Researchers

Dr. Anne-Sophie Brazeau’s 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 she is leading the development of an online self-guided training program to improve access to diabetes education.

Dr. Michael Brent is a participating team member in the development of a national Diabetic Retinopathy screening program that will be accessible to all Canadians living with diabetes. A best practices approach for early diagnosis and management of Diabetic Retinopathy will reduce blindness and visual disability. Tele-ophthalmology will be an important program component, with emphasis on indigenous and inner city communities. Patient engagement in research protocols, and attention to sex and gender issues will be essential cornerstones of program development. Novel imaging equipment, and automated grading software will be integrated into the screening program. A national clinical trials network will be established to assess new treatments for diabetic retinopathy.

Dr. Sonia Butalia is a Clinician-Scientist in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences. Her research interests are in 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. She has received funding from the CIHR, Diabetes Canada, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

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.

Dr. David Campbell is a specialist in Endocrinology and Metabolism and an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Community Health Sciences and Cardiac Sciences. His research interest is improving equity in health services delivery for those with chronic diseases.

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. He is also involved in translational research in collaboration with private partners using in vivo investigations techniques his laboratory develops to help advance diagnostic and treatment of diabetes and lipid disorders.

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.

Karen Cross MD, Ph.D., FRCSC is a Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon and a Surgeon Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and an Adjunct Professor at Ryerson University. She is also the Co-Founder and CEO of a startup health technology company called MIMOSA Diagnostics. She performs basic science and clinical translation research developing non-invasive optical technologies to assess skin physiology. Her research aims are to bring innovative technology from the bench to the bedside.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta’s studies focus on the remission, prevention, and management of gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes and related complications. In collaboration with her multidisciplinary team, including patient partners, she develops and tests strategies to enhance self-management support. This includes the creation of VPN, a virtual peer support group for youth with type 1 diabetes, formed after demonstration of high levels of stigma in this population, associated with both elevated A1C and severe hypoglycemia (JMIR, 2018).