Researchers

Jim Bowen is a Clinical Research Manager within the Program for Health System and Technology Evaluation at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, and a co-investigator with Diabetes Action Canada, as a part of the PHSTE he is involved in designing interventions to increase diabetic retinopathy screening and the evaluation of foot and wound care pathways for individuals living with diabetes, supported by hospital or provincial administrative data where possible. He is an Assistant Professor (Status) within IHPME at the University of Toronto, and an adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HE&I), Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. He is a pharmacist and currently practices in a community setting.

Her research aims to understand the patients’ experience with diabetes self-management, to inform on the effectiveness, benefits and risks of different diets and to explore strategies for timely access to diabetes education and support. Her approach builds on close collaboration between patients, clinicians and researchers. She is co-directing the development and management of a prospective registry of patients with type 1 diabetes in Quebec (BETTER registry) and, more recently across Canada.

Dr. Michael Brent is a participating team member in the development of a diabetic retinopathy screening program that includes a best practices approach for early diagnosis and management to reduce blindness and visual disability. Tele-ophthalmology is an important program component, with emphasis on Indigenous and inner-city communities. Patient engagement in research protocols, and attention to sex and gender issues are essential cornerstones of program development.

Her research interests are in developing, implementing and evaluating innovative tools and strategies to improve diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors in the community. Her multi-method research program includes epidemiology (i.e., the use of large clinical and administrative data sources), health services research, and pragmatic clinical trials. Her award-winning program of work importantly engages and is informed by people (i.e., patient partners), health care providers and decision makers.

Dr. Joseph Cafazzo is the inaugural Wolfond Chair in Digital Health and Senior Investigator Center for Digital Therapeutics, University Health Network. As a biomedical engineer, Dr. Cafazzo observes healthcare delivery from the inside-out and works on ways to keep people out of hospital by creating technologies that allow for self-care at home.

He is a health services researcher focused on social disparities and their impacts on clinical outcomes of cardiometabolic diseases, like diabetes. He is the director of the Health Policy Trials Unit at the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. He conducts research that uses mixed methods, interventional approaches, community and stakeholder engagement, and knowledge translation to contribute to reducing the impact of social disadvantage on clinical outcomes by informing health policy and clinical practice.

Dr. André Carpentier’s research interests include: 1) the role of postprandial fatty acid metabolism in the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; 2) the investigation of brown adipose tissue metabolism in diabetes; and 3) the anti-diabetic mechanisms of bariatric surgery.

Dr. Varun Chaudhary is Professor of Surgery and Chief of Ophthalmology at McMaster University. He is the Chair for the Retina Evidence and Trials INternational Alliance (R.E.T.I.N.A.). He is the current President for the Canadian Retina Society.

Dr. David Cherney is currently Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto and a Clinician Scientist at the University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospitals, where he is a Senior Scientist and director of the Renal Physiology Laboratory.

Dr. Annalijn Conklin is a social nutritional epidemiologist and associate professor in epidemiology and outcomes research at UBC in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Conklin leads a Program of Social Epidemiology and Metabolic-Outcomes Research (http://semor.core.ubc.ca) to support healthy aging and reduce heart health inequities in women in Canada