Our Team

Tara Gomes 

Program Director

Tara Gomes is an epidemiologist, lead Principal Investigator of the ODPRN and a Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital and ICES. She is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto and holds a Canada Research Chair in Drug Policy Research and Evaluation. Her research program focuses on pharmacoepidemiology, drug safety and drug policy research, with a specific interest in developing evidence to inform policies related to the safety of opioid use across Canada.

Mina Tadrous 

Director, Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Policy

Mina Tadrous is an associate professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto and the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Pharmaceutical Policy and Real-world Evidence. He is also an ICES adjunct scientist. Mina’s research interests lie in drug policy research and the post-marketing surveillance of safety and effectiveness of medications.

Tony Antoniou 

Senior Investigator

Tony Antoniou is a scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital and ICES, as well as an associate professor at the University of Toronto. His areas of research include drug safety, drug interactions at the population level, and drug policy evaluation

Dana Shearer 

Research Program Manager and Lead, Knowledge Translation and Engagement

Dana is the Research Program Manager and Lead of Knowledge Translation and Engagement at the ODPRN. She holds a Master of Arts in Health and Aging from McMaster University as well as an undergraduate Honours Bachelor of Arts in Comprehensive Psychology from Wilfred Laurier University.

Emily Schneider 

Research Coordinator

Emily is the research coordinator with the ODPRN. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Studies (biology and chemistry minors). Emily is responsible for managing social media platforms and assists with knowledge translation materials and administrative tasks.

Samantha Singh 

Project Manager

Samantha is a Senior Research Project Manager with the ODPRN based at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital. She received her Bachelor of Science through York University. She is responsible for managing the ODPRN research portfolio.

Bisola Hamzat 

Epidemiologist

Bisola is an epidemiologist with the ODPRN based at St. Michael’s Hospital. She received a Master of Science in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Western University and has completed a Bachelor of Medical Sciences with an Honours Specialization in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Anita Iacono 

Epidemiologist
(parental leave)

Anita is an epidemiologist with the ODPRN based at St. Michael’s Hospital. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health and Health Systems (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) and a Bachelor of Science in Health Studies (Gerontology minor).

Tianru Wang

Research Analyst

Tianru is a Research Analyst with the ODPRN based at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). She received her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Dalla Lana School of Public Health and completed her Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.

Daniel McCormack

Research Analyst

Daniel is a research analyst with the ODPRN and is based out of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). He received his Master of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Ottawa and previously completed a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at McGill University.

Joanna Yang

Research Analyst

Joanna is a Research Analyst with the ODPRN based at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). She received her Master of pharmacy from Peking University.

Shaleesa Ledlie

Senior Research Associate

Shaleesa is a Senior Research Associate at the ODPRN. She holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and an MPH in Epidemiology, both from the University of Toronto. Shaleesa’s research interests lie in applying pharmacoepidemiologic methods to help improve pathways of care through the healthcare system for people who use drugs.

Nevena Rebić

Postdoctoral Fellow

Nevena is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the ODPRN. She holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a Bachelors of Science in Pharmacy from the University of British Columbia. Her work applies pharmacoepidemiologic research methods to examine and address intersectional inequities in healthcare access, delivery, and policy in Canada.

Aranee Sathiyamoorthy

Epidemiologist

Aranee is an Epidemiologist with the ODPRN based at St. Michael’s Hospital. She holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and an Honours Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from the University of Toronto Scarborough.

Trainees and Students

Araniy Santhireswaran

Araniy is a PhD student in the Pharmaceutical Sciences program at the University of Toronto. Prior to her graduate studies, she completed her undergraduate studies at the Toronto Metropolitan University in Biomedical Sciences. She was also awarded an NSERC USRA where she pursued research in molecular cell biology. Araniy’s projects focus on using real-world evidence to understand the impact of Canadian prescription drug shortages on population-level drug utilization trends.

Martin Ho

Martin is a PhD student in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. He has a pharmacy background and an interest in drug utilization, effectiveness, safety, policy, and access. Martin’s thesis is on the real-world effectiveness and safety of biosimilar insulins.

Shenthuraan Tharmarajah

Shenthuraan is a 2nd year PhD student in the Pharmaceutical Sciences program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.  Previously, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at New York University and Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition at Columbia University. Shenthuraan’s research interest lies in better understanding the safety of antirheumatic medications in pregnancy. 

Yuti Patel

Yuti is a flex-time PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences student at the University of Toronto, as well as a Market Access professional at Hoffmann-La Roche Canada. Prior to starting her PhD, Yuti received her Master of Biotechnology at the University of Toronto (Mississauga). Her current research focuses on accessing research methods for evaluating drugs for rare diseases in real-world studies. 

Ria Garg

Ria is a PhD student in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. She completed her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of British Columbia in 2022 and works part-time as a community pharmacist. Ria’s research interest include  pharmacoepidemiology study design methods to evaluate drug safety and effectiveness. Her thesis focuses on evaluating novel methadone prescribing practices for opioid use disorder and its impact on patient care outcomes.

Nadège Puddicombe

Nadège is a 4th year honours student in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University. She has published research through institutions like Western, Sunnybrook Hospital, and JDRF International, focusing on health systems, sleep and social connection, stroke recovery, and aging.

Ida-Maisie Famiyeh

Ida-Maisie is a 2nd year medical student at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. A licensed pharmacist, she earned her BScPhm in 2014, completed residency at Women’s College Hospital in 2015, and earned an MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2017. Her clinical experience spans cardiology, internal medicine, surgery, and ALC, with published research on pharmacist prescribing and medication reconciliation.

Jenna Alli

Jenna is a MSc student in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. She earned her Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences (Magna cum laude) from the University of Ottawa, with a focus on women’s health during COVID-19 and food safety concerning Listeria monocytogenes. She also volunteers with The Ottawa Hospital and is interested in drug safety and pharmacoepidemiology

Shaun Jethro Lim

Shaun is a 4th year specialized honours student in Psychology at York University concentrating in Neuropsychology and Applied Analysis. He is a Health Equity Research Scholar with the ODPRN, where he is interested in real-world drug utilization trends. Shaun’s research spans multiple domains of cognitive neuroscience, including in vivo neurophysiology and his thesis on visuomotor control.

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