Tara Gomes

PhD, MHSc

Scientist

Biography

Tara Gomes is an epidemiologist and Principal Investigator of the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN), a provincial network of researchers with expertise in pharmaceutical utilization, outcomes and policy who rapidly conduct research for drug decision-makers in Ontario and across Canada.  She holds a Canada Research Chair in Drug Policy Research and Evaluation, is a Scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital and ICES, and is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.  Her research is focused on pharmacoepidemiology, drug safety and drug policy research leveraging large, administrative databases, and she has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and over 100 policy reports in this area.  Dr. Gomes also works closely with government regulators at the provincial and national level to develop evidence to inform policies related to opioid use disorder and opioid-related harm through the Ontario Opioid Drug Observatory.  In 2014, she was awarded the Institute for Public Administration of Canada’s Bronze Public Sector Leadership Award in Health and Education to recognize the impact of the ODPRN’s work.

Recent Publications

  1. Antoniou, T, Pritlove, C, Shearer, D, Tadrous, M, Shah, H, Gomes, T et al.. Accessing hepatitis C direct acting antivirals among people living with hepatitis C: a qualitative study. Int J Equity Health. 2023;22 (1):112. doi: 10.1186/s12939-023-01924-4. PubMed PMID:37280588 .
  2. Antoniou, T, Wang, T, Pajer, K, Gardner, W, Lunsky, Y, Penner, M et al.. Adherence to antipsychotic laboratory monitoring guidelines in children and youth: a population-based study. Front Psychiatry. 2023;14 :1172559. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1172559. PubMed PMID:37252150 PubMed Central PMC10217777.
  3. Persaud, N, Bedard, M, Boozary, A, Glazier, RH, Gomes, T, Hwang, SW et al.. Effect of Free Medicine Distribution on Health Care Costs in Canada Over 3 Years: A Secondary Analysis of the CLEAN Meds Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Health Forum. 2023;4 (5):e231127. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.1127. PubMed PMID:37234014 PubMed Central PMC10220517.
  4. Butler, A, Croxford, R, Bodkin, C, Akbari, H, Bayoumi, AM, Bondy, SJ et al.. Burden of opioid toxicity death in the fentanyl-dominant era for people who experience incarceration in Ontario, Canada, 2015-2020: a whole population retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2023;13 (5):e071867. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-071867. PubMed PMID:37164452 PubMed Central PMC10186413.
  5. Antoniou, T, McCormack, D, Kitchen, S, Pajer, K, Gardner, W, Lunsky, Y et al.. Impact of a Publicly-Funded Pharmacare Program on Prescription Stimulant use Among Children and Youth: A Population-Based Observational Natural Experiment. Can J Psychiatry. 2023; :7067437231166836. doi: 10.1177/07067437231166836. PubMed PMID:37016841 .
  6. Ladha, KS, Wijeysundera, DN, Wunsch, H, Clarke, H, Diep, C, Jivraj, N et al.. The association between opioid prescribing and opioid-related mortality within neighborhoods in Ontario, Canada: a case control study. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2022; :. doi: 10.15288/jsad.22-00170. PubMed PMID:36971756 .
  7. Zipursky, JS, Gomes, T, Everett, K, Calzavara, A, Paterson, JM, Austin, PC et al.. Maternal opioid treatment after delivery and risk of adverse infant outcomes: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2023;380 :e074005. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-074005. PubMed PMID:36921977 PubMed Central PMC10015218.
  8. Schwartz, KL, Wang, J, Tadrous, M, Langford, BJ, Daneman, N, Leung, V et al.. Population-based evaluation of the effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir for reducing hospital admissions and mortality from COVID-19. CMAJ. 2023;195 (6):E220-E226. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.221608. PubMed PMID:36781188 PubMed Central PMC9928441.
  9. Ledlie, S, Gomes, T, Dolovich, L, Bailey, C, Lallani, S, Frigault, DS et al.. Medication errors in community pharmacies: Evaluation of a standardized safety program. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2023;9 :100218. doi: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100218. PubMed PMID:36632372 PubMed Central PMC9827048.
  10. Antoniou, T, McCormack, D, Kitchen, S, Pajer, K, Gardner, W, Lunsky, Y et al.. Geographic variation and sociodemographic correlates of prescription psychotropic drug use among children and youth in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study. BMC Public Health. 2023;23 (1):85. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14677-6. PubMed PMID:36631810 PubMed Central PMC9832754.
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Assistant Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
  • Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
  • Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
  • Principal Investigator, Ontario Drug Policy Research Network