Faculty Member
Blair Bigham MD MSc DTMH FRCPC
- Email Address(es)
- blair.bigham(at)utoronto.ca
- Website(s)
- Academic Publications:, Media Publications:
- Division(s)/Institute(s)
- Clinical Public Health Division
- Position
- Assistant Professor
- SGS Status
- Associate Member
- Appointment Status
- Status Only
Research Interests
I explore the intersection of medicine, the media, and society in today’s rapidly evolving communications ecosystem.
Scientists, health care providers and leaders often engage the public with acts of health advocacy through engagement with news organizations and social media. This can engage individuals, communities, organizations and governments.
Education science is a key part of my work. My team studies the motivations, obstacles and techniques of health advocates with the hopes that we can improve the impact of these activities.
Complimenting novel qualitative and quantitative research techniques, we also use freedom of information tools to uncover data of civic importance.
Misinformation and polarization challenge traditional communication strategies. We are particularly interested in how novel or evolving science, often during times of public crisis, are communicated in low trust environments.
Our advocacy, research and education efforts shape individual choices, organizational leadership and public policy, improving health.
Biography
Blair is an award-winning journalist, scientist and physician who trained in emergency and critical care medicine at McMaster and Stanford Universities. He is interested in public trust during emergencies of all scales, and how scientists, physicians and politicians influence individual health choices.
Prior to joining the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, he was a Global Journalism Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs, an Education Scholar at Stanford School of Medicine, and an Associate Scientist at St Michael’s Hospital.
His academic focus explores the intersection of medicine, the media, and society. He studies how health advocacy, science journalism and medical education shape individual behaviours, organizational leadership and public policy.
Blair’s work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, newscasts and medical journals. He is co-host of the CMAJ Podcast and Director of Research, Education, and Innovation at healthydebate.ca. He is an investigative reporter and scientific consultant at the Investigative Journalism Bureau.
As a physician and advocate, he witnesses the relationship between wealth and health on a daily basis, and collaboratively shares the undertold stories of patients, healthcare providers, and the systems that help or fail them. His 20 years of work in governance roles allows him insight into the challenges health leaders face to improve systems, and he works strategically and collaboratively to improve systems, complimenting his work in advocacy and science.
His first book, Death Interrupted: How modern medicine is complicating the way we die became a national bestseller. His second book is scheduled to be released in September 2025.