Dr. Andrea Tricco named Executive Director of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute

Dr. Andrea Tricco, scientist at Unity Health Toronto, has been named the new Executive Director of St. Michael’s Hospital’s Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.

Tricco, who is also an associate professor at University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, has a wealth of experience and expertise in knowledge synthesis research. For the past 14 years, she has been an impactful member of Unity Health’s research community, leading the Knowledge Synthesis Team within the Knowledge Translation Program.

“Working at St. Michael’s, I’ve had the chance to work with world-class scientists and have had amazing mentorship within our Research Institute,” she said. “I’ve achieved things that I never would have thought possible and I’m excited to contribute to our mission and support and advocate for all the scientists, trainees and staff in our research community.”

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Tricco’s work focuses on advancing the science of knowledge synthesis, which is the process of evaluating and integrating existing research findings to create a summary of the current knowledge. Her work strives to provide high-quality information to decision-makers such as clinicians, policy makers, patients and the general public.

Currently, Tricco and colleagues are working on a project for the World Health Organization that entails summarizing all studies on acute respiratory illnesses caused by nine different pathogens. This project will be used to develop clinical practice guidelines that will be used by thousands of medical practitioners around the world.

Tricco has published more than 370 peer-reviewed articles and holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis for Knowledge Users. She has been recognized as one of the most highly cited researchers in the world. She is the Co-Editor in Chief of The Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

As the new Executive Director, she’s committed to strengthening the positive workplace culture by attracting new funding sources, fostering collaboration across different disciplines, and continuing to apply an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens to the work of the Research Institute.

“Some of my long-term goals are to attract different sources of funding for our brilliant scientists, and providing opportunities to everyone, so that everyone is succeeding,” she said. “I also want to ensure we have an equity lens in everything that we’re doing, and come up with metrics to track our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion work over time.”

Dr. Ori Rotstein, vice-president of Research and Innovation, said it’s exciting to welcome a scientist as accomplished as Tricco to the role.

“It is an honour to have a scientist of Dr. Tricco’s renown join as the new Executive Director of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and a member of the leadership team. In her new role, she will be a stellar role model for scientific excellence across our Institute and will bring her breadth of knowledge to the discussions and decisions at the leadership table,” he said.

Dr. Kim Connelly, executive director of the Kennan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, echoed this sentiment.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Tricco as the new Executive Director of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. Andrea’s innovative spirit, dedication to evidence-based research, and collaborative leadership are exactly what we need to drive our mission forward,” Connelly said. “With her remarkable expertise and passion for advancing health outcomes, we are confident she will inspire new directions and elevate our collective impact. Welcome aboard, Andrea!”

Dr. Sharon Straus, Unity Health Toronto’s executive vice-president, clinical and chief medical officer, has worked with Tricco for nearly 15 years in the Knowledge Translation Program.

“I am thrilled for Unity Health Toronto to have Dr. Tricco tackle this important leadership role,” said Straus. “She will bring her outstanding skills and expertise to support scientists and trainees to conduct excellent research that impacts patient care and strengthens our health care system; advance patient engagement in research, use an equity lens in all activities; and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.”

A place to grow

Tricco first came to St. Michael’s and Unity Health Toronto in 2010, after completing her PhD at the University of Ottawa. At St. Michael’s she found an institution that offered her an innovative research program that supported her to reach her goals.

The research environment at St. Michael’s is unique, in that it fosters collaboration between non-clinicians and clinician-scientists, which Tricco values immensely.

“That is very appealing to me, because I’m a methodologist. I love collaborating and working with clinicians, and having that clinical perspective included in my research. I love working together to solve complex clinical problems and improve patient care,” she said.

Tricco also values the opportunity to work with a diverse, urban population that makes up a large part of the St. Michael’s patient population. “We work with a lot of people who are experiencing health inequities. We really have the opportunity to have a huge impact on the population, and we get to tackle some very complex problems the populations face using innovative methods.”

It is her own positive experience at St. Michael’s that’s driving Tricco to create a similar experience for all Unity Health Toronto scientists, researchers and trainees. “I’m excited to make a mark, to do whatever I can to be an excellent support and advocate for all the exceptional people that make up our institution,” she said.

By: Marlene Leung