Evaluative Clinical Sciences

Research Administrative Assistant: Tilley Creary
Fax: 416-480-6048
Email: tilley.creary@sunnybrook.ca

Education:

• BA, 1996, psychology, Simon Fraser University, Canada
• MD, 2000, University of British Columbia, Canada
• M.Sc., 2006, clinical epidemiology, U of T, Canada
• FRCPC, 2007, emergency medicine, U of T, Canada

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Tory Trauma Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Staff emergency physician, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Associate professor, department of medicine - division of emergency medicine, U of T
• Senior scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
• New investigator, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Research Foci:

• Health services research
• Health care delivery
• Emergency medicine
• Cardiovascular medicine in the emergency department setting

Research Summary:

Dr. Atzema's research focuses on the quality of care provided to patients with cardiovascular illness when they are in the emergency department. She uses linked Ontario databases to examine the relationship between early care in the emergency department and outcomes in patients with cardiac illnesses such as heart attacks, atrial fibrillation, and high blood pressure. Her specific areas of interest are the following:

• Describing atrial fibrillation as it presents in the emergency setting, as well as determining predictors of poor outcomes following an emergency visit
• Determining how follow-up care after an emergency visit for a cardiovascular disease affects longer-term outcomes in these patients
• Hypertension as it presents in the ED

Selected Publications:

See current publications list at PubMed.

1. Atzema CL, Austin PC, Miller E, Chong AC, Yun L, Dorian P. A population-based description of atrial fibrillation in the emergency department, 2002–2010. Ann Emerg Med. 2013 Dec;62(6):570–77. 
2. Atzema CL, Austin PC, Chong AC, Dorian P. Factors associated with 90-day death following emergency department discharge for atrial fibrillation. Ann Emerg Med. 2013 May;61(5):539–48. 
3. Atzema CL, Dorian P, Ivers NM, Chong AS, Austin PC. Evaluating early repeat emergency department use in patients with atrial fibrillation: A population-based analysis. Am Heart J. 2013 Jun;165(6):939–48. 
4. Atzema CL, Lam K, Young C, Kester-Greene N. Patients with atrial fibrillation and an alternative primary diagnosis in the emergency department: A description of their characteristics and outcomes. Acad Emerg Med. 2013 Feb;20(2):193–9. 
5. Barbera LC, Atzema CL, Sutradhar R, Seow H, Howell D, Husain A, Sussman J, Earle C, Liu Y, Dudgeon DJ. Do patient reported symptoms predict for emergency department visits? A population based analysis. Ann Emerg Med. 2013 Apr;61(4):427–37.

Related News and Stories:

• Patients with irregular heart rhythm more likely to stay on medication when prescribed by emergency medicine doctor: Study suggests visit to emergency department is more impactful than referral to family doctor for people with atrial fibrillation (Dec. 10, 2019)
• Ask a scientist: "What is your guilty pleasure?" (SRI Magazine, 2018)
• SRI scientists top the national average in successful CIHR project grants: Over a dozen projects approved (June 2, 2017)
• Getting timely post-emerg care: what best predicts it? (SRI Magazine, 2016)
• Avoiding invasive end-of-life care in cancer: Going gently when cure is elusive (SRI Magazine, 2016)
• National agency recognizes scientific excellence at Sunnybrook Research Institute: Scientists score high with multimillion-dollar funding investment (Oct. 13, 2015)
• Q&A: Dr. Clare Atzema (SRI Magazine, 2015)
• Separate cars and kids: residential neighbourhoods are for our children, not traffic, says ER doc and researcher (Toronto Star, Aug. 18, 2014)
• Making the cut: Amid fiscal challenges, SRI researchers get funded (Feb. 7, 2013)
• Male heart-attack victims seek help faster if married (CNN, July 18, 2011)
• Fast treatment for mental health patients in the ER: A start (CBC Radio, Nov. 13, 2011)
• Sorting it out: SRI scientist uncovers shortcomings in the way potential heart-attack victims are triaged (May 4, 2009)