A5038463939- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Complex Network Analysis Techniques
- Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
- COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
- Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Human Mobility and Location-Based Analysis
- COVID-19 and Mental Health
- HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
- Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Genomic variations and chromosomal abnormalities
- Urban Transport and Accessibility
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Hepatitis B Virus Studies
- Family Support in Illness
- Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
- Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks
- Mental Health Research Topics
- Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Physical Activity and Health
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
University of Manitoba
2020-2025
George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation
2020-2025
Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
2018-2020
Sinai Health System
2018-2020
University of Toronto
2018
University of Guelph
2015-2017
Advances in modeling the spread of infectious diseases have allowed modellers to relax homogeneous mixing assumption traditional compartmental models. The recently introduced synthetic network model, which is an SIRS type model based on a non-linear transmission rate, effectively decouples underlying population structure from epidemiological parameters disease, and has been shown produce superior fits multi-wave epidemics. However, inference case counts alone generally problematic due...
Abstract Background This study investigated prevalence of psychological distress, factors associated with and experiences Adolescents Young Adults (AYAs) cancer during the COVID‐19 pandemic. It also compared distress in this group to previously surveyed Canadian AYAs 2018 by Cancer their Prime (YACPRIME) study. Methods A cross‐sectional, online, self‐administered survey diagnosed between 15 39 years age was conducted. Psychological measured Kessler Distress Scale (K10). Associations...
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with cancer are at an increased risk of experiencing social isolation loneliness secondary to their its treatment. The physical distancing measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic may have further among this group. This study examined prevalence factors associated AYAs pandemic.We conducted a self-administered, online, cross-sectional survey Canadian between 15 39 January February 2021. Loneliness was measured using 3-item UCLA Scale....
We aimed to describe the negative and positive impacts of changes in cancer care delivery due COVID-19 pandemic for adolescents young adults (AYAs) Canada, as well correlates impact their perspectives on optimization care. conducted an online, self-administered survey AYAs with living Canada between January February 2021. Multiple logistic regression was used identify factors associated a Of 805 participants, 173 (21.5%) experienced including delays diagnostic tests (11.9%), treatment...
Compartmental models of disease spread have been well studied on networks built according to the Configuration Model, i.e., where degree distribution individual nodes is specified, but connections are made randomly. Dynamics such “first order” were shown be profoundly different compared epidemics under traditional mass action assumption. Assortativity, preferential mixing degree, a second order property that thought impact epidemic trajectory. We first show how assortative can come about...
Abstract Background Seasonal influenza poses a significant public health and economic burden, associated with the outcome of infection resulting complications. The true burden disease is difficult to capture due wide range presentation, from asymptomatic cases non-respiratory complications such as cardiovascular events, its seasonal variability. An understanding magnitude annual incidence important support prevention control policy development evaluate impact preventative measures...
Classical compartmental models of infectious disease assume that spread occurs through a homogeneous population. This produces poor fits to real data, because individuals vary in their number epidemiologically-relevant contacts, and hence ability transmit disease. In particular, network theory suggests super-spreading events tend happen more often at the beginning an epidemic, which is inconsistent with homogeneity assumption. this paper we argue flexible decay shape for effective...
Background Differential access to healthcare has contributed a higher burden of illness and mortality among First Nations compared other people in Canada. Throughout the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, organizations Manitoba partnered with public health government officials ensure had early, equitable culturally safe COVID-19 diagnostic testing vaccination. In this study, we examined whether prioritizing for vaccination was associated faster uptake vaccines versus All Other...
Abstract Models of infectious disease over contact networks offer a versatile means capturing heterogeneity in populations during an epidemic. Highly connected individuals tend to be infected at higher rate early outbreak than those with fewer connections. A powerful approach based on the probability generating function individual degree distribution exists for modelling mean field dynamics outbreaks such population. We develop same idea stochastic context, by proposing comprehensive model...
Objectives: This article articulates the complexity of modeling in First Nations, Metis, and Inuit contexts by providing results a exercise completed at request Nations Health Social Secretariat Manitoba. 
 Methods: We developed model using impact previous pandemic (the 2009 H1N1) to generate estimates.
 Results: The lack readily available data has resulted that assumes homogeneity communities terms health status, behaviour, infrastructure limitations. While may be reasonable...
Introduction Decades of research demonstrate that First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FN/M/I) populations have differential access to diagnostic therapeutic healthcare. Emerging evidence shows this continues be the case during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In an effort rectify these differences in care, our team, which is co-led by FN/M/I partners, will generate distribute on COVID-19 testing vaccination high-priority Manitoba, with goal identifying system-level individual-level factors act as barriers...
In a multiple regression model where features (predictors) form an orthonormal basis, we prove that there exists uniformly most powerful unbiased (UMPU) test for testing the coefficient of single feature is negative (or zero) versus positive. The statistic used same as t-test commonly reported by standard statistical software, and has null distribution. This result suggests orthogonalizing around predictor interest, prior to fitting regression, might be way increase power in testing,...
There has been significant interest in investigating genome-wide and epigenome-wide associations with lipids. Testing at the gene or region level may improve power such studies.We analyze chromosome 11 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) methylation levels single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes from original Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs Diet Network (GOLDN) study, aiming to explore association between triglyceride genetic/epigenetic factors. We apply region-based tests genotype...
Abstract Next generation sequencing technologies have made it possible to investigate the role of rare variants (RVs) in disease etiology. Because RVs associated with susceptibility tend be enriched families affected individuals, study designs based on sib pairs (ASP) can more powerful than case–control studies. We construct tests RV‐set association ASPs for single genomic regions as well multiple regions. Single‐region efficiently detect a gene region harboring variants, while...
Purpose: This study aimed to assess the sources of COVID-19 information used, behavioral changes in response pandemic, and factors associated with adherence social distancing guidelines among adolescents young adults (AYAs) cancer during pandemic. Methods: We conducted a self-administered online survey AYAs (aged 18-39 years) diagnosed between ages 15 39 living Canada January February 2021. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Multiple logistic regression was used identify...
GAW20 working group 5 brought together researchers who contributed 7 papers with the aim of evaluating methods to detect genetic by epigenetic interactions. distributed real data from Genetics Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study, including single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, methylation (cytosine-phosphate-guanine [CpG]) phenotype information on up 995 individuals. In addition, a simulated set based was provided.The analyzed these sets number different statistical...
Abstract Properties of statistical alarms have been well studied for simple disease surveillance models, such as normally distributed incidence rates with a sudden or gradual shift in mean at the start an outbreak. It is known, however, that outbreak dynamics human populations depend significantly on heterogeneity underlying contact network. The rate change influenza peaks early during outbreak, when most highly connected individuals get infected, and declines average number connections...
ObjectivesFirst Nations (FN) organizations worked with public health and governments to improve FN access COVID-19 vaccines by prioritizing communities in vaccination initiatives. researchers data scientists partnered test whether these efforts were associated increased among compared all other Manitobans. ApproachThis retrospective cohort study linked whole-population administrative from (i) the First research file, (ii) COVID testing data, (iii) social services for sociodemographic...
Abstract Relaxing the homogeneous mixing assumption in a population is often necessary to improve fits of epidemic models observed infection counts. Establishing link between infections and underlying network contacts paramount understanding how structure affects speed spread pathogen. In this paper we argue that introducing flexible for effective reproductive number (Rt) over course an allows more realistic description social contacts. This, turn, produces better retrospective fits, as well...