundbreaking work, I gained many insights and expertise into the use of primary care data and administrative data. In 2020, inspired by global challenges highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, I founded the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID), fostering collaboration among primary care researchers across 17 different countries, spanning the globe, to conduct international comparative studies using big data.