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Faculty Member

Ross E. G. Upshur BA(Hons) MA,MD,MSc

Email Address(es)
ross.upshur(at)gmail.com, ross.upshur(at)utoronto.ca
Office Phone
416-978-6459
Office Address
Dalla Lana Faculty of Public Health 155 College Street Toronto, ON M5G 1L4
Website(s)
Google Scholar,
Division(s)/Institute(s)
Centre for Global Health
Clinical Public Health Division
Position
Professor
SGS Status
Full Member
Appointment Status
Status Only
Admin Position
Division Head, Clinical Public Health
Currently Accepting Doctoral Students?
No

Research Interests

  • evidence in health care
  • complexity and aging
  • philsophy of medicine
  • bioethics, public health and global health ethics particularly infectious diseases
  • preventive medicine
  • clinical reasoning
  • time series analysis of health services data
  • primary care research
  • health information privacy

Education & Training History

1997 MSc University of Toronto Epidemiology Thesis: Measuring the Impact of Influenza on Hospitalizations of the Elderly in Ontario

1986 MD McMaster University

1983 MA Queen’s University Philosophy Thesis: Prejudice and Understanding: A Study of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Philosophical Hermeneutics

1982 BA University of Winnipeg Philosophy (with Honours)

Medical Licensure and Memberships

2005 Member, College of Family Physicians of Canada

1997 Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada 1986 Registration to practice medicine in the Province of Ontario

1986 Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada Post Graduate Medical Training

1993-97 Residency Program in Community Medicine, University of Toronto Chief Resident (June 1996 – January 1997)

1991 Geriatric Traineeship, McMaster University 1986-87 General Comprehensive Internship, Toronto Western Hospital

Other Affiliations

Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Member, College of Family Physicians of Canada

Member, Joint Centre for Bioethics

Affliliate, Institiute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

Member, Centre for the Environment

Adjunct Senior Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences

Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University

Honours & Awards

  • Elected Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
  • Elected Fellow, Hastings Center
  • Canada Research Chair in Primary Care Research
  • University of Toronto
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Award for Excellence in Social Responsibility (2010)
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Award for Outstanding Contribution to Family Medicine Research (2009-10)
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Academic Family Physician of the Year (2008)
  • John Hastings Award for Excellence in Service to the University and the Community, Department of Public Health Sciences (2008)
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Award for Research Excellence (2007, awarded in 2008) 
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Award for ‘Excellence in Leadership’ (2007)
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Award for Excellence in Teaching (2003)
  • Research Scholar, Department of Family and Community Medicine (2002)

     

  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Award for Excellence in Research (2001)
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine Award for Excellence in Post-Graduate Teaching (2000)

     

  • Research Scholar, Department of Family and Community Medicine (1999)
  • CP Shah Award for best field research report by a community medicine resident (1997)
  • 1st Prize in Poster Competition, Community Health Research Day (1997)

    Queen’s University

    R. Samuel McLaughlin Fellowship (1982)

    Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1982)

    A.R.C. Duncan Award for Excellence in Tutoring (1982)

    University of Winnipeg

    The University Gold Medal in Philosophy (Honours Course) (1982)

    Student of Highest Distinction (1981)

    University of Winnipeg Board of Regents General Proficiency Scholarship (1981)

    The Professor Philip Wright Memorial Prize in Plato (1981)

    Student of Highest Distinction (1980)

    University of Winnipeg Board of Regents General Proficiency Scholarship (1980)

    Sydney Gallis Memorial Scholarship in Philosophy (1980)

    Peal Goodridge Prize in Political Philosophy (1979)

Current Research Projects

Representative Publications

Book

Thompson, R.P. and Upshur R.E.G. Philosophy of Medicine: An Introduction. London: Routledge, 2017

Books Edited

Jaakkimainen L, Upshur REG, Schultz SE, Maaten S, eds. Primary Care in Ontario. ICES Atlas. Toronto: Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, 2006, 250 pp.

Pinto A and Upshur REG eds. Introduction to Global Health Ethics London: Routledge , 2012

Publications 2022

1: Katz RA, Salamanca-Buentello F, Silva DS, Upshur RE, Smith MJ. R&D during public health emergencies: the value(s) of trust, governance and collaboration. BMJ Glob Health. 2022 Mar;7(3):e007873. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007873. PMID: 35346953; PMCID: PMC8960463.

2: Salamanca-Buentello F, Cheng DK, Sabioni P, Majid U, Upshur R, Sud A. Mal/adaptations: A qualitative evidence synthesis of opioid agonist therapy during major disruptions. Int J Drug Policy. 2022 Mar;101:103556. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103556. Epub 2021 Dec 11. PMID: 34902805.

3: Moon S, Armstrong J, Hutler B, Upshur R, Katz R, Atuire C, Bhan A, Emanuel E, Faden R, Ghimire P, Greco D, Ho CW, Kochhar S, Schaefer GO, Shamsi-Gooshki E, Singh JA, Smith MJ, Wolff J. Governing the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator: towards greater participation, transparency, and accountability. Lancet. 2022 Jan 29;399(10323):487-494. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02344-8. Epub 2021 Dec 11. PMID: 34902308; PMCID: PMC8797025.

4: Downar J, Smith MJ, Godkin D, Frolic A, Bean S, Bensimon C, Bernard C, Huska M, Kekewich M, Ondrusek N, Upshur R, Zlotnik-Shaul R, Gibson J. A framework for critical care triage during a major surge in critical illness. Can J Anaesth. 2022 Jun;69(6):774-781. doi: 10.1007/s12630-022-02231-2. Epub 2022 Mar 23. PMID: 35322377; PMCID: PMC8942150.

5: Singh JA, Kochhar S, Wolff J, Atuire C, Bhan A, Emanuel E, Faden R, Ghimire P, Greco D, Ho C, Moon S, Shamsi-Gooshki E, Touré A, Thomé B, Smith MJ, Upshur REG. WHO guidance on COVID-19 vaccine trial designs in the context of authorized COVID-19 vaccines and expanding global access: Ethical considerations. Vaccine. 2022 Mar 25;40(14):2140-2149. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.02.038. Epub 2022 Feb 28. PMID: 35248422; PMCID: PMC8882397.

6: Sud A, Buchman DZ, Furlan AD, Selby P, Spithoff SM, Upshur REG. Chronic Pain and Opioid Prescribing: Three Ways for Navigating Complexity at the Clinical‒Population Health Interface. Am J Public Health. 2022 Feb;112(S1):S56-S65. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306500. PMID: 35143271; PMCID: PMC8842204.

7: Papanikitas A, Moerenhout T, Upshur R. Global primary care as an incubator for good ethical practice. Br J Gen Pract. 2022 Jun 30;72(720):310-311. doi: 10.3399/bjgp22X719813. PMID: 35773006.

8: Vickery J, Atkinson P, Lin L, Rubin O, Upshur R, Yeoh EK, Boyer C, Errett NA. Challenges to evidence-informed decision-making in the context of pandemics: qualitative study of COVID-19 policy advisor perspectives. BMJ Glob Health. 2022 Apr;7(4):e008268. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008268. PMID: 35450862; PMCID: PMC9023846.

9: D’Urzo KA, Tamari IE, Chapman KR, Maleki-Yazdi MR, Greiver M, Upshur RE, Biro L, O’Neill B, Moineddin R, Aliarzadeh B, Kulasegaram K, To T, D’Urzo AD. Primary Care Severe Asthma Registry and Education Project (PCSAR-EDU): Phase 1 – an e-Delphi for registry definitions and indices of clinician behaviour. BMJ Open. 2022 Mar 24;12(3):e055958. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055958. PMID: 35332043; PMCID: PMC8948412.