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Benita Hosseini

PhD

Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute

Email: benita.hosseini@unityhealth.to
Tel: 416-864-6060 X76148

Biography

Dr. Banafshe (Benita) Hosseini is a Research Scientist at the Upstream Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining the Upstream lab, she completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Montreal, where she contributed to several projects addressing the impact of dietary intervention on respiratory illnesses in children and adults.

Her research focuses on a comprehensive approach to managing respiratory diseases, ranging from acute infections to chronic conditions such as asthma. The multifaceted exploration includes dietary interventions, application of diagnostic tools, and use of AI solutions. Dr. Hosseini is particularly interested in translating these findings into actionable strategies to enhance respiratory health, especially within vulnerable populations. Currently, Dr. Hosseini is mainly working within the CanTreatCOVID research group. She has been directly involved in the rapid roll-out of the CanTreatCOVID study, which is a nationwide adaptive platform trial designed to identify effective and affordable treatments for COVID-19 so they can be made readily available in community settings.

Recent Publications

  1. Patel, A, Maruthananth, K, Matharu, N, Pinto, AD, Hosseini, B. Early Warning Systems for Acute Respiratory Infections: Scoping Review of Global Evidence. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024;10 :e62641. doi: 10.2196/62641. PubMed PMID:39510516 PubMed Central PMC11582482.
  2. Ojha, T, Patel, A, Sivapragasam, K, Sharma, R, Vosoughi, T, Skidmore, B et al.. Exploring Machine Learning Applications in Pediatric Asthma Management: Scoping Review. JMIR AI. 2024;3 :e57983. doi: 10.2196/57983. PubMed PMID:39190449 PubMed Central PMC11387921.
  3. Sharma, R, Patel, A, Ojha, T, Pablo, LA, Vosoughi, T, Ziegler, C et al.. Role of Antioxidant Therapy in the Treatment and Prognosis of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Curr Dev Nutr. 2024;8 (5):102145. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102145. PubMed PMID:38693966 PubMed Central PMC11061685.
  4. Zarezadeh, M, Mahmoudinezhad, M, Hosseini, B, Khorraminezhad, L, Razaghi, M, Alvandi, E et al.. Reply - Letter to the editor: Comment on "Dietary pattern in autism increases the need for probiotic supplementation: A comprehensive narrative and systematic review on oxidative stress hypothesis". Clin Nutr. 2024;43 (1):309-310. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2023.11.023. PubMed PMID:37993390 .
  5. Zarezadeh, M, Mahmoudinezhad, M, Hosseini, B, Khorraminezhad, L, Razaghi, M, Alvandi, E et al.. Dietary pattern in autism increases the need for probiotic supplementation: A comprehensive narrative and systematic review on oxidative stress hypothesis. Clin Nutr. 2023;42 (8):1330-1358. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2023.06.014. PubMed PMID:37418842 .
  6. Hosseini, B, Dasari, H, Smyrnova, A, Bourassa, C, Leng, J, Renaud, C et al.. Concordance in COVID-19 serology, bone mineralization, and inflammatory analytes between venous and self-collected capillary blood samples exposed to various pre-analytical conditions. Ann Clin Biochem. 2023;60 (4):259-269. doi: 10.1177/00045632231159279. PubMed PMID:36750422 PubMed Central PMC10030887.
  7. Hosseini, B, El Abd, A, Ducharme, FM. Reply to Leong et al. Comment on "Hosseini et al. Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19 Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients 2022, 14, 2134". Nutrients. 2022;15 (1):. doi: 10.3390/nu15010060. PubMed PMID:36615718 PubMed Central PMC9823289.
  8. Hosseini, B, Tremblay, CL, Longo, C, Glochi, S, White, JH, Quach, C et al.. Oral vitamin D supplemental therapy to attain a desired serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in essential healthcare teams. Trials. 2022;23 (1):1019. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06944-z. PubMed PMID:36527143 PubMed Central PMC9756469.
  9. Hosseini, B, Berthon, BS, Starkey, MR, Collison, A, McLoughlin, RF, Williams, EJ et al.. Children With Asthma Have Impaired Innate Immunity and Increased Numbers of Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells Compared With Healthy Controls. Front Immunol. 2021;12 :664668. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.664668. PubMed PMID:34220812 PubMed Central PMC8248177.
  10. Berthon, BS, McLoughlin, RF, Jensen, ME, Hosseini, B, Williams, EJ, Baines, KJ et al.. The effects of increasing fruit and vegetable intake in children with asthma: A randomized controlled trial. Clin Exp Allergy. 2021;51 (9):1144-1156. doi: 10.1111/cea.13979. PubMed PMID:34197676 .
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Upstream Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto