Research Chair engaged to study effective out-patient COVID treatments
Dr. Michelle Greiver — Gordon F. Cheesbrough Research Chair in Family and Community Medicine at North York General Hospital (NYGH) and Director of the University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network (UTOPIAN) – is a co-Principal Investigator of a research team that received $10 million from the federal government through the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. The project will study medications for COVID-19 in patients that are ill in the community and are at higher risk of hospitalization. Dr. Andrew Pinto, family physician, and director of the Upstream Lab at St. Michael’s Hospital, leads the project, which involves a research team of over 50 investigators.
The Canadian Adaptive Platform Trial of Treatments for COVID in Community Settings (CanTreatCOVID) is a pan-Canadian trial that will study the impact of several oral medications on hospitalization, death, and long COVID. The unique trial design will allow researchers to study existing COVID-19 medications and add new and emerging treatments to the trial. A Canadian COVID-19 Out-Patient Therapeutics Committee will review and determine which medications are added. The team will also study the impact of medications on people’s quality of life (including long COVID) and use of healthcare services.
CanTreatCOVID is fully consistent with NYGH’s mission. At NYGH, Dr. Greiver and her team, including Margo Twohig, Co-Chair of NYGH’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, will play a role in establishing the study within our community as part of the national effort.
The aims of this large study are:
- to establish an adaptive platform trial aimed at evaluating the effectiveness, practical challenges, and outcomes of therapeutics for COVID-19 to non-hospitalized patients in Canada, in a variety of community and healthcare settings; this will include outreach to communities made vulnerable by social and economic policies, particularly those historically excluded from research,
- to generate evidence on treatment effectiveness
- to provide rapid evidence to inform clinical and health system management and public health leaders, decision makers, and planners within Canada and internationally
Please join us in congratulating Margo Twohig, Dr. Greiver, and her team on this project strengthening the NYGH’s leadership in transforming the delivery of integrated community-based healthcare through applied research and innovation!
For more information about the project, please visit CanTreatCOVID.org.
Driven by philanthropy and enhanced by our affiliation with the University of Toronto, North York General Hospital has broken through the boundaries of traditional discovery research by investing in applied and “practice-based” research dedicated to the health of our community for more than a decade. A first in Canada, our Gordon F. Cheesbrough Research Chair in Family and Community Medicine marked our entry in 2012 and since then, we have established four additional research chairs, one clinical chair, two innovation funds and our activity in clinical trials.
North York General is committed to using research to improve patient experiences, outcomes, and safety and drive knowledge translation to change the way we practice care. This would not be possible without the philanthropic investment provided by our donor community.
