Dr. Wendong Chen, THETA investigator, and colleagues having a Christmas party in Changsha, China.
J. Tarride, holder of the McMaster Chair in HTM
McMaster Chair in Health Technology Management announced
(reprint from the McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences News Release)
A new research chair has been created and its first holder appointed as McMaster University looks to cement its place as a leader in health technology management.
Jean-Éric Tarride is the inaugural McMaster Chair in Health Technology Management. He is an associate professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), and an associate member of the Department of Economics at McMaster.
His five-year term was effective July 1, 2018.
"It is a big honour to be named a McMaster chair," said Tarride. "For this type of work involving health technology assessments, economic evaluations, health policy analysis and evidence-based medicine, McMaster is the place to be."
Posted Nov 30, 2018
Health technology management influences innovation, as well as adoption and disinvestment decisions throughout the life cycle of technologies to better support health care decision-makers. Health technologies range from a drug, vaccine, device or diagnostic test through to a care management strategy or rehabilitation program.
The broad field encompasses systematic literature reviews, evidence synthesis, economic appraisal, patient reported outcomes, ethical, legal and social evaluations, policy analysis and knowledge translation, as well as patient and citizen input.
The new research chair is responsible for helping lead the establishment of a world-class program in health technology management; contributing to the body of scholarship in the field through teaching or research; and participating in the education programs of the school of medicine.
Paul O'Byrne, dean and vice-president of McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences, said health technology management is an area of strength in the Faculty which will be strengthened through the new position.
"Dr. Tarride is an experienced leader and researcher who will establish a tradition of excellence as chair," he said.
Holger Schünemann, chair of the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, added: "We are pleased that this chair has been established in HEI to support our strong work and history in health technology assessment and that Dr. Tarride has been selected for this role."
Tarride notes that for many years, health technology assessments have been mostly done in advance of a health-care technology entering the system, in order to determine if the technology is safe, effective and cost-effective or if there are any other ethical, legal or social issues associated with the diffusion of the technology.
He said that it is often unknown how the technology will perform in real life as the evidence is mostly based on efficacy data most often derived from phase three randomized controlled trials.
"There is a growing trend in Canada and internationally to evaluate technologies throughout their life cycles," said Tarride. "Heath technology reviews can be conducted several times as the technology is used in real-world conditions, and these re-assessments confirm whether, and under which conditions, the technology should continue to be reimbursed."
Tarride holds a PhD in economics from Concordia University, as well as a master of arts degree in labour economics and an honours bachelor of arts degree in econometrics, both from the University of Toulouse. He joined McMaster as a faculty member in 2005.
He is also the director of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA) at McMaster and the director of the Programs for Assessment of Technology in Health (PATH) at The Research Institute at St. Joe's Hamilton, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. He is the health technology assessment field leader within the Health Research Methodology (HRM) graduate program.
His primary research interests are in methods for the economic evaluation of health technologies and treatment of uncertainty in health technology assessments. He has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed journal articles related to economic evaluations of healthcare technologies and programs.
"One of my priorities as I start the job, is to build partnerships inside and outside of McMaster to foster further collaboration among such partners as academics, physicians, industry, patient groups, regulatory and reimbursement authorities, payers and decision-makers," he said. "We tend to work in silos, and there is significant value to bringing everyone together."
Posted on Nov 30, 2018
TGHRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
The Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI) event celebrates its achievements in basic and clinical research and it offers an opportunity to promote interdepartmental and cross-pillar collaborations among researchers. Read more about THETA Staff and students contributions and see Research Day in photos here.
Posted Oct 18, 2018
CIHR invests in a Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network (CLyDRN)
Congratulations to Dr. Beate Sander on being funded as Scientific Co-Director of CLyDRN
Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network (CLyDRN), led by Dr. Kieran Moore from Queen’s University, will bring together Lyme disease stakeholders, including researchers, clinicians and patients, to facilitate national collaboration to ensure better health outcomes for people with Lyme disease. The multidisciplinary network will help address the gaps that exist for Lyme disease prevention and control, diagnosis, and treatment options.
The $4 million investment from the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, is part of Budget 2017’s commitment to support the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The Research Network also builds on Canada’s ongoing efforts to tackle Lyme disease, through surveillance, research, sharing of best practices, laboratory diagnostics and testing, prevention education, and public education and awareness.
Dr. Beate Sander, an associate professor at U of T’s IHPME in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a Director of Health Modeling & Health Economics at THETA Collaborative, will hold a position of Co-Scientific Director of CLyDRN and she will also co-lead the clinical science and health services research pillar at CLyDRN. The prime focus of this research will be to use data from the patient cohorts and health administrative data to learn about the disease trajectory. Determining the burden of disease and the impact of its clinical management such as diagnosis and treatment will also help inform future targeted intervention strategies.
Adapted from official Government of Canada and University of Toronto news releases.
Posted on Oct 16, 2018
Dr. Heather Baltzer appointed the Interim Director of the Hand Program at UHN
Congratulations!!!
Dr. Heather Baltzer, MD, MSc, FRCS(C), FACS is a hand surgeon and a clinician investigator at University Health Network and Krembil Research Institute. Dr. Heather Baltzer is part of the Hand Surgery group at Toronto Western with a clinical interest in the wrist and peripheral nerve surgery. She is also cross-appointed to the Division of Orthopedics at UHN.
Dr. Baltzer completed a Master of Science degree in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto prior to medical school training at the University of Toronto. She completed a plastic surgery residency in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Toronto. She then completed a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in Hand, Wrist and Microsurgery. She is currently pursuing a post-graduate degree in Health Services Research in the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto under supervision of Dr. Murray Krahn. Her thesis focuses on health care utilization and population health economics among hand trauma populations using large administrative databases. Heather is also an avid runner completing her second Boston Marathon this past April.
Posted on October 2nd, 2018
Dr. Murray Krahn is a 2018 recipient of the SMDM Award for Distinguished Service
Congratulations!!!
The SMDM Award for Distinguished Service recognizes service to SMDM in terms of leadership, role in the operations of the Society, and contributions to the scientific and educational activities of the Society. This year Dr. Murray Krahn has received this commendation from the Society for Medical Decision Making.
Posted October 2018
In medical news: Adolescents treated at pediatric cancer centers incur higher costs.
Dr. Nathan, Dr. Krahn and Karen Bremner's publication got media exposure at Reuters Health (Thomson Reuters) and Healio News. “There are disparities in outcomes depending on where these patients are treated and, as shown in this study, there also are disparities in the costs of care,” but “These findings should not be viewed in isolation,” Nathan said. “Yes, the costs of caring for AYA in pediatric institutions were considerably higher than care in adult institutions, but there is evidence that for many cancers, outcomes are better when AYA patients are treated in pediatric centers, or on pediatric protocols.” Read the original article abstract.
Posted August 11, 2018
World Hepatitis Day 2018
July 28th is World Hepatitis Day, which aims to raise awareness about viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is a leading cause of death globally, accounting for over 1.3 million deaths per year largely due to hepatitis C and hepatitis B – more deaths annually than either HIV/AIDS or malaria! Viral hepatitis is not limited to one location or a specific group of people; it is a truly a global epidemic that affects hundreds of millions of people, many of whom are not even aware of their infection. Find out more
THETA researchers are pushing the envelope with hepatitis research. Current projects at THETA include:
- Estimation of health and economic burden of blood-borne infections
- Measuring quality of life and utility among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection
- Optimizing screening and treatment strategies for hepatitis C
- Understanding the treatment benefit of novel antiviral agents for hepatitis C
Posted on July 27, 2018
Congratulations to Stephen Mac!
Stephen Mac is a PhD Student in Health Services Research (HTA stream), Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. Steven was awarded a CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award, which will sustain his research for the next three years.
Posted on May 29, 2018
Dr. Murray Krahn awarded a prestigious Canada Research Chair and also named the 2018 Eaton Clinical Researcher of the Year.
Congratulations to Dr. Murray Krahn on being awarded a prestigious Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Health Technology Assessment and he is one of 3 UHN researchers and among 16 U of T researchers recognized by the federal government this spring.
The Canadian Government invests through the Canada Research Chairs Program approximately $265 million per year to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds.
Canada Research Chair in Health Technology Assessment has just been established this year in recognition of a novel approach that Dr. Krahn is developing for HTA process. "Krahn and his research team are evaluating the effectiveness, safety, acceptability and cost of medical devices, services and drugs. By integrating health modelling, qualitative research and health services research, they are developing a new model of health technology assessment." (from Government of Canada website)
“I want to congratulate all of the new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at the University of Toronto and thank the government for supporting their important work,” says Vivek Goel, U of T’s vice-president of research and innovation.
“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for its ongoing investments in the Canada Research Chairs program and for the additional funding for this program announced in Budget 2018. Such investments not only yield new knowledge but set the stage for important innovations ranging from new cancer therapies to sustainable transportation technologies that will improve lives in Canada and around the world.” (from University of Toronto website)
Dr. Murray Krahn has also been named the recipient of the 2018 Eaton Clinical Researcher of the Year Award. The award will be presented to Dr. Krahn at the Department of Medicine Annual Day event on June 18, 2018 at the Gardiner Museum during the Awards Ceremony.
The University of Toronto, Department of Medicine Research Award, established in 1989, recognizes a member of the Department of Medicine who has demonstrated sustained excellence as a scientist and role model over several years. The award, consisting of an honorarium and commemorative certificate, is presented at the Department of Medicine Annual Day.
The Eaton Scholars program, generously supported by the Eaton family, is intended to recognize and reward excellence among clinician-scientists in the department – an aim shared by the Researcher of the Year Award. The Eaton Scholars program was aligned with the Researcher of the Year Award in 2015.
Beginning in 2018, the Department of Medicine will award two Eaton Researcher of the Year Awards; one for basic science research and one for clinical research, which can encompass a variety of types of research including, but not restricted to, education research, clinical trials, outcomes, clinical epidemiology and health services research.
The awardees are selected via a nomination process that involves asking Departmental Division Directors, Physicians in Chief and Vice Presidents from the Research Institutes for candidates from their respective divisions, hospitals and institutes, and then reviewed and ranking by the DoM Research Awards Committee.
Posted on April 25, 2018. Reprinted from the University of Toronto, Department of Medicine website, U of T news, Canada Research Chairs website, University Health Network
Andrew Mendlowitz received a Ted Goldberg Award.
Andrew Mendlowitz, one of Murray's students, has won the Ted Goldberg Award at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto Research Day. Ted Goldberg Award is the award for academic excellence and promise for doctoral candidates in Health Services Research. Students receiving the award must have successfully defended their dissertation research proposal within the last 12 months. Congratulations Andrew!!!
Posted May 7, 2018
William WL Wong receives the Ontario government Early Researcher Award. Congratulations!
Professor William Wong, THETA Investigator and Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, is currently developing a decision model that will help address shortcomings of current policies for Hepatitis C. “Policy modelling is the only practical option for policy decision makers to analyze the impact of screening and treatment strategies. Current policy models do not consider infectious disease dynamics and the impact of covering new CHC treatments on provincial formularies,” said Wong. Read more in the UW release…
Posted April 20, 2018
Introduction to R for Regression Analysis – new session in April
Teaching Faculty from the Biostatistics Research Unit (BRU) at UHN and THETA Collaborative will be offering a 1-day "SESSION #2: Introduction to R for Regression Analysis" course on Monday, April 16, 2018, 9 am - 5 pm. For more information please contact info@theta.utoronto.ca. Check the course page to learn more.
2018 Summer Program in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (SPICE & B)
SPICE & B is a 10-week educational seminar series featuring an array of experts in the area of clinical research methodology and design. The target audience includes clinical trainees and hospital staff (medical fellows, residents, nurses, nurse practitioners, research staff, pharmacists, allied health professionals and volunteers) who wish to improve their knowledge in the area of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. Read more…
Posted on Mar 27, 2018
Save the Date: Health Technology Assessment for Decision Making 2018
The 2018 Health Technology Assessment for Decision Making workshop will be held on June 25 - 27, 2018 at Toronto General Hospital, THETA Collaborative, Toronto, Ontario. Registration will start on March 1, 2018. Check the poster and the course page for more details. More information will be available as registration opens.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant awarded to THETA team members and investigators.
Beate Sander, together with three of her PI colleagues and a team of Co-Investigators, that included Murray Krahn and William Wong, a CIHR Project Operating Grant of over one million dollars for their proposal: "Achieving hepatitis C elimination in Canada; addressing the needs of the diverse groups at risk". The team plans "to provide decision and policy makers with information so that the most effective screening and treatment programs can be developed to prevent complications and deaths from hepatitis C and to achieve hepatitis elimination in Canada." Congratulations on this achievement!
Connaught Global Challenge Award funds Global Fibrosis Network
Principal Investigator Professor Craig Simmons’ “Global Fibrosis Network” will address fibrotic diseases, a condition that affects multiple organs and can cause severe pain. Beate Sander, one of the Co-Investigators, represents the area of HTA on the interdisciplinary team. The Connaught funding will help a local fibrosis network go global and to foster research, strengthen innovation and training capacity, including early HTA.
THETA student featured in the UHN Office of Research Trainees (ORT) Times
Teresa Tsui, Dr. Murray Krahn's PhD student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Science, was presented in the recent edition of the UHN Office of Research Trainees Times in the Conference Reports section. Her oral presentation at the ISOQOL conference this past October was possible thanks to a travel award from UHN Office of Research Trainees as well as the CIHR Travel Award. Read the full article here.
Not Just a Reason, but the Ability, to Smile Again
Dr. Heather Baltzer, Dr Murray Krahn's students, is one of a few surgeons in Canada offering a smile reinnervation surgery to adults. Read more…
Adapted from UHN Newsroom. Posted on December 1, 2017
Congratulations to Valeria Rac's Trainees!!!
Morgan Slater, PhD has been awarded the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research 2017 Education Fund.
Aleksandra Stanimirovic, PhD has been awarded a training grant by Diabetes Action Canada and Mentoring Group & Patient-Oriented Research Network.
Posted on Nov 21, 2017
Congratulations to...
Rohan D’Souza, MD, MRCOG, FCPS, DNB, DGO, DFP recent application submitted to the CIHR Operating Grant: New Investigator grants in Maternal, Reproductive, Child & Youth Health competition entitled, "Prevention of postpartum hemorrhage: addressing critical knowledge gaps for the use of tranexamic acid." was successful.
Lauren Ramsay, BSc, MSc won the 1st price for her three-minute presentation (3MT™style) on “Measles Control during Elimination: Is Current Public Health Action Worth the Effort?” at the Vaccine Sciences Symposium.
Stephen Mac, BSc, MBiotech successfully obtained a CIHR Travel Award to present his work on “A cost-effectiveness analysis of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute’s novel outpatient stroke rehabilitation program using patient-level administrative data” at SMDM this year.
Many congrats to all!!!
Posted on Nov 20, 2017
Dreamers, Nightmares and Reveille
An insightful opinion piece by Ava John-Baptiste, PhD; Assistant Professor, Western University, on current issues of race, immigration, reconciliation and engagement. Reprinted from SMDM Fall 2017 Newsletter. Read more...
Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announces recipients of CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship and an Education Fund Fellowship
Congratulations to Dr. Morgan Slater! She was recently awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Health System Impact Fellowship and an Education Fund Fellowship from the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. Dr. Slater will be working with Dr. Heather Ross and Dr. Valeria Rac to improve the care provided to patients with heart failure in specialized heart failure clinics. Read more...
Beate Sanders was elected to the SMDM Governance Board.
The Society for Medical Decision Making has just announced the outcome of the recent election for 2017 - 2018 Officers and Trustees. Beate Sanders, THETA's Director of the Health Modeling & Health Economics and Population Health Economics Research (PHER), has been newly elected vice-president of SMDM for 2017 – 2018.
Congratulations Beate!
Congratulations Aleksandra!
Aleksandra Stanimirovic, a Senior Research Analyst at THETA, graduated and obtained her PhD diploma in August 2017 from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. At THETA she is currently involved in the Program Evaluation of Telehomecare for Patients with Heart Failure or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and working with Dr. Valeria Rac, THETA Director of Clinical Research.
THETA Collaborative presents at the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) 2017 - 39th Annual North American Meeting
Theme: Better Decisions Through Better Data Processes
Place: Pittsburgh, PA, US
Dates: October 22 - October 25, 2017
Tweet: #SMDM17
Dr. Murray Krahn will be a moderator of the SMDM Symposium: Big Data for CEA and HTA, with two THETA investigators as panellists: Dr. Claire de Oliveira and Dr. Harindra C. Wijeysundera. Read more...
THETA presents at 2017 iHEA World Congress
The upcoming 2017 iHEA World Congress: Revolutions in the Economics of Health Systems will be hosted by the Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Several long oral presentations by THETA staff have been selected. Read more...
THETA student presents at ARCC 2017 Conference
The Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control (ARCC) 6th annual conference will take place from May 25th to 26th at the Hilton Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. Read more...
Happy International Clinical Trials Day!
International Clinical Trials Day is celebrated annually on the 20th May to mark the study by James Lind, in 1747 in his "A treatise of the scurvy" (at the James Lind Library) considered to be the first ever clinical trial.
The James Lind Library Copyright information: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
THETA contributions at 2017 CAHSPR Conference
The theme for this year’s Scientific Conference is “Towards an Accord for Change”. Canadian Association for Health Sevices and Policy Research (CAHSPR) Conference is in Toronto, Ontario on May 24-26, 2017. THETA staff is presenting an oral session and several posters at the conference. Read more...
Introduction to R for Health Researchers Course – new session in June
Teaching Faculty from the Biostatistics Research Unit (BRU) at UHN, THETA Collaborative and the Hospital for Sick Children will be offering a 1-day "Introduction to R for health researchers" course on June 2, 2017, 9 am - 5 pm. For more information please contact info@theta.utoronto.ca. Check the course page to learn more.
THETA student presents at the Canadian Pain Society (CPS) 2017 Annual Scientific Meeting
Mary-Ellen Hogan, BScPhm, PharmD, MSc, PhD (C), Dr Murray Krahn student, is presenting at the CPS 2017 Annual Scientific Meeting. Her poster abstract: Suicide attempts and completions in chronic pain: a retrospective cohort study.
Introduction to health technology assessment - Medical Grand Rounds lecture Dr. Krahn presenting
Title: Introduction to health technology assessment
Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Place: Toronto General Hospital, Eaton Wing, Ground Floor, Room #025/026
Videoconferenced to:
Toronto Western Hospital – Main Auditorium, 2 West Wing, Room #401
Mount Sinai Hospital – Auditorium, 18th Floor
New publication makes news at ISPOR and UHN
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and the University Health Network (UHN) Newsroom announced today the publication of original research by Dr. Murray Krahn and Karen Bremner, et al. They found that treating children with cancer is more costly than treating adolescents or adults. Read more ...
Dr. Murray Krahn teaches pharmacoeconomics at School of Pharmacy, Addis-Ababa University, Ethiopia
Currently, Dr. Murray Krahn is in Addis Ababa teaching Masters level graduate course: "An introduction to pharmacoeconomics". Read more...
Posted Mar 15, 2017
THETA presents at the upcoming 2017 CADTH Symposium
2017 CADTH Symposium will be in Ottawa, Ontario, from April 23, 2017, to April 25, 2017.
Every year THETA staff contributes substantially to this symposium, by leading workshops, oral and poster presentations as well as discussion panels. Read more...
THETA's Year in Review - a short look back
2016 has been a very eventful year for THETA Collaborative staff and students. Read more about the highlights of their accomplishments...
Dr. Murray Krahn Co-Authors Chapters in Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine
Professor Murray Krahn of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative (THETA) is a co-author on several chapters of the recently-published Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine, Second Edition. Read more...
SMDM 2016 Lusted Student Prize Winners from THETA community.
This year congratulations go to Dr. Beata Sander students: Ryan O'Reilly and Rohan D'Souza! Their posters were among the ten finalists. Read more...
THETA Collaborative presents at the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) 2016 - 38th Annual North American Meeting
Place: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dates: October 23 - October 26, 2016
Theme: From Uncertainty to Action
Tweet: #SMDM16
THETA's Biostatistician Nicholas Mitsakakis, MSc PhD has been selected to teach a short course at the SMDM 38th Annual North American Meeting. Other staff and THETA students are contributing their oral and poster presentations. Read more...
Dr. Krahn publishes in JAMA and has a book launch in December – Congratulations!
Dr. Murray Krahn and his colleagues from the Second Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine publish an article with new recommendations in JAMA, and the Panel expects a book launch in December in Washington DC. Read more...
THETA's PhD student teaches at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia
Dr. Murray Krahn's PhD student Mary-Ellen Hogan travelled to Ethiopia to teach condensed two weeks course in Pharmacoeconomics at Addis Ababa University. Read more in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy News article.
Posted Aug 3, 2016
THETA's MSc student presents her work at GRIP.
Dr. Murray Krahn's graduate MSc student, Yasmin Saeed, representing the Clinical, Social and Administrative Pharmaceutical Sciences group, presented “Health Utilities (Quality of Life) in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients,” at the Graduate Research in Progress (GRIP) symposium.
Posted Aug 3, 2016
MedsCheck Study – presented at the Ontario Pharmacists Association Annual Conference
After 9 years Ontario's MedsCheck medication review programs have been evaluated for clinical and cost-effectiveness in a study conducted by the OPEN team led by Linda MacKeigan, of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto, and Lisa Dolovich, of the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University, with expertise contribution from the Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative.
The initial conclusions drawn from the study are that “program refinements are needed to ensure that pharmacists are providing the service to those with the highest needs and going beyond obtaining a reconciled medication list to assessing a person’s medication-taking behaviour and intervening as needed to achieve better health outcomes”.
Please read more in the article from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy News article: “Medscheck Tune-up Needed: OPEN Researchers Present to Ontario Pharmacists Association Annual Conference”
Posted Aug 3, 2016
RnaDx Study recruited its first participant in June
We are excited to announce that RnaDx study has recruited the first participant on June 23 and obtained the first fine needle aspiration biopsy sample on July 14. This study was activated on May 18 in one of the seven clinical sites on board. The other clinical sites will go active soon. The preparation for this study to go live has been prolonged and arduous. Now that the groundwork has been laid, the study is steadily gaining momentum especially with the staunch support of the site investigators.
Posted on July 19, 2016
THETA supports the creation of the new BRU unit.
BRU stands for Biostatistics Research Unit. There has been an unmet need at UHN for statistical collaboration and support. Statisticians on staff have been isolated and their low retention rate led to a lack of continuity over time and poor development of productive working collaborations, as well as no accumulation of in-house expertise. The idea of creating a statistical unit started in Dec 2015. UHN division heads in Cardiology, Respirology, General Internal Medicine, and THETA Director declared support for a biostatistics “core” at UHN. Finally, a unit has been created named BRU and it is residing in THETA space. BRU staff consists of Drs. George Tomlinson (Director), Nicholas Mitsakakis, and John Matelski.
Posted on July 5, 2016
THETA Collaborative has moved to a new home…
We are thrilled to announce that we have moved to University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital (TGH) Site, as of April 26, 2016.
Since THETA received the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) infrastructure grant in 2013, it has taken three years for the move to finally happen. We have worked closely with architects, designers and hospital management team to plan out our new space.
Our new address is:
University Health Network, TGH Site, Eaton Building, 200 Elizabeth Street, 10EB-230
Phone # 416-634-7245, Fax # 416-340-3459
Our primary email address is still the same info@theta.utoronto.ca
Posted on June 7, 2016
MAY 20th CLINICAL TRIALS DAY!
It's celebrated around the world on or near May 20 each year in order to celebrate the day that James Lind started what is often considered the first randomized clinical trial aboard a ship on May 20, 1747.
The HMS Salisbury of Britain’s Royal Navy fleet patrols the English Channel at a time when scurvy is thought to have killed more British seamen than French and Spanish arms. Aboard this ship, surgeon mate James Lind, a pioneer of naval hygiene, conducts what many refer to as the first clinical trial.
Acting on a hunch that scurvy was caused by the putrefaction of the body that could be cured through the introduction of acids, Lind recruited 12 men for his “fair test.” Those allocated citrus fruits experienced “the most sudden and good visible effects,” according to Lind’s report on the trial.
Though Lind, according to The James Lind Library, might have left his readers “confused about his recommendations” regarding the use of citrus in curing scurvy, he is “rightly recognized for having taken care to ‘compare like with like’, and the design of his trial may have inspired” and informed future clinical trial design.
From ACRP Clinical Trials Day website. Posted on May 20, 2016.
The Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) 16th Biennial European Conference: Special Focus on Improving Diagnostic Decision Making
The Society for Medical Decision Making and the NIHR Patient Safety Translational Research Centre of Imperial College London are proud to host the 16th Biennial SMDM-European Conference in London, UK, June 12-14, 2016.
THETA staff members: Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD; Lusine Abrahamyan, MD MPH PhD has been selected to teach a short course at the prestigious SMDM-European Conference. Congratulations to all team members whose work has also been accepted for presentations at the conference. The meeting’s special focus is on “Improving Diagnostic Decision Making”, with two invited symposia on vaccination decision making and on cancer diagnostic delays. The meeting’s keynote speakers are Professor Ralph Hertwig, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Mark L. Graber, Senior Fellow at RTI International, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and President of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine. Our aim is to bring together high-quality, oral and poster presentations from psychology, epidemiology, health economics and other scientific disciplines involved in the study of medical decisions.
Short Course
Complex interventions for comparative effectiveness and health technology assessment – real world experience. Course Director: Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Course Faculty: Lusine Abrahamyan, MD MPH PhD
Oral abstract
Mixed method program evaluation of the telehomecare program for patients with heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study. Gemma Hunting, MA, Nida Shahid, HBSc., CCRP, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Iris Fan, BA, Christelle Moneypenny, Hon BA, MSc (cand.), Aleksandra Stanimirovic, MSc, PhD (cand.), Taylor North, Yelena Petrosyan, MD, MPH, PhD (cand.), Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD
Poster presentation
The role of telehomecare on blood pressure control in patients with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Ontario, Canada. Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Nida Shahid, HBSc., CCRP, Aleksandra Stanimirovic, MSc, PhD (cand.), Petros Pechlivanoglou, MSc, PhD, Welson Ryan, Lusine Abrahamyan, MD MPH PhD and Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
New model of healthcare delivery: telehomecare program for heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in Ontario, Canada. Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Nida Shahid, HBSc., CCRP, Aleksandra Stanimirovic, MSc, PhD (cand.), Iris Fan, BA, Welson Ryan, Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Diagnostic accuracy of level IV portable sleep tests versus polysomnography for sleep-disordered breathing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lusine Abrahamyan, MD, MPH, PhD, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Suzanne Chung, Petros Pechlivanoglou, MSc, PhD, Steven M. Carcone, MSc, Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD and Murray Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Posted on March 3, 2016
Quality Indicators for Telehomecare study recruiting participants
As of February 2, THETA began recruitment of heart failure patients and health care providers (i.e. nurses, GPs, cardiologists) involved in the Telehomecare Program, as well as Telehomecare program coordinators, administrators, and decision-makers. By means of a Delphi panel, we aim to gather consensus on opinion and choice from the panellists regarding the quality indicators that are important to the program. For the purpose of this project, we will conduct a three-round Delphi study. Each round will take approximately four weeks to complete and will include a calculated rating and summary of the list of indicators. A final list of indicators will be selected upon completion of the third round. Complete information about this study can be found here.
Posted on March 3, 2016
CAHSPR Conference 2016: A Learning Healthcare System: Let the Patient Revolution Begin!
At the upcoming Canadian Association for Health Sevices and Policy Research (CAHSPR) Toronto Conference, from May 09 to 12, 2016, discussions will focus on the following theme: A Learning Healthcare System: Let the Patient Revolution Begin! CAHSPR’s Annual Conference is the largest gathering of health care researchers, decision-makers, and policy-makers in Canada. Featuring high-profile keynote speakers, cutting-edge panels on current issues in health care, and a wealth of networking activities, the conference is the country’s premier event for evidence-informed discussion and debate on health care.
THETA staff is contributing their several oral and poster presentations at the conference:
Oral Presentations
Valeria E. Rac, Gemma Hunting Nida Shahid, Yeva Sahakyan, Iris Fan, Christelle Moneypenny, Aleksandra Stanimirovic, Taylor North, Yelena Petrosyan, Murray Krahn. Barriers and Facilitators to implementation and adoption of the Telehomecare Program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure in Ontario, Canada.
Fiona Miller, Sarah Patton, Frieda Daniels, Austin Nam, Joanna Bielecki, Murray Krahn. Towards a better health technology innovation system: A scoping review of patient and public involvement in technology design and technology assessment.
Valeria E Rac, Josephine Wong, Kathleen Rice, Laura Teague, Sunita Coelho, Eva Haratsidis, Steven Carcone, Murray Krahn, Kevin Y Woo. Patients’ and healthcare providers’ experiences with community-based wound care services in Toronto.
Poster Presentations
Valeria E. Rac, Yeva Sahakyan, Nida Shahid, Alexandra Stanimirovic, Welson Ryan, Murray Krahn. Nurse workload and satisfaction with providing Telehomecare to COPD and HF patients in Ontario, Canada.
Valeria E. Rac, Nida Shahid, Yeva Sahakyan, Aleksandra Stanimirovic, Welson Ryan, Murray Krahn. New model of healthcare delivery - Telehomecare Program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) patients in Ontario, Canada.
Posted on Feb 25, 2016 Conference description and photo adapted from CAHSPR website.
The Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control (ARCC) 2016 Conference
ARCC is pleased to announce that its 5th annual conference will take place from May 8th to 9th at the Hilton Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. The objective of this conference is to bridge a connection between researchers and decision-makers, using health economics, services, policy and ethics research to improve cancer control and the delivery of cancer care.
Posted on Jan 12, 2016
THETA Collaborative presents at the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) 2016 - 2nd Biennial Asia-Pacific Conference, January 08 - January 10, 2016, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Theme: Making Difficult Clinical and Policy Decisions: The Example of Ageing and End of Life Care in Asia-Pacific.
Much of modern medical education and research has been devoted to preventing and treating illnesses and delaying death. In comparison, there has been little attention in teaching, practising, policy-making and research into patients’ death and dying – something that most health professionals face in their work; and ultimately, a reality that we all face. In medicalizing the ageing, terminally ill, death and dying, many discussions of end of life (EOL) decisions are ‘medicine’ focused resulting in aggressive therapies that shorten patients’ lives instead of improving them, particularly when surrounded by many uncertainties. Instead, having the best practices to adopt, implement and enable ‘person’ or ‘patient’‐ oriented decision making, can enhance people’s EOL with fulfilment, satisfaction, autonomy and dignity.
THETA staff participates this year with the following:
Pre-Meeting Short Courses
Introduction to Health Technology Assessment, Course Director: Murray Krahn, MD, Msc, FRCPC; Course Faculty: Jeremy D. Goldhaber-Fiebert, PhD
Long-Form Oral Abstracts
Understanding the Economic Burden of Care for Patients on Renal Replacement Therapy
Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Karen E Bremner, BSc, Claire de Oliveira, PhD, Stephanie Dixon, PhD, Nicholas Mitsakakis, MSc PhD, Petros Pechlivanoglou, MSc, PhD
Impact of Telehomecare on Remotely Monitored Clinical Parameters of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure Patients. Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Nida Shahid, HBSc., CCRP, Aleksandra Stanimirovic, MSc, PhD (cand.), Petros Pechlivanoglou, MSc, PhD, Welson Ryan, Lusine Abrahamyan, MD MPH PhD and Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Long-Form Oral Abstracts: Broadening the Relevance of Policy Analyses. Moderator: Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Short-Form Oral Presentations
Evaluating the Implementation and Adoption of Telehomecare Program for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or Heart Failure Patients. Gemma Hunting, MA, Nida Shahid, HBSc., CCRP, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Iris Fan, BA, Christelle Moneypenny, Hon BA, MSc (cand.), Aleksandra Stanimirovic, MSc, PhD (cand.), Taylor North, Yelena Petrosyan, MD, MPH, PhD (cand.), Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC and Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD
New Model of Healthcare Delivery - Telehomecare Program for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure Patients in Ontario, Canada. Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Nida Shahid, HBSc., CCRP, Aleksandra Stanimirovic, MSc, PhD (cand.), Iris Fan, BA, Welson Ryan, Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Health Services for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure Patients in Ontario Telehomecare Program. Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Yeva Sahakyan, MD, MPH, Nida Shahid, HBSc., CCRP, Aleksandra Stanimirovic, MSc, PhD (candidate), Welson Ryan and Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Posted on Jan 8, 2016
Registration now open for two new courses offered by THETA Collaborative in February 2016
In line with its education commitment to develop and teach graduate-level courses, THETA staff have organized and will be teaching two courses:
- Introduction to R for decision modellers (1-day course), Feb 12, 2016
- Decision modelling using R (3-day course), Feb 16-18, 2016
Both courses will offer a webinar option. Registration is now open; last day to register: Dec 01, 2016
Posted on Nov 18, 2015
Dr. Murray Krahn recognized for his exceptional service at the 2015 SMDM Meeting
As the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) past-president and a current Board member Dr. Murray Krahn has substantially contributed to the advancement of SMDM over the years and this year at the 37th Annual North American Meeting he has been presented with a recognition award for his service.
Posted on Oct 19, 2015
Dr. Murray Krahn with Canadian and US researchers compares End-of-Life costs for advanced lung cancer patients in both countries.
In his new study published in the Palliative Medicine journal, Dr. Murray Krahn and his research colleagues compare end-of-life costs in Ontario, Canada, and the United States, using administrative health data. The article: "An international comparison of costs of end-of-life care for advanced lung cancer patients using health administrative data" was also highlighted by the Faculty of Pharmacy, the University of Toronto in the News Section. The authors point out that: "Our study contributes important data about costs for cancer patients at the end of life, to complement the consideration of other factors in the evaluation of models of care before dying."
Posted on Oct 19, 2015
THETA Collaborative participates in TGRI Research Day
On October 6th 2015 THETA Collaborative participated in the Toronto General Research Institute (TGRI) Research Day. "This event is a celebration of TGRI achievements in basic and clinical research and an opportunity to promote interdepartmental and cross pillar collaborations among researchers. TGRI Research Day is open to all TGRI Scientists, Clinician Scientists, trainees and staff." THETA's contribution to this event consists of nine abstracts, three of which will be showcased as posters.
Posters
Rac VE, Abrahamyan L, Pechlivanoglou P, Shahid N, Wong J, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Hunting G, Carcone S, Stanimirovic A, Petrosyan Y, Ryan W, Chung S, Pham B, Mitsakakis N, Krahn MD Complex Interventions for Comparative Effectiveness and Health Technology Assessment.
Ieraci L, Pechlivanoglou P, Bayley M, Kapral M, Fang J, Li S, Krahn MD. Real-world effectiveness of stroke units in Ontario. A matched cohort analysis.
Bremner KE, de Oliveira C, Liu N, Greenberg ML, Nathan PC, McBride ML, Krahn MD. Costs for children with cancer, pre-diagnosis and 1-year post-diagnosis: a population-based study in Ontario
Abstracts
Mitsakakis N, Krahn MD, Tomlinson G. Analysis of aggregate health care cost data using Bayesian mixed models
Rac VE, Wong J, Mitsakakis N, Pechlivanoglou P, Carcone S, Krahn MD. Clinical effectiveness of the wound interdisciplinary team study
Rac VE, Shahid N, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Stanimirovic A, Abrahamyan L, Krahn MD. Evaluating the impact of Telehomecare on patient quality of life and satisfaction
Sahakyan Y, Rac VE, Fan I, Ieraci L, Hall R, Kelloway L, van Velde G, Kapral MK, Bayley M, Krahn MD. Structure and function of stroke units in Ontario in 2013-2014
Hunting G, Shahid N, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Moneypenny C, Stanimirovic A, North T, Petrosyan Y, Krahn MD, Rac VE. Evaluating the Implementation and Adoption of Telehomecare in Ontario
Rac VE, Sahakyan Y, Shahid N, Stanimirovic A, Fan I, Ryan W, Pechlivanglou P, Abrahamyan L, Krahn M. The impact of Telehomecare on COPD and HF patient monitoring parameters
Boehme KE, Jamal M, Perlis N, Bremner KE, Alibhai S MH, Finelli A, Ritvo P, Krahn MD, Kulkarni GS. Validating the Bladder Utility Symptom Scale-Psychometric (BUSS-P)
2015 TGRI Research Day description and a banner image adapted from TGRI website. Posted on Oct 5, 2015
THETA's poster presentation at the 21st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Wound Care
THETA staff will present their work at yet another conference this year: the Canadian Association of Wound Care's 21st Annual Conference, which will be held in Toronto, at the Westin Harbour Castle, October 29 through November 1, 2015. The conference is a four-day continuing education event designed to support health-care professionals who work with patients with wounds or who are at risk for developing wounds. This year’s conference continues the CAWC’s practice of addressing gaps in knowledge and practice as informed by the expressed needs of professionals working in the field of wound care. Sessions will be presented by experts in their fields from across Canada and the U.S. and a minimum of 25% of each session will be devoted to active learning activities.
Poster presentation
Patients’ and healthcare providers’ experiences with community-based wound care service in Toronto. Woo KY, Wong J, MD, Rice K, Laura Teague L, Coelho S, Haratsidis E, Carcone S, MSc, Krahn MD, Rac VE.
2015 Conference description and a banner image adapted from CAWC website. Posted on Oct 2, 2015
Dr. Valeria Rac presents at the prestigious American Heart Association's conference: Scientific Sessions 2015
Congratulations to Dr. Valeria Rac, Associate Program Director; Director Clinical Research Division, for having an opportunity to present the following work at the Scientific Sessions 2015, November 10, 2015, in Orlando, FL, USA, the leading cardiovascular conference in the United States:
Improving monitoring outcomes and quality of life for heart failure patients in telehomecare program. Rac VE, Sahakyan Y, Shahid N, Stanimirovic A, Fan I, Ryan W, Pechlivanoglou P, Abrahamyan L, Krahn MD.
"Scientific Sessions began in 1925 – the year after the American Heart Association was founded – and has run continuously ever since, save for a hiatus during World War II.[…] Nearly 18,000 attendees from more than 100 countries will gather on Sunday, Nov 7 through Wednesday, Nov 11. Another 1.5 million professional attendees are expected to be involved virtually, absorbing groundbreaking insights, lectures from prestigious speakers and thought-provoking discussions about basic, translational, clinical and population science." (AHA, 2015)
2015 Conference description and photo from AHA blog website. Posted on Sept 18, 2015
THETA Staff presence at the Health Quality Transformation Conference.
Health Quality Transformation is Canada’s leading conference on health quality bringing this year over sixty thought leaders and health system innovators. HQT2015 will be held on October 14, 2015, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Click here to view the full conference agenda and review each of the day’s unique breakout sessions.
THETA Collaborative will contribute the following poster presentations:
Patient Quality of Life and Satisfaction with Telehomecare. Rac VE, Shahid N, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Stanimirovic A, Abrahamyan L, Krahn M
Impact of Telehomecare Program on Monitoring Parameters Among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure Patients in Ontario, Canada. Rac VE, Sahakyan Y, Shahid N, Stanimirovic A, Fan I, Ryan W, Pechlivanglou P, Abrahamyan L, Krahn M
Patients’ and Healthcare Providers’ Experiences with Community-Based Wound Care Service in Toronto. Rac VE, Wong J, Rice K, Teague L, Coelho S, Haratsidis E, Carcone S, Krahn MD, Woo KY.
2015 Conference description and photo adapted from HQT website. Posted on Sept 16, 2015
THETA Collaborative presents at the upcoming Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) 2015 - 37th Annual North American Meeting, October 18 - October 21, 2015, in St. Louis, Missouri.
This year’s theme: Implementation. SMDM is uniquely positioned to bring experts from a broad range of health science disciplines together to explore implementation and exchange ideas on how to improve the translation of research findings into better bedside care and health care utilization.
Congratulations to all team members whose work has been accepted for presentations at the conference.
Courses
Decision Modelling Using R. Course Director: Pechlivanoglou P, MSc, PhD; Course Faculty: Mitsakakis N, MSc PhD , Abrahamyan L, MD MPH PhD, Wong WWL, Ph.D.
Issues in the Analysis of Health Care Cost Data. Course Director: Mitsakakis N, MSc PhD
Oral presentation
Current treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB): A systematic review and a network meta-analysis. Wong W, Pechlivanoglou P, Erman A, Saeed Y, Tadrous M, Younis M, Zaki Rayad N, Bielecki J, Rac VE, Krahn M.
Complex Interventions for Comparative Effectiveness and Health Technology Assessment. Rac VE, Abrahamyan L, Pechlivanoglou P, Shahid N, Wong J, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Hunting G, Carcone S, Stanimirovic A, Petrosyan Y, Ryan W, Chung S, Pham B, Mitsakakis N, Krahn MD
Burden of community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection in Ontario, Canada: A population-based study. Nanwa N, Sander B, Krahn M, Daneman N, Lu H, Austin P, Govindarajan A, Rosella L, Cadarette S, Kwong J.
Predicting utility scores for myelofibrosis patients: mapping the myelofibrosis symptom assessment form and myeloproliferative symptom assessment form to the EUROQOL-5D. Lee CH, Bremner K, Grootendorst P, Ringash J, Krahn M, Mitsakakis N.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of minimal residual disease testing for the management of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Gajic-Veljanoski O, Pham B, Pechlivanoglou P, Gupta S, Gibson P, Rae C, Krahn M.
Cost-effectiveness of telehomecare for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Canada. Nam A, Erman A, Krahn M.
One year healthcare cost and utilization in adults with chronic pain. Hogan ME, Shah V, Katz J, Taddio A, Krahn M.
Poster presentations
Impact of telehomecare program on monitoring parameters among COPD and HF patients. Rac VE, Sahakyan Y, Shahid N, Stanimirovic A, Fan I, Ryan W, Pechlivanoglou P, Abrahamyan L, Krahn M.
New model of healthcare delivery-telehomecare program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) patients in Ontario, Canada. Rac VE, Sahakyan Y, Shahid N, Stanimirovic A, Fan I, Ryan W, Krahn M.
Cost-utility analysis of oral antiseptic chlorhexidine in decreasing ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care units. Lee S, Pechlivanoglou P, Azarpazhooh A, McCredie V, Krahn M, Quinonez C.
Factors affecting the delivery of a pharmacist-led medication review. Evidence from the Medscheck annual service in Ontario. Pechlivanoglou P, Abrahamyan L, Mackeigan L, Dolovich L, Consiglio G, Rac VE, Shin J, Cadarette S, Krahn M.
Implementation and adoption of the telehomecare program for patients with heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Rac VE, Hunting G, Shahid N, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Moneypenny C, Stanimirovic A, Petrosyan Y, Krahn M.
Social Media as a key tool to recruit rare disease patients for clinical researchers. Lee CH, Krahn M, Mitsakakis N.
Impact of telehomecare program on patients' quality of life and disease-management skills. Rac VE, Sahakyan Y, Shahid N, Fan I, Krahn M.
Estimation of fibrosis progression rates for chronic hepatitis C: A systematic review and meta-analysis update. [Lee B. Lusted Finalists]. Erman A, Hansen T, Bielecki J, Krahn M, Thein HH.
Management of epilepsy in women contemplating pregnancy: A decision analysis model. [Lee B. Lusted Finalists]. D'Souza R, Breiner A, Sander B, Murphy K, Bermingham S, Krahn M.
Health utilities in adults with chronic pain. [Lee B Lusted Finalists, top rated abstract]. Hogan ME, Mitsakakis N, Shah V, Katz J, Krahn M.
Health utilities in marginalized chronic hepatitis C patients participating in a community-based hepatitis C program. [Lee B. Lusted Finalists]. Saeed Y, Mason K, Chung S, Altenberg J, Powis J, Bruneau J, Feld J, Feng Z, Mitsakakis N, Myers R, Rac VE, Bremner K, Krahn M, Wong W.
Posted on Sept 09, 2015
The Canadian government invests $4.5 mln in the National Collaborative Hepatitis C Network, THETA – one of the research partners.
The World Hepatitis Day, July 28th, coincides with THETA announcement that Dr. Murray Krahn and Dr. William Wong, THETA co-investigators, are joining the team of more than 60 researchers, healthcare professionals and partners across Canada to work on a new National Collaborative Hepatitis C Network. From the July 27, 2015, official press release: "The National Collaborative Hepatitis C Network [will be] focused on improving the health of Canadians living with hepatitis C and preventing new infections. [The network] was funded through a partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada."
Congratulations to Dr Krahn and Dr Wong for being part of this important initiative!
Other press releases: The University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM); CNW Newswire; Montreal Gazette;
Posted on July 28, 2015
HTX REACH issues its first “Call for Innovation”, offering funding to Ontario public healthcare delivery organizations to adopt innovative medical technologies.
In April, HTX.ca - The Health Technology Exchange established the new, HTX-led “REACH” Program (Resources for Evaluating, Adopting and Capitalizing on Innovative Healthcare Technology), supported by the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS). The first “Call for Innovation” is being released July 10, 2015, with Expressions of Interest due August 17, 2015, and invited Full Proposals due September 28, 2015. Public healthcare delivery organizations and medical technology innovation companies can click HERE for details on the HTX website.[...] Please see full Press Release HERE.
Posted on July 14, 2015
THETA presence at ISPOR conference
The ISPOR 20th Annual International Meeting will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 16-20, 2015, and THETA's health economist Petros Pechlivanoglou , MSc, PhD will be there teaching one of the workshop sessions and delivering a podium presentation:
Extrapolating All-Cause Mortality Estimates in Economic Evaluations: A Simulation Analysis. Pechlivanoglou P, Abrahamyan L, Paulden M, Pham B, Krahn MD. Podium presentation: May 18, 2015, 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM
Surviving the Submission: Best Practices in Overall Survival Extrapolation In Oncology. Sanatan Shreay, PhD, Andrew Briggs, DPhil, MSc, Rachel Beckerman, PhD, Petros Pechlivanoglou , PhD. Workshops - Session III, May 19, 2015, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Posted May 7, 2015
THETA at Partners in Progress: BRIDGES Conference 2015
The TLC Team sparked great interest at the annual Partners in Progress: BRIDGES Conference 2015 with a poster presentation titled, "Complex Interventions for Comparative Effectiveness and Health Technology Assessment", authored by Dr. Valeria Rac and a THETA team of investigators. The poster outlined THETA's experience with the design, implementation and evaluation of complex interventions, such as the Wound Interdisciplinary Teams (WIT) study. The WIT study is a complex community-based intervention focused on patients with chronic wounds.
A second poster, "Telehomecare for Patients with Heart Failure or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: TeLeCare (TLC) Study", (same authors) was also presented. This poster highlighted the preliminary findings of the qualitative study that is part of the Telehomecare program evaluation study – TLC study. THETA research associates shared their experiences with the design, implementation and evaluation of complex interventions to date. They answered interesting questions about intervention designs, evaluation framework selection, the important role of context in which a particular complex intervention is situated, and the role of different stakeholders (patients and their informal caregivers, health care providers, administrators and decision makers) in intervention implementation and adoption.
The interested parties noted that the findings from these studies could be relevant for other chronic disease interventions focused on improving the quality of patient care. Understanding for whom, and under what conditions complex interventions work, will allow for the development and enhancement of different programs and interventions that can alleviate the inappropriate over-utilization of health care resources.
Posted on April 21, 2015
CAHSPR conference 2015: Learning from Each Other: Across Disciplines, Jurisdictions and Generations
At the upcoming Canadian Association for Health Sevices and Policy Research (CAHSPR) Montreal Conference, from May 26 to 28 2015, discussions will focus on the following theme: Learning from Each Other: Across Disciplines, Jurisdictions and Generations. CAHSPR endeavours to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and approaches, particularly with regard to research and experiments, to guide the improvement of policies and practices.
Since the highest level of interaction between health regions, provinces and various leading countries have been built into the Program, hopefully, this will drive vibrant exchanges among the many professions and scientific disciplines found under the umbrella of health. The conference will also provide a space for showcasing contrasting views held by various generations of men and women who work in the field, whether they are young and emerging or mid- to late-career, seasoned professionals.
2015 Conference description and photo adapted from CAHSPR website.
THETA staff is contributing several oral and poster presentations at the conference:
Oral Presentations
Cost-Utility Analysis of Robotic-Assisted versus Open Radical Prostatectomy in Patients with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer in Ontario. Xie X, Abrahamyan L, Tawfik A, Kabali C, Pham B, Krahn M
Impact of Telehomecare on patients’ quality of life and disease-management skills. Rac VE, Shahid N, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Hunting G, Stanimirovic A, Petrosyan Y, Moneypenny C, Abrahamyan L, Pechlivanoglou P, Pham B, Mitsakakis N, Krahn M
Real-world effectiveness of stroke units in Ontario. A matched cohort analysis. Ieraci L, Pechlivanoglou P, Bayley M, Kapral M, Fang J, Li S, Krahn M
Procurement as an instrument of health policy: What are we asking, what can it do? Miller FA, Lehoux P, Barg C, Peacock S, Rac VE, Pham B, Krahn M
Poster Presentations
Structure and Function of Stroke Units in Ontario in 2013-2014. Rac VE, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Ieraci L, Hall R, Kelloway L, van der Velde G, Kapral M, Bayley M, Krahn M
Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Complex Health Care Interventions in the Community. Rac VE, Abrahamyan L, Pechlivanoglou P, Shahid N, Wong J, Sahakyan Y, Fan I, Hunting G, Carcone S, Stanimirovic A, Petrosyan Y, Ryan W, Chung S, Pham B, Mitsakakis N, Krahn M.
Posted on March 25, 2015
128 enrolled and counting!
We are happy to announce that SIESTA Home Sleep Study has now over 100 participants enrolled.
We welcome our latest study site, Sleep & Apnea Assessment Unit in London Health Sciences Centre with Dr. Charlie George (Site Investigator) and Ms. Ruth Strapp (Research Manager). Already busy enrolling at this site are Jennifer O. Gorman and Leila MacBean, Lawson Study Coordinators! Big thanks to Nancy Farr (Kingston Sleep Disorders Laboratory’s Study Coordinator), Sanjana Hye (Hamilton Sleep Disorders Clinic’s Study Coordinator) and all those who are involved for all their hard work.
BresoTec Inc and its product ApneaDx™ is one of the first three companies selected by the MaRS Excellence in Clinical Innovation and Technology Evaluation (“EXCITE”) program. Photo courtesy of BresoTec Inc.
Posted on March 20, 2015
Screening Canadians for hepatitis C infection could be cost-effective and save lives
Congratulations to William Wong, PhD, Decision Modeler at THETA and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, on his newest publication: Cost-effectiveness of screening for hepatitis C in Canada. CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) just published media release and CMAJ Twitter feed is already abuzz with this important news.
THETA contributes to the upcoming 2015 CADTH Symposium.
This year 2015 CADTH Symposium theme is “What does the evidence say? HTA to support policy and practice”; it is held at TCU Place in Saskatoon, SK on April 12 – 14, 2015. THETA staff substantial contribution includes workshops, oral and poster presentations as well as discussion panels.
Workshops
Complex Interventions for Comparative Effectiveness and Health Technology Assessment. Valeria E. Rac, Lusine Abrahamyan and Murray D Krahn
This is an introductory-level workshop about complex interventions and their increasing role in the comparative effectiveness and health technology assessment research. The course provides theoretical frameworks and practical guidance for the design, implementation and evaluation of the complex interventions. Real world examples will be used throughout - April 12, 2015; 9:00 am - 12 pm.
Issues in the analysis of healthcare cost data. Nicholas Mitsakakis, Petros Pechlivanoglou - April 12, 2015; 9:00 am - 12pm
Integrating NMA in economic evaluations. Petros Pechlivanoglou , Nicholas Mitsakakis - April 12, 2015; 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Panel Sessions
Public policy in the post-interferon era: Can we afford to cure Hepatitis C? Murray Krahn (moderator), William W.L. Wong, Alnoor Ramji, Kevin Wilson - April 13 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Improving the Appraisal of Non-Drug Technologies: Revising the Ontario Decision Framework. Presenters: Murray Krahn, Fiona Miller, Ann-Sylvia Brooker, Valeria E Rac, (Moderator); Authors: Krahn M, Miller FA, Bayoumi A, Giacomini M, Goeree R, Wagner F, Winsor S, Schunemann H, van der Velde G, Pham B, Petersen S - April 14; 13:00 – 14:30 pm
Oral Presentations
Cost-effectiveness of a one-time national hepatitis C screening program: impact of a selective drug reimbursement policy. William W.L. Wong, Jordan Feld, Murray Krahn - April 14, 2015; 10:15 – 11:45 am
An alternative parameterization of Bayesian logistic hierarchical models for mixed treatment comparisons. Petros Pechlivanoglou - April 14, 2015; 10:15 – 11:45 am
Two solitudes: HTA and procurement as pathways to the adoption of health technologies. Miller A Fiona, Barg C, Krahn M, Lehoux P, Peacock S, Rac VE. - April 14; 10:15 – 11:45 am
Poster Presentations
All poster presentations will be held during the Welcome Reception on the evening of April 12.
Implementation challenges of a community-based pragmatic randomized controlled trial in wound care. Valeria E Rac, Josephine Wong, Nicholas Mitsakakis, Eva Haratsidis and Murray Krahn
Analysis of aggregate health care cost data using Bayesian mixed models. Nicholas Mitsakakis, George Tomlinson
Benefits of transformations in mapping health utilities. Nicholas Mitsakakis, Karen Bremner and Murray Krahn
Projecting mortality rates in Economic Evaluation: A simulation study. Petros Pechlivanoglou, Lusine Abrahamyan, Ba' Pham, Serena Hsu, Mike Paulden, Murray Krahn
Including the patient’s family in cost-effectiveness analysis of end-of-life interventions. Ba' Pham, Fowler R, P Tanuseputro, D Manuel, N Sikich, S Baidoobonso, P Pechlivanoglou, L Levin, D Guerriere, P Coyte, M Krahn
Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Post-Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Impact Analysis. Xuanqian Xie, Myra Wang, Alexis Schaink, Murray Krahn
Cost effectiveness analysis of islet transplantation in patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Xuanqian Xie, Benjamin Rich, Nandini Dendukuri
THETA Collaborative presents at the upcoming Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) 2014 – 36th Annual North American Meeting. This year’s theme: Medical Decision Making Among Diverse Populations: Advancing Practice, Policy, and Science, October 18 - 22, 2014, Miami, FL.
Short Course
Complex Interventions for Comparative Effectiveness and Health Technology Assessment. Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Lusine Abrahamyan, MD, MPH,PhD and Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc.
This is an introductory-level course about complex interventions and their increasing role in the comparative effectiveness and health technology assessment research. The course provides theoretical frameworks and practical guidance for the design, implementation and evaluation of the complex interventions. Real world examples will be used throughout.
Oral Presentations
Implementation Challenges of a Community-Based Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial in Wound Care. Josephine F Wong, MD, Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD, Nicholas Mitsakakis, MSc, PhD, Eva Haratsidis, BSc, RN and Murray D. Krahn, MD, MSc.
Analysis of Healthcare Costs in Patients with Acute Whiplash-Associated Disorders Using Zero-Adjusted Gamma Models. Shahriar Shams, MA, Lusine Abrahamyan, MD, MPH, PhD, Gabrielle van der Velde, DC, PhD and Nicholas Mitsakakis, MSc, PhD.
The Impact of Estimating Mortality Rates in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: A Simulation Study. Petros Pechlivanoglou, PhD, Lusine Abrahamyan, MD, MPH, PhD, Ba' Pham, MSc, PhD (c), Mike Paulden, MA, MSc. and Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc.
Poster Presentations
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Palliative Team Care for Patients Nearing End-Of-Life. Ba' Pham, MSc, PhD (c), Robert A. Fowler, MD, MSc, Peter Tanuseputro, MD, MHSc, Douglas Manuel, MD, MSc, Nancy Sikich, MSc, Shamara Baidoobonso, MSc, PhD, Petros Pechlivanoglou, PhD, Les Levin, MD, MSc and Murray D. Krahn, MD, MSc.
Cost-Effectiveness of Hepatitis B Virus Screening Before Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Early Stage Breast Cancer. William W. L. Wong, PhD, Lisa K. Hicks, MD, MSc, Hong Anh Tu, PhD, Murray D. Krahn, MD, MSc, Kathleen I. Pritchard, MD, MSc, Jordan J. Feld, MD, MPH and Kelvin Chan, MD, MSc.
Cost-Effectiveness of Screening Hepatitis C in Canada. William W. L. Wong, PhD, Hong Anh Tu, PhD, Jordan J. Feld, MD, MPH, Tom Wong, MD, MPH and Murray D. Krahn, MD, MSc.
Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Systematic Referral to Multidisciplinary Wound Care Teams in Ontario. Evidence from the Wound Interdisciplinary Teams (Wit) Trial. Mengzhu Jiang, MSc, Petros Pechlivanoglou, PhD, Josephine F Wong, MD, Nicholas Mitsakakis, MSc, PhD, Steven M. Carcone, MSc, Ba' Pham, MSc, PhD (c), Valeria E. Rac, MD, PhD and Murray D Krahn, MD, MSc.
Wound Interdisciplinary Teams (Wit): A Community-Based Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. Valeria E. Rac, MD PhD, Josephine Wong, MD, Nicholas Mitsakakis, MSc PhD, Petros Pechlivanoglou, PhD, Steven M. Carcone, MSc and Murray D. Krahn, MD, MSc.
For more information about this conference, please check SMDM website.
Posted on Aug 2014
The MaRS Excellence in Clinical Innovation and Technology Evaluation program (MaRS EXCITE), is now accepting applications! Apply by September 19, 2014.
MaRS EXCITE invites all medical device companies and innovators to apply to the program so that disruptive effective health technologies can get to market faster for improved health outcomes – in Ontario and globally.
EXCITE is a partnership between government, the healthcare system, academia, clinicians and industry, launched in late 2011.
At the end of the program, companies receive a high quality EXCITE core evidentiary bundle, they can use for both Health Canada licensing and an application to the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee (OHTAC) for recommendation to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and other reimbursement and purchasing reviewers.
Why apply?
- EXCITE’s single, harmonized process mitigates risk and costs to investors and industry through pre-market endorsements and increased efficiency
- Gain earlier feedback on technology from regulators, payers, clinical experts and market experts to reduce delays and unnecessary development costs
- Provides way to engage health system and negotiate conditions for adoption before launch
- Multicentre studies involving markets of choice creates an efficient single platform to evaluate technologies across multiple jurisdictions in tandem with regulators and payers via EXCITE model
Current participants
11 technologies have been prioritized by the Ontario health system for the EXCITE program. For information on current participants: Medtronic of Canada, Apnea Dx, and Rna Diagnostics click here.
How to apply
For more information on eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit the “How to Apply to EXCITE” section. Applications are due on September 19, 2014.
EXCITE Infosession
EXCITE will be holding an infosession with the opportunity for Q & A on August 21, 2014 from 2:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m at the MaRS Centre.
Sign up for the info session today >>
For more information on EXCITE, please visit our website
THETA's study on Mapping the Myelofibrosis Symptom Assessment Form (MFSAF) and Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form (MPN-SAF) to the EQ-5D is still enrolling participants.
The purpose of this study is to develop a statistical model to map scores on two myelofibrosis (MF)-specific descriptive quality of life instruments, the Myelofibrosis Symptom Assessment Form (MFSAF) and Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form (MPN-SAF), and the EQ-5D, a generic preference-based utility instrument. This will enable the estimation of utility values based on MFSAF and MPN-SAF data. We are looking for the optimal statistical model and algorithm to map the MFSAF and MPN-SAF to the EQ-5D.
The team conducting this study is still looking for eligible participants. Please contact Chang Ho Lee at changho.lee@mail.utoronto.ca or 647-982-7317, if you are or know a patient diagnosed with MF and you are interested in participating in the survey. For more information about this study please go to our Current Studies page.
Congratulations to Dr. Claire de Oliveira and Dr. Murray Krahn newest recipients of CIHR Partnerships for Health System Improvement Grant!
Canadian Institutes of Health Research recently awarded Claire de Oliveira, MA PhD and Murray Krahn, MD MSc the Partnerships for Health System Improvement Grant in 2013-2014 Competition. The proposed study "Using Administrative Health Care Data to Inform Cancer Care Policy in Canada" will measure costs of cancer care for patients diagnosed with prostate, breast, colorectal or lung cancer in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec and Nova Scotia a health system perspective, and to determine the factors that influence utilization and costs.
Principal Investigator(s): De Oliveira, Claire; Matheson, Garth R; Krahn, Murray D
Please check CIHR website for more details.
Dr. Murray Krahn received of 2014 Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment
Video of Dr Krahn introduction and his available here.
Dr. William Wong receives a one-year operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Congratulations!!!
Dr. Wong, THETA's decision modeller, is a new recipient of a one-year CIHR operating grant – Hepatitis C Priority Announcement to conduct a pilot study. His grant titled “Cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of quality of life and utility among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection”
Co-PI: Krahn M.. Co-Investigators: Bruneau J., Feld J., Feng Z.Z., Lee S.S., Mitsakakis, N. Myers, R.P., Pechlivanoglous, P., Powis, J., Rac, V.E
Please check CIHR website for more details.
Dr. Harindra Wijeysundera and Dr. William Wong's work described in the latest Elsevier press release.
On June 3, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA, Elsevier published a news release commenting on the results of an article published in Canadian Journal of Cardiology by Dr. Harindra Wijeysundera and Dr. William Wong, et al.: "Impact of wait times on the effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in severe aortic valve disease: a discrete event simulation model".
A team of investigators from the University of Toronto including Dr. William Wong, and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto used mathematical modelling to simulate the results from the PARTNER randomized trial with increasing TAVR wait times. “To our knowledge, our study is the first in the literature to evaluate the effect of delayed access to TAVR, and provides insight into the importance of wait time on outcomes,” says lead investigator Harindra C. Wijeysundera, MD, PhD, of the Schulich Heart Centre, University of Toronto.
Additional Resources:
Full text of the Elsevier press release
“Impact of Wait Times on the Effectiveness of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Severe Aortic Valve Disease: A Discrete Event Simulation Model,” by Harindra C. Wijeysundera, MD, PhD, William W.L. Wong, PhD, Maria C. Bennell, MSc, MPH, Stephen E. Fremes, MD, Sam Radhakrishnan, MD, Mark Peterson, MD, PhD, and Dennis T. Ko, MD, MSc, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2014.03.009
Editorial: “Monitoring Wait Times for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Need for National Benchmarks,” by Sandra Lauck, RN, PhD, Dion Stub, MBBS, PhD, and John Webb, MD, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2014.05.006
Science Newsline Medicine
Bio_Medicine
THETA receives the Health Technology Fund Program Award
Health Quality Ontario’s (HQO) recently announced the results of the 2014/2017 Health Technology Fund Program Request for Proposal Competition. After a rigorous, competitive process four successful candidates were selected, among them the Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative (THETA).
The Health Technology Fund (HTF) Program promotes evidence-based analyses and supports the operation of Evidence-Based Program (EBP) Centers that focus on three areas: decision analyses/economic evaluations, evidence synthesis and field evaluations or usability studies.
Dr. Murray Krahn receives of 2014 Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
Sincere congratulations from the entire THETA team to our Program Director, Dr. Murray Krahn on receiving the prestigious Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment from CADTH and HTA community. Dr. Krahn received the award at 2014 CADTH Annual Meeting during an official Awards Luncheon ceremony.
Dr. Brian O’Rourke, President and CEO of CADTH stated “Dr. Murray Krahn has long been one of the brightest leaders in the field of HTA in Canada. This recognition is a testament to his exceptional contributions to the methodology of HTA, but also his dedication to nurturing and mentoring the next generation of scientists.”
The Dr. Jill M. Sanders Award of Excellence in Health Technology Assessment recognizes and celebrates individuals whose outstanding achievements have significantly advanced the field of health technology assessment, evidence-based drug reviews, or optimal technology utilization in Canada. Please read the official announcement at CADTH website.
Dr. Petros Pechlivanoglou teaches at School of Pharmacy, Addis-Ababa University, Ethiopia
In 2008, the University of Toronto and the Addis-Ababa University in Ethiopia formed the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration (TAAAC) with the aim of building and strengthening capacity and sustainability in medical specialties and other health and non-health professional programs in Addis Ababa. Under the leadership of Dr. Heather Boon, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has partnered with the School of Pharmacy at Addis Ababa University to establish a PhD program in Social Pharmacy at AAU. As part of this collaboration, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has committed to provide faculty members to teach graduate courses in Addis. Most recently, Dr. Petros Pechlivanoglou, one of THETA's health economists taught a graduate course in Pharmacoeconomics at the School of Pharmacy of Addis Ababa University. The course gave Ethiopian graduate pharmacy students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the principles of the economic evaluation of pharmaceutical products, technologies and services, as well as to implement these principles in healthcare decision problems. The experience was mutually rewarding as it gave Petros a better understanding of the peculiarities associated with conducting economic evaluations in low-income countries as well as it exposed him to the friendly, generous, hospitable and historically rich Ethiopian culture.
In addition to providing this graduate course, THETA will be hosting, from April on, one of the PhD students from the School of Pharmacy of Addis Ababa University. Mr. Eskinder Eshetu Ali will be visiting the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy for the next three months to analyze the effects and costs of building capacity in mental health through the TAAAC program.
THETA's Health Technology Assessment Institute 2014
THETA together with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University in collaboration with the Institute of Health, Policy, Management and Evaluation, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and the CIHR-STIHR Health Care, Technology and Place Program will host the 2014 Health Technology Assessment Institute for Decision Makers.
The HTA Institute will bring together experts from a range of disciplines to provide attendees with pragmatic tools for HTA. This three-day intensive course will be useful to individuals who use HTA to make decisions relating to drugs, devices, and programs.
Date: July 14-16, 2014
Place: Dalhousie University
Registration date: April 15th.
THETA is happy to announce the launch of SIESTA!
SIESTA Home Sleep Study with ApneaDx™ for the Diagnosis and Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea proposes to examine the validity, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of ApneaDx™, a new single-channel portable monitor designed to capture and analyze breath sounds to detect sleep apnea versus in-laboratory overnight sleep study with polysomnography – the gold standard for the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea.
SIESTA is both a multi-centre prospective validation study, as well as a pragmatic randomized single-blinded two armed non-inferiority trial. With a planned sample size of 330 participants, SIESTA will take approximately two years to complete. SIESTA is currently at the recruitment stage at the Kingston and Hamilton study sites. Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick is the lead Clinical Investigator at the Kingston Sleep Disorders Laboratory, with Nancy Farr as the onsite Study Coordinator. At the Hamilton Sleep Disorders Clinic, we have Dr. Ray Gottschalk as the Clinical Investigator and Jason Myers as the onsite Study Coordinator. REB submission is underway for our third site, Sleep & Apnea Assessment Unit in London Health Sciences Centre - Victoria Hospital with Dr. Charlie George.
ApneaDx™ is one of the first three companies selected by the MaRS Excellence in Clinical Innovation and Technology Evaluation (“EXCITE”) program.
Dr. Nicholas Mitsakakis organized a General Invited Session at the Annual Meeting of the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC).
This year the University of Toronto is hosting the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC) on May 25-28, 2014. THETA biostatistician Nicholas Mitsakakis, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, and Eleanor Pullenayegum, Associate Professor, University of Toronto and Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children, organized a General Invited Session: Statistical Issues in Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment. The session will feature three prominent speakers:
Andy Willan, Professor, University of Toronto
Kristian Thorlund, Assistant Professor, McMaster University
Heejung Bang, Professor, the University of California at Davis
THETA hosts HTA researchers from Norway
THETA has invited Professor Ivar Sønbø Kristiansen and his team to an all-day workshop to explore common areas of research interest and avenues for future collaboration. Professor Kristiansen is a member of the Economic Evaluation of Health Technologies research group from the University of Oslo. Associate Professor Torbjørn Wisløff, also a member of University of Oslo research team, works for the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services (NOKC). The meeting will take place at THETA offices on January 30th, 2014. Meeting Agenda.
Congratulations to Dr. Beate Sander...
Dr. Sander, THETA's investigator, is a new recipient of the three-year CIHR operating grant. Her grant titled “Estimating longitudinal healthcare costs for infectious diseases using administrative data” amounts to $474,627.
Co-PI: Jeff Kwong. Co-Investigators: Peter Austin, Natasha Crowcroft, Nick Daneman, Jordan Feld, Allison McGeer, Natasha Nanwa.
Dr. Pechlivanoglou's systematic review gets press exposure.
On September 6, 2013, Reuters Health (NEW YORK) released a news story commenting on the results of a published systematic review by Dr. Petros Pechlivanoglou: "Mixed treatment comparison of prophylaxis against invasive fungal infections in neutropenic patients receiving therapy for haematological malignancies: a systematic review". After Dr. Pechlivanoglou email discussion with Reuters Health the story appeared in the NewsDaily - a service of the science news site ScienceDaily one of the Internet’s most popular science news web sites, and P4 Healthcare - the online health care community that connects physicians, patients, pharmaceutical companies, and payers, with the leading specialty therapeutic practices.
THETA Staff present at this year's SMDM 2013 - 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making.
The theme: Bench, Bedside and Beyond: Medical Decision Making and Public Policy, October 19 - 23, 2013, Baltimore, MD
The Hepatitis C Drug Pipeline: Collaboration Between Academic and Hta Agency Partners to Develop an Early Economic Model. William W. L. Wong, Hong Anh Tu, Wendong Chen, Jordan J. Feld, Kristen Chelak, Karen M. Lee, and Murray D. Krahn, The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A, Oral Presentation.
Impact of Increasing Wait Times on the Effectiveness of Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement (Tavr) in High-Risk and Inoperable Patients with Severe Aortic Disease: a Discrete Event Simulation Model. Harindra C. Wijeysundera, William W. L. Wong, Maria C. Bennell, Stephen E. Fremes, Sam Radhakrishnan, Mark Peterson, and Dennis T. Ko The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A, Oral Presentation.
Using Projections of Life Expectancy in Economic Decision Making P.Pechlivanoglou, M. Paulden, W.Wong, S. Bermingham , B. Pham, The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A, Oral Presentation.
Using Value of Information Methods When the Disease is Rare and the Treatment is Expensive – The Example of Hemophilia A. Lusine Abrahamyan, Andrew R. Willan, Joseph Beyene, Marjorie Mclimont, Victor Blanchette, Brian M. Feldman for the Canadian Hemophilia Primary Prophylaxis (CHPS) Study Group. The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A, Poster Presentation.
Characteristics of Multi-disciplinary Heart Failure Clinics that Predict 1-year Cumulative Health Care Costs: A Population-based Study. Harindra C. Wijeysundera, Peter C. Austin, Xuesong Wang, Maria C. Bennell, Lusine Abrahamyan, Dennis T. Ko, Jack V. Tu, Murray Krahn. The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A, Oral Presentation.
Cost-Effectiveness of Education and Activation, and a Rehabilitation Program, Compared to the Legislated Standard of Care for Acute Whiplash Injury in Ontario. Gabrielle van der Velde, DC, PhD1, Lusine Abrahamyan1, Pierre Coté2, Eleanor Boyle3, Heather Shearer, DC, FCCS(C), MSc2, Maja Stupar2, Craig Jacobs, DC, MSc, FCCS(C)2, Jeffrey Hoch4, Patrick Loisel5, Petros Pechlivanoglou, PhD1, David Cassidy3, and Andrew R. Willan, PhD7, The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, Baltimore, MA, U.S.A, Poster Presentation. (1)Toronto Health Economics & Technology Assessment (THETA) Collaborative, Toronto, ON, Canada, (2)UOIT-CMCC Centre for the Study of Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, Toronto, ON, Canada, (3)University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, (4)Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada, (5)University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, (6)SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
Pressure Ulcer Multi‐disciplinary Teams via Telemedicine (PUMTT) KT Seminar
Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Long Term Care Facilities Knowledge Exchange & Results Dissemination,
THETA Collaborative is organizing a KT Seminar with the intention to:
- To share research results from the PUMTT study – a project developed by THETA with the support of Health Quality Ontario, Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Community Care Access Centres – with healthcare partners in Long Term Care facilities
- To exchange ideas for a future research agenda and collaboration with the Long Term Care facilities
Time: Monday, October 7, 2013, 1- 4pm
Venue: Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto
Webinar: Available upon request, please email Joanna Bielecki for the invitation at joanna.bielecki@theta.utoronto.ca
Personalized Medicine: Genomic Test for Breast Cancer Recurrence Found to be Cost Effective.
The 6th Annual THETA Symposium and THETA KT Day
Dr. Murray Krahn delivered a winning “big idea for HTA” speech at the 2013 CADTH Symposium closing plenary.
Dr. Murray Krahn idea is early health technology assessment - bringing together scientists, payers, and innovators and using well-developed HTA methods to shorten timelines around the evaluation of new technologies.
The winning idea will be presented by Dr. Krahn at the next 2014 Symposium in a workshop format.
Please see Dr. Krahn’s speech at the closing plenary here.
THETA's Health Technology Assessment Institute 2013
The 2013 Health Technology Assessment Institute for Decision Makers will be held on June 26-28, 2013. Please save the date. Registration is now open!
The 6th Annual THETA Symposium!
When: Thursday, May 30th, 2013
Where: Casa Loma, Toronto
This year’s theme will be “End-of-Life Care”, lead by Dr. Robert Fowler, a Senior Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute. Please see the attached agenda for this meeting.
THETA KT Day
When: Wednesday, May 29th, 2013
Where: Casa Loma, Toronto
THETA would like to invite you to our fourth annual "Knowledge Translation to Policy" Day.
This year’s topic will focus on early health technology assessment (i.e. “Early HTA”). This new HTA research model is emerging, in which scientists, payers, and innovators work together early in the technology development process. This ensures that the clinical evidence will meet the needs of payers (e.g. Ministries of Health) and regulators (e.g. Health Canada) when it is brought to market and is consonant with the needs of users.
We think it will be an interesting and interactive day, and look forward to seeing you there. Please see the attached agenda.
Dr. Krahn and other Department of Pharmacy researchers' excellence in education, research and program development linked to 11th best in the world ranking and top-ranking in Canada for the Department.
Read the full article: "Message from the Dean" in Pharmacy Alumni magazine here.
SAVE THE DATE: THETA's Health Technology Assessment Institute 2013
The 2013 Health Technology Assessment Institute for Decision Makers will be held on June 26-28, 2013. Please save the date. Registration will open on March 15th.
THETA hosts international PRECIS Meeting - PRagmatic Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summaries - Pragmatic trial design tool
When: Monday, 11th March 2013, 9:30-4:30 p.m.
Where: Leslie Dan Pharmacy Building, University of Toronto
Host: Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative (THETA). Please see the Agenda and a list of participants here.
PLEASE SAVE THE DATE - for the 6th Annual THETA Symposium!
When: Thursday, May 30th, 2013
Where: Casa Loma, Toronto
This year’s theme will be “End-of-Life Care”, lead by Dr. Robert Fowler, a Senior Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute. Please see the attached flyer here – a detailed programme will be circulated in early spring.
Centre for the Evaluation of Technological Innovation gets funded through CFI New Initiatives Fund grant
Dr. Murray Krahn, the F. Norman Hughes Chair in Pharmacoeconomics at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and Director of the Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative (THETA), is the recent recipient of a five-year Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) New Initiatives Fund.
PLEASE SAVE THE DATE - THETA KT Day
What: The THETA Collaborative 4th Annual "Knowledge Translation to Policy" Day
When: Wednesday, May 29th, 2013
Where: Casa Loma, Toronto
THETA Collaborative is the Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative. We are funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to do policy relevant research, and support the work of Health Quality Ontario and the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee.
This year’s topic will focus on early health technology assessment (i.e. “Early HTA”). This new HTA research model is emerging, in which scientists, payers, and innovators work together early in the technology development process. This ensures that the clinical evidence will meet the needs of payers (e.g. Ministries of Health) and regulators (e.g. Health Canada) when it is brought to market and is consonant with the needs of users.
As always, it will be an exciting day, and THETA really hopes to see you there. Please see the attached flyer here – a provisional agenda will follow shortly.
Ba' Pham presents his newest paper at the Canadian Association of Wound Care (CAWC) Conference in London, Ontario.
Presentation Topic: Great Canadian Bandaging Trial – Cost-effectiveness Analysis and Quality-of-life Results
Presenters: Ba’ Pham Conference, venue, location & time: CAWC Conference, London Convention Centre, London, Ontario.
Related articles:
- The Canadian Bandaging Trial: Evidence-informed leg ulcer care and the effectiveness of two compression technologies.
- Cost-effectiveness of compression technologies for evidence-informed leg ulcer care: results from the Canadian Bandaging Trial.
THETA's Health Technology Assessment Institute in China
THETA in collaboration with the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Health Care, Technology & Place Program at UofT and the China Health Development Research Center (CNHRC) hosted a session of the 2012 Health Technology Assessment Institute for Decision Makers in China last September 12-14.
Ba' Pham’s newest article published in BMC Health Services Research.
Title: Cost-effectiveness of compression technologies for evidence-informed leg ulcer care: results from the Canadian Bandaging Trial Authors: Pham Ba', Margaret B Harrison, Chen H Maggie, Carley E Meg,
Professor Murray Krahn has been elected President of the Society for Medical Decision Making.
The SMDM is an international organization dedicated to improving health outcomes through the advancement of proactive systematic approaches to clinical decision making and policy-formation in healthcare by providing a scholarly forum that connects and educates researchers, providers, policy-makers, and the public. Society’s vision is that systematic proactive approaches should be used for decision making in health care, and SMDM is also promoting an integrated approach to health care decision making based on multiple perspectives and expertise from multiple disciplines. The Society's diverse membership includes trainees to senior researchers as well as educators, clinicians, managers, and policy makers, who represent a variety of backgrounds and academic disciplines. Congratulations, Dr. Krahn, on being elected to this noteworthy position. From: Pharmacopoeia, the newsletter for students, faculty and staff at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, September 28, 2012.
Gabrielle van der Velde, DC, PhD, is a clinical epidemiologist at the THETA, teaches new Workshop at 7th IN-CAM Research Symposium
7th IN-CAM Research Symposium
DATE:Nov 2 - 4, 2012
LOCATION: the University of Toronto, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
We are very excited to announce a new addition to the Symposium program -
Workshop - INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMIC EVALUATIONS IN HEALTH CARE Sat. Nov 3rd, 2012 3:00-5:30pm
Led by: Gabrielle van der Velde DC, PhD, University of Toronto
Workshop description: There is a growing interest in and need for health technology assessment and economic evaluation in the field of health care, given the twin realities of constrained health care budgets and rising health care costs. Consequently, health care policy makers are increasingly relying on economic evaluations to make decisions about health care in Canada. The purpose of this workshop is to introduce participants to cost-effectiveness analysis within the context of health care. Participants will be introduced to key concepts within the cost-effectiveness research framework, including elements of study design, methods, and analytical approaches. Participants will learn the meaning of statistics commonly used to assess the cost-effectiveness of health technologies, such as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and net health benefit, as well as their interpretation. Other key concepts such as the cost-effectiveness plane, confidence ellipses, and willingness-to-pay threshold will also be introduced. The workshop will conclude with a group exercise that will consist of reading, reviewing, and critically appraising a cost-effectiveness analysis of a complementary-alternative intervention published in a peer-reviewed journal.
About the presenter: Gabrielle van der Velde, D.C., Ph.D., is a clinical epidemiologist at the Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment (THETA) Collaborative, an Assistant Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (University of Toronto), and an Adjunct Scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. A licensed chiropractor trained at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, she practiced for 8 years before completing a Ph.D. in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research with a focus on applied health economics and health technology assessment, at the University of Toronto. She is currently a member of the Core Scientific Team and Guideline Expert Panel developing the first evidence-based ‘Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Minor Injuries after Traffic Collisions’ for the government of Ontario. She is the principal investigator of an economic evaluation alongside the University Health Network Whiplash Intervention Trial which will determine the cost-effectiveness of two rehabilitation programs compared to the current legislated standard of care for whiplash in Ontario.
THETA's Health Technology Assessment Institute is Going to China
THETA in collaboration with the Institute of Health, Policy, Management and Evaluation, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and Health Care, Technology and Place Program will host another session of the 2012 Health Technology Assessment Institute for Decision Makers in China on September 12-14.
The HTA Institute will bring together experts from a range of disciplines to provide attendees with pragmatic tools for HTA. This three-day intensive course will be useful to individuals who use HTA to make decisions relating to drugs, devices, and programs
THETA Collaborator Publishes Paper on Utilities and Hep B
THETA Collaborator Gloria Woo has published a paper entitled "Health state utilities and quality of life in patients with hepatitis B" in the July 2012 issue of the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. (Volume 26 Issue 7, pages 445-451)
Mike Paulden Wins ISPOR Best Podium Research Presentation
THETA's Mike Paulden has won the ISPOR Best Podium Research Presentation Award for his talk entitled Advancing the methods of cost-effectiveness analysis: Why it's time to move on from ICERs and thresholds. This is the second year in a row that Mr. Paulden has won this award.
THETA Newsletter - Summer 2012
The THETA Summer Newsletter is out for 2012.
THETA Symposium 2012 Presentations
The presentations from the THETA Symposium 2012 are now available.
Evolutions in Network Meta-Analysis
Methods are quickly evolving which enable estimates of the efficacy of multiple treatments simultaneously or estimates of efficacy in the absence of trials between treatments. At the same time, the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH) has identified that in estimates of clinical benefit, meta-analysis methods are sometimes not used when they should be, incorrectly done, or not fully and transparently reported.
At this workshop experts will review indirect and mixed treatment comparison approaches to evidence synthesis, how mixed treatment comparison meta-analysis is evolving in Canada, and the status of the development of Canadian guidelines for good research practices for indirect treatment comparisons.
THETA at CADTH
THETA is Presenting at CADTH 2012.
Video of Personalized Medicine Talk
THETA Staff member Mike Paulden delivered a talk at the Personalized Medicine Workshop in Ottawa. Here is a video of that talk.
Discounting Paper in Print in Health Economics
THETA member Mike Paulden's paper Budget allocation and the revealed social rate of time preference for health is in print in Health Economics.
THETA Investigator in the News
THETA Investigator Wendong Chen has been in the news related to his recent paper Immigrant patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis have a higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma:
- YorkBBS
- New Star Times
- TorCN.com
THETA Investigator Funded by CPAC
THETA Investigator Wendong Chen has had his proposal, "Comparing microsimulation model versus Markov model in assessing the cost-effectiveness of low-dose computed tomography for lung cancer screening in heavy smokers" accepted by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC).
Modelling Methods for Health Economic Evaluation
This modelling short course is to be held in collaboration with the Hospital Authority Hong Kong and will be based at the Hospital Authority Building in Hong Kong.
The short course will provide a day on introductory modelling methods and then proceed to intermediate and advanced topics on days 2 and 3. It will include teaching materials which have been used over the last 10 years in courses run by the Universities of York and Glasgow in the UK, and McMaster University in Canada.
AHRC Symposium 2012
AHRC's Symposium on Comparative Effectiveness Research Methods has put out a call for abstracts. Visit the website to find out how to present your work at AHRC.
Article in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis
THETA Investigator Wendong Chen is lead author on a new article in the Article in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis entitled Immigrant patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis have a higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.
CADTH Symposium Program Released
The preliminary program for the CADTH Symposium (April 15-17 in Ottawa) has been released. The Symposium features contributions from several THETA Investigators and Collaborators, as well as presentations of several THETA projects.
Priorities Conference 2012
Priorities 2012 is the biennial conference of the International Society on Priorities in Health Care (ISPHC). The 10th International Conference will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the Westin Bayshore, September 16 - 19, 2012.
Letter Published in Medical Care
THETA team members Ba' Pham and Anita Stern have published a letter in Medical Care entitled Improving the Quality of Pressure Ulcer Care With Prevention: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.
THETA at OLTCA Research and Education Day 2011
THETA is presenting two posters at the Ontario Long-Term Care Association Research and Education Day in Toronto. See the posters here.
THETA at CAWC 2011
THETA is presenting three posters at the Canadian Association of Wound Care conference in Ottawa. See the posters here.
THETA at SMDM 2011
THETA is presenting at SMDM 2011 in Chicago. Take a look at the presentations here.
Pressure Ulcer in Long-Term Care Paper published in Archives of Internal Medicine
Ba' Pham's work on Preventing Pressure Ulcers in Long-term Care has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Pressure Ulcers in the OR Paper is Abstracted by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
Ba' Pham's recent paper on pressure ulcer prevention in the operating room has been abstracted in York's Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Read the summary here.
Pressure Ulcer Paper Attracts Press
THETA's recent paper on pressure ulcers in the Annals of Emergency Medicine has been mentioned in the press:
- Toronto Sun: Better mattresses equal better, cheaper health care for seniors: study
- United Press International: Better hospital mattresses cost-effective
- French Tribune: Pressure-Reduction Mattress Can Combat Bedsores: Researchers
- Health Leaders Media: Foam Mattresses May Reduce Pressure Ulcers, Hospital Costs
- Fierce Healthcare: Better hospital mattresses give wallets a rest
- Science Daily: Better Mattresses Improve Care, Cut Hospital Costs
- Total Health Environment: Pressure Redistribution Mattresses Save Money - Even in the ER
THETA Quarterly - Summer 2011
The THETA Quarterly for Summer 2011 is out!
Article in Annals of Emergency Medicine
THETA's work on pressure ulcer prevention has been published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. This is one of several papers on pressure ulcer prevention and treatment by THETA.
Mike Paulden Wins Best Poster at HTAi 2011
Mike Paulden has been awarded the Best Poster at HTAi 2011 for his poster entitled Cost-effectiveness analysis and budget impact assessment: a graphical way to combine the two for the aid of decision makers.
THETA Published in Medical Decision Making
Several THETA Collaborators and Staff have published Use of a Catalytic Model to Estimate Hepatitis A Incidence in a Low-Endemicity Country: Implications for Modeling Immunization Policies in Medical Decision Making.
THETA Paper on Pressure Ulcer Reduction in Surgery
Some of THETA's work on pressure ulcers, lead by Ba' Pham, has been published in Surgery. Read Support surfaces for intraoperative prevention of pressure ulcers in patients undergoing surgery: A cost-effectiveness analysis.
Harindra Wijeysundera Wins CCS Young Investigator Award
THETA Collaborator Harindra Wijeysundera has been awarded the 2011 CCS Young Investigator Award – Clinical Science Category by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. He will be presenting his work at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in October in Vancouver.
Mike Paulden Wins Best Podium Presentation at ISPOR
Mike Paulden has been awarded the Best Podium Presentation at ISPOR 2011 for his talk entitled Cost-effectiveness analysis and budget impact assessment: a graphical way to combine the two for the aid of decision makers.
Investing in Child Health to Transform Global Health
THETA Collaborator Wendy Unger is co-chairing the INVESTING IN CHILD HEALTH TO TRANSFORM GLOBAL HEALTH Symposium on July 10, 2011.
Health Technology Assessment for Decision Makers
THETA in collaboration with the Department of Health, Policy, Management and Evaluation, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and Health Care, Technology and Place Program will host the inaugural Health Technology Assessment Institute for Decision Makers.
The HTA Institute will bring together experts from a range of disciplines to provide attendees with pragmatic tools for HTA. This three-day intensive course will be useful for people using health technology assessments and making resource allocation decisions relating to drugs, devices, and programs.
THETA at ISPOR 2011
THETA is showcasing some of our recent research at ISPOR 2011 in Baltimore.
Mike Paulden is presenting Gene expression profiling for guiding adjuvant chemotherapy decisions in women with early breast cancer: a cost-effectiveness analysis of 1000 strategies for the provision of Adjuvant! Online, Oncotype DX and adjuvant chemotherapy, Cost-effectiveness analysis and budget impact assessment: a graphical way to combine the two for the aid of decision makers and Does cost-effectiveness analysis discriminate against patients with short life expectancy?.
Gabrielle van der Velde is presenting Cost-effectiveness of the most commonly used non-surgical treatments for non-specific (mechanical) neck pain
Nicholas Mitsakakis is presenting Beyond Case Fatality: a new method to estimate the effect of increasing treatment uptake on mortality.
Wendong Chen is presenting Cost-Effectiveness Of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Mutation Testing For Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
THETA Collaborative 2nd Annual "Knowledge Translation to Policy" Day
Announcing the THETA Collaborative 2nd Annual "Knowledge Translation to Policy" Day
Friday, May 13th, 2011 at the Estates of Sunnybrook, Vaughan Estate
This year we are presenting on the topics of Cardiovascular Disease and Personalized Medicine.
New Reports on Genetic Testing in Cancer Therapy
THETA has completed three new Reports on genetic tests guiding cancer therapies.
Read Cost-Effectiveness of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Mutation Testing For Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Living in Ontario, Cost-effectiveness of KRAS Genetic Testing for Anti-EGFR Therapy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer and Cost-Effectiveness of Oncotype-DX Guided Treatment in Early Breast Cancer.
THETA at CADTH 2011
Mike Paulden is making an oral presentation, Gene Expression Profiling for Guiding Adjuvant Chemotherapy Decisions in Women with Early Breast Cancer: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of 1,000 Strategies for the Provision of Adjuvant! Online, Oncotype DX, and Chemotherapy and also presenting a poster, Investment and disinvestment of health technologies: why CADTH ought to adopt two cost-effectiveness thresholds.
Gina Trubiani is presenting a poster entitled Identification and Description of Heart Failure Management Programs across Ontario.
THETA's Quarterly - Winter 2010
THETA's Quarterly Newsletter is out!
THETA Model Published in Value in Health
Lead author Harindra Wijeysundera and several other members of THETA have published the paper Cost-Effectiveness of Specialized Multidisciplinary Heart Failure Clinics in Ontario, Canada in the journal Value in Health.
THETA Investigator Wins New Investigator Award
THETA Investigator Rosie Thein has won an Ontario Institute for Cancer Research Health Services Research Program New Investigator Award in the area of infectious disease epidemiology and cancer research (2010-2015).
THETA Collaborator Wins Lusted Prize
THETA Collaborator Beate Sander won the Lee B. Lusted Student Prize at SMDM for her presentation on the cost-effectiveness of the H1N1 vaccination program.
THETA Quarterly - Autumn 2010
THETA's Quarterly Newsletter is out!
Article in Quality of Life Research
THETA Staff Member Gabrielle van der Velde has published the article Neck pain patients' preference scores for their current health in Quality of Life Research.
Discounting Paper in Health Economics
THETA member Mike Paulden's paper entitled Discounting and decision making in the economic evaluation of health-care technologies has been published in Health Economics.
THETA's JAMA Paper in the News
THETA's recent paper is in the news today:
- Behaviour Change Is Key to Lower Heart Risk (WebMD)
- Heart disease deaths fall 35% in Ont. (CBC)
- Heart disease deaths decline due to better prevention and treatment (Vancouver Sun)
- Prevention Gets Credit for Fewer Heart Deaths (Business Week)
- Fewer Ontarians dying of heart disease, study finds (CTV)
THETA Model Published in JAMA
Lead author Harindra Wijeysundera and several other members of THETA have published the paper Association of Temporal Trends in Risk Factors and Treatment Uptake With Coronary Heart Disease Mortality, 1994-2005 in JAMA.
Cardiac Imaging Analysis Under Review at OHTAC
THETA has assisted the Medical Advisory Secretariat in examining the evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of non-invasive cardiac testing modalities. This analysis is now under review at the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee.
Cost-Effectiveness of the Flu Vaccine
Beate Sander's recent paper on the cost-effectiveness of the flu vaccine program in Ontario has been profiled in the news media.
- Offering free flu shots to all prevents cases, saves lives and money: study(CBC)
- It pays to give everyone the flu shot, study says(Globe & Mail)
- Ontario's $40 million flu campaign good value: study(healthzone.ca)
- Ontario's universal flu vaccination plan(e! Science News)
- Universal flu vaccine program cost-effective: Study(Times Colonist
THETA Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2010
THETA's Quarterly Newsletter is here!
Paper in the BMJ
THETA staff member Mike Paulden has published an article in the British Medical Journal: Screening for postnatal depression in primary care: a cost-effectiveness analysis
Publication Accepted for Pressure Ulcer Paper
As part of the work on modelling pressure ulcers in Ontario, the paper "Health Status Utilities and The Impact of Pressure Ulcers in Long-Term Care Residents in Ontario" has been accepted for publication in Quality of Life Research.
Pressure Ulcer Prevention in the OR
THETA has finalized its report on pressure ulcer prevention in the Operating Rooms of Ontario's hospitals.
THETA Quarterly Newsletter - July 2009
THETA's Quarterly Newsletter is here!
THETA Retreat - Slideshow
Here is a video slide show of the second annual THETA retreat. Large file (137Mb).
THETA Quarterly Newsletter - April 2009
THETA's Quarterly Newsletter is here!
Marcio Machado Elected as Chair of ISPOR Latin America
The Chair-elect for the ISPOR Latin America Consortium Advisory Committee is Dr. Marcio Machado, Research Associate, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
THETA Quarterly News Bulletin – January 2009
The latest THETA News Bulletin is up. Project updates, new staff and news about recent events.
Gloria Woo Wins Lee B. Lusted Student Prize at SMDM
THETA's Gloria Woo has won 1st Prize for Students at SMDM in Philadelphia for her presentation of the paper "Bayesian Mixed Treatment Comparison Meta-Analysis Of Outcomes Of Treatment For Chronic Hepatitis B"
Holly Witteman Wins Lee B. Lusted Student Prize at SMDM
THETA's Holly Witteman was Runner-Up for the Prize for Students at SMDM in Philadelphia for her presentation of the poster "Narratives In Online Communities And Women's Decisions About Birth Attendants And Birth Place".
THETA Quarterly News Bulletin – September 2008
The latest THETA News Bulletin is up. Project updates, new staff and news about recent events.
THETA Quarterly News Bulletin – June 2008
The latest THETA News Bulletin is up. Project updates, new staff and news about recent events.
Dr. Wendong Chen Receives Award at ISPOR
Wendong Chen was the recipient of a Podium Award at the ISPOR 13th Annual International Meeting in Toronto. His presentation, "A COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF HEPATITIS C SCREENING AMONG IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA", was selected as Best Student Podium Presentation. Congratulations Wendong!
THETA Quarterly News Bulletin – March 2008
The latest THETA News Bulletin is up. Project updates, new staff and news about recent events.
THETA Retreat
1st Annual THETA Retreat, May 23-25 2008, Niagara-on-the-Lake
THETA evaluates treatment for depression
The evaluation assesses the effectiveness and economics of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
A systematic review examines arthritis treatments
THETA review focuses on the cost-effectiveness of new biologics.
The new project focuses on pressure ulcers
Modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis will assess prevention options