Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Infectious diseases are still a major cause of illness and death in Canada. The Ontario Burden of Infectious Diseases Study found that in a population of 12.2 million, infectious diseases cause over 7 million healthcare episodes and nearly 5,400 deaths each year. Vaccines are among the greatest achievements in public health, preventing many infectious diseases. My research involves studying patterns of infectious diseases and the impact that vaccines have, both at the level of individuals and in populations, so that we can better prevent these diseases. Linking records about individuals across multiple databases (while maintaining the privacy of the individuals) is very useful for research studies. These linkable databases have been used in many studies about heart disease, cancer, and drug safety, but they have not been used as much for infectious diseases. My research will use many different databases, including healthcare records (e.g., hospitalizations, visits to doctors), information from telephone surveys, and laboratory results to answer important questions about infectious diseases. I will do research in four main areas: 1) understanding patterns of influenza (the "flu") and influenza vaccines ("flu shots"), in particular whether there are differences in the frequency of influenza and other types of infections between various ethnic groups, and measuring how well influenza vaccines work in seniors; 2) ranking various infectious diseases in terms of their impact on the health of the population and estimating how much infectious diseases cost to the healthcare system; 3) understanding patterns of healthcare use for some other infectious diseases such as HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and hepatitis B and C; and 4) improving the way influenza vaccination programs are delivered in Canada. This research will improve care for patients as well as the delivery of public health programs, so that the impact of infectious diseases can be reduced for all Canadians.