In the News
This AI will help us get ahead of the next pandemic
By Ishani Nath It seems appropriate that the Toronto offices for Kamran Khan’s BlueDot, which uses artificial intelligence to flag potential infectious disease outbreaks around the world, are located at the edge of Lake Ontario. Similar to a lighthouse, BlueDot signals when there’s danger ahead. "We use the internet as...
Want to counter health misinformation? There’s a course for that
IHPME offering teaches students how to communicate effectively online By Alisa Kim Myths about the COVID-19 vaccine persist—for example, that it causes infertility or contains a microchip so governments can spy on their citizens—even though more than 12 billion doses have been given worldwide. “Everyone is getting their information online,...
U of T Experts Help Ontario Science Centre Bring Vaccine Science to Life
By Ishani Nath “Fun” is not a word people typically associate with vaccines. The Ontario Science Centre wants to change that with new exhibits that invite visitors to see, touch, and — at times — walk through vaccine science. “We don't want to just tell people [about vaccine science], we...
RSV Immunizations Are Coming. This U of T Researcher Is Helping Parents Prepare
By Ishani Nath RSV researchers have been waiting for this moment for decades. Two new ways to protect children from respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, are on the verge of becoming available in Canada. Even though the majority of children will get infected by age 2, “most parents...
On Gas Stoves and Asthma, a Surprising Finding
By Heidi Singer DLSPH researchers have found a strong correlation between gas stove emissions and childhood asthma in Canadian cities – particularly in Toronto. Profs. Jeff Brook, Padmaja Subbarao, Dr. Marc-Antoine Bedard, and PhD student Myrtha E. Reyna, working with colleagues across Canada, analysed asthma rates among children in major...
DLSPH hosts first hooding ceremony for doctoral graduates
By Bonnie O'Sullivan Banner photos by Dewey Chang On Thursday, June 8, the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) celebrated its doctoral graduates in its first-ever hooding ceremony. Spouses, parents, grandparents and children cheered on their graduates in this emotional and intimate event as each was hooded by a...
DLSPH Researchers Map GTHA Traffic Air Pollution and its Changes over the Last 15 years
By Allan McKee Its' Clean Air Day today (June 7)! How ironic it is that we are dealing with a thick blanket of haze from forest fires in Quebec – wiping out all the gains in air quality we should be celebrating today. Our record levels of air pollution remind...
Meet the Researchers Turning a Hospital into Canada’s First Learning Health System
By Heidi Singer University of Toronto researchers are addressing hospital crowding in the most counter-intuitive way imaginable – by seeking out patients far beyond their hospital’s overburdened corridors. Prof. Laura Rosella uses data and analytics to identify populations at risk of chronic conditions. Prof. Kerry Kuluski talks to patients and...
“I Just Don’t Want People to Feel Broken and Misunderstood”
DLSPH Students Lead Studies to Support Student Mental Health By Heidi Singer Two research teams at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health are studying student mental health in close partnership with the best experts on the subject – students themselves. Both teams received funding from a new University of...
UNICEF Report Underscores Urgency of Childhood Vaccinations, U of T Researcher Says
By Ishani Nath The pandemic drastically set back routine immunizations leaving millions of children in Canada and around the world vulnerable to preventable diseases, according to a new report from UNICEF. “This underscores the urgency of this situation,” says Prof. Shelly Bolotin, Director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable...