
To improve the outcome of people affected with multiple sclerosis (MS) by furthering knowledge into disease progression and factors that modify or predict progression; the long-term goal being improved prognosis and an individualized approach to the treatment of chronic disease.
multiple sclerosis; disease progression; risk factors; drug treatment for MS (effectiveness and adverse events); the MS prodrome; sunlight/vitamin D; pregnancy; gut microbiome
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease of the brain and spinal cord. Every day, 3 more Canadians are diagnosed with this progressive disorder with no cure. My research goals are to investigate possible underlying factors driving disease progression – from genes to the environment. Whether current MS drugs have any long-term beneficial or even harmful effects will also be examined. A core component of this program will focus on bringing together, for the first time, multiple large health databases created for over two decades by physicians and pharmacists. Ultimately, we aim to improve the health, treatment options and outcome for people with MS.
Hiking, cycling, running, swimming, backcountry snowboarding, snowshoeing
Latest publications on Pubmed
- July 2011-2015 and 2016-2020 Canada Research Chair program
- July 2007-2013 Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar
- July 2004-2013 Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada Don Paty Career Development Award
Select grants as PI | |
April 2018 – October 2022 | Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Award: Operating grant (‘Project grant’ program, Sept 2017) Title: ‘Prescription Drug Safety and Effectiveness in Multiple Sclerosis [DRUMS]: a population-based, multi-province platform for comprehensive pharmacovigilance’ |
April 2018 – 2021 | The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada Award: Operating GrantTitle: ‘Human immunodeficiency virus, antiretroviral drugs and multiple sclerosis risk (HIV-MS)’ |
April 2018 – 2020 | The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada Award: Pilot GrantTitle: ‘It’s a fungal world: the mycobiome in pediatric MS’ |
December 2015 – 2019 | The Multiple Sclerosis and Research Foundation Award: Operating GrantTitle: ‘From bugs to brains: the gut microbiome in pediatric MS’ |
January – December 2017 | Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
Title: Discovery Program for the Advancement and Application of Epidemiology in MS’ |
Please visit group website at http://epims.med.ubc.ca/