Faculty Member
Ross E. G. Upshur BA(Hons) MA,MD,MSc
- Email Address(es)
- ross.upshur@gmail.com, ross.upshur@utoronto.ca
- Office Phone
- 416-978-6459
- Office Address
- Dalla Lana Faculty of Public Health 155 College Street Toronto, ON M5G 1L4
- Division(s)/Office
- Clinical Public Health Division
Office of Global Public Health Education & Training - Position
- Professor
- SGS Status
- Full Member
- Appointment Status
- Status Only
- Admin Position
- Division Head, Clinical Public Health
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 Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University
Honours & Awards
- Canada Research Chair in Primary Care Research
- University of TorontoDepartment 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
| 2011-14 | Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI) | Ethics and values in health policy: Improving care transitions for Ontario patients across the continuum of care | $336,947 | Co-Principal Investigator (with Jennifer L. Gibson) |
| 2011-2013 | MOHLTC/BRIDGES | IMPACT + | $400,000 | Co-PI with Dr. Howard Abrams |
| 2013-2018 | CIHR | “Implementing Models of Primary Health Care for Older Adults with Complex Needs” | $2,499,938 |
Co-Investigator PI Walter Wodchis |
| 2013-2018 | CIHR | “Innovative Community-based Approaches to Promote Optimal Aging for the Older Adults with Multiple Chronis Conditions and their Caregivers” | $2,500,000 |
Co-Investigator PI Jenny Ploeg |
Representative Publications
Book
Thompson, R.P. and Upshur R.E.G. Philosophy of Medicine: An Introduction. London: Routledge, 2017
Books Edited
Pinto A and Upshur REG eds. Introduction to Global Health Ethics London: Routledge , 2012
Peer Reviewed Articles
Addressing ethical, social, and cultural issues in global health research. Lavery JV, Green SK, Bandewar SV, Bhan A, Daar A, Emerson CI, Masum H, Randazzo FM, Singh JA, Upshur RE, Singer PA. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013 Aug;7(8):e2227.
Comorbidity in very old adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Chow JY, Nie JX, Tracy CS, Wang L, Upshur RE. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2013 Jun;61(6):1028-9.
Virtue in medicine reconsidered: individual health and global health Benatar S, Upshur R. Perspect Biol Med. 2013 Winter;56(1):126-47.
Applying the ICMJE authorship criteria to operational research in low-income countries: the need to engage programme managers and policy makers. Zachariah R, Reid T, Van den Bergh R, Dahmane A, Kosgei RJ, Hinderaker SG, Tayler-Smith K, Manzi M, Kizito W, Khogali M, Kumar AM, Baruani B, Bishinga A, Kilale AM, Nqobili M, Patten G, Sobry A, Cheti E, Nakanwagi A, Enarson DA, Edginton ME, Upshur R, Harries AD. Trop Med Int Health. 2013 Aug;18(8):1025-8.
Diagnosis of drug-resistant TB and provision of second-line TB treatment in India: some ethical considerations. Singh JA, Bhan A, Upshur R. Indian J Med Ethics. 2013 Apr-Jun;10(2):110-4.
A short note on probability in clinical medicine. Upshur RE. J Eval Clin Pract. 2013 Jun;19(3):463-6
Explanation, understanding, objectivity and experience. Loughlin M, Bluhm R, Stoyanov DS, Buetow S, Upshur RE, Borgerson K, Goldenberg MJ, Kingma E. J Eval Clin Pract. 2013 Jun;19(3):415-21
Upshur REG. Evidence and ethics in public health: the experience of SARS in Canada. NSW Public Health Bulletin 2012: 23:1-3
Fuller J., Upshur REG. Medication complexity and the care of the chronically ill patient. International Journal of Patient Centred Medicine International Journal of Person Centered Medicine 2011 1 (4), 719-725
Canadian national surveys on pandemic influenza preparations: pre-pandemic and peri-pandemic findings. Ritvo P, Perez DF, Wilson K, Gibson JL, Guglietti CL, Tracy SC, Bensimon CM, Upshur RE.BMC Public Health. 2013 Mar 25;13(1):271. [Epub ahead of print]
The IMPACT clinic: Innovative model of interprofessional primary care for elderly patients with complex health care needs.Tracy CS, Bell SH, Nickell LA, Charles J, Upshur RE. Can Fam Physician. 2013 Mar;59(3):e148-55.
Pandemic H1N1 in Canada and the use of evidence in developing public health policies – A policy analysis. Rosella LC, Wilson K, Crowcroft NS, Chu A, Upshur R, Willison D, Deeks SL, Schwartz B, Tustin J, Sider D, Goel V. Soc Sci Med. 2013 Apr;83:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.02.009. Epub 2013 Feb 13.
What does public health ethics tell (or not tell) us about intervening in non-communicable diseases? Upshur R. J Bioeth Inq. 2013 Mar;10(1):19-28. doi: 10.1007/s11673-012-9422-7. Epub 2013 Feb 6.
A call to integrate ethics and evidence-based medicine. Upshur RE. Virtual Mentor. 2013 Jan 1;15(1):86-9. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2013.15.1.oped1-1301. No abstract available.
Organ donation, discrimination after death, anti-vaccination sentiments, and tuberculosis management.Coggon J, Madden B, Cockburn T, Stewart C, Singh JA, Bhan A, Upshur RE, Richards B.J Bioeth Inq. 2012 Jun;9(2):125-33. doi: 10.1007/s11673-012-9370-2. Epub 2012 Apr 18.
The duty to care in an influenza pandemic: a qualitative study of Canadian public perspectives. Bensimon CM, Smith MJ, Pisartchik D, Sahni S, Upshur RE. Soc Sci Med. 2012 Dec;75(12):2425-30. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.09.021. Epub 2012 Sep 26.
Critical thinking in clinical medicine: what is it? Gupta M, Upshur R. J Eval Clin Pract. 2012 Oct;18(5):938-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2753.2012.01897.x.
Evidence and ethics in public health: the experience of SARS in Canada. Upshur RE. N S W Public Health Bull. 2012 May-Jun;23(5-6):108-10. doi: 10.1071/NB11044.
Osteoporosis prescribing trends in primary care: a population-based retrospective cohort study. Wang L, Shawn Tracy C, Moineddin R, Upshur RE. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2013 Jan;14(1):1-6. doi: 10.1017/S1463423612000114. Epub 2012 Apr 23
The formal and informal surgical ethics curriculum: views of resident and staff surgeons in Toronto. Howard F, McKneally MF, Upshur RE, Levin AV.Am J Surg. 2012 Feb;203(2):258-65. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2011.02.008. Epub 2011 Jun 29.
A scoping review and thematic classification of patient complexity: offering a unifying framework AK Schaink, K Kuluski, RF Lyons, M Fortin, AR Jadad, R Upshur, WP Wodchis Journal of Comorbidity 2012 2 (1), 1–9
“If she recommends it, I would have it”. A qualitative study of nonagenarians’ perspectives of their health status and healthcare REG Upshur, C Bensimon, J Westcott, S Bell, CS Tracy International Journal of Person Centered Medicine 2012 2 (4), 680-686
Perspectives on metanarrative as a way of factoring complexity into health services: research synthesis for transforming seniors’ care in Canada JE McElhaney, E Borycki, MCE Briggs, S Bisaillon, R Upshur, K Rockwood Aging Health 2012 8 (4), 351-36
The complexity score: towards a clinically-relevant, clinician-friendly measure of patient multi-morbidity REG Upshur, L Wang, R Moineddin, J Nie, CS Tracy International Journal of Person Centered Medicine 2012 2 (4), 799-804