David Juurlink

Well-intended prescribing by physicians can often have unintended consequences for patients. This is sometimes because the patients in real-world clinical practice are less healthy (or less closely monitored) than those enrolled in the premarketing studies used to characterize drug safety and effectiveness. However, some drug-related side effects are sufficiently uncommon that they only become apparent after a drug has enjoyed widespread use by large numbers of patients.

Dr. Juurlink’s research explores the epidemiology of adverse drug events using anonymized population-based health care data to explore the complex interrelationships between drug therapy and harm. One of his primary interests is the clinical consequences of drug-drug interactions, which typify avoidable drug-related injury. As a medical toxicologist, he also studies the epidemiology of deliberate self-harm, including drug overdose and suicide.

Education

• B.Phm., 1990, pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Canada
• MD, 1994, Dalhousie University, Canada
• FRCPC, 1998, internal medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
• FRCPC, 2000, clinical pharmacology, U of T, Canada
• Fellowship, 2002, medical toxicology, U of T, Canada
• PhD, 2003, clinical epidemiology, U of T, Canada

Appointments and Affiliations

• Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Integrated Community Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Senior scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
• Professor, departments of medicine and pediatrics, U of T
• Staff physician, divisions of general internal medicine and clinical pharmacology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Medical toxicologist, Ontario Poison Information Centre, Hospital for Sick Children