Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)

Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Our mission is translating data into trusted evidence that makes policy and health care better.

ICES (formerly Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences) is a not-for-profit research institute encompassing a community of research, data and clinical experts, and a secure and accessible array of Ontario's health-related data.

🚨 Early Bird pricing ends in just 48 hours!Don’t miss your chance to register before rates increase. Join us at the Re...
09/14/2026

🚨 Early Bird pricing ends in just 48 hours!

Don’t miss your chance to register before rates increase. Join us at the Research Forum on November 16 for a day of research, collaboration, and innovation — bringing together ideas, evidence, and people working to improve health outcomes.

🎟️ Register today: https://www.ices.on.ca/annual-forum/

ICYMI: From pregnancy-associated CKD and mental health impacts of COVID-19 in MĂ©tis communities to 25-year outcomes fo...
09/11/2026

ICYMI: From pregnancy-associated CKD and mental health impacts of COVID-19 in Métis communities to 25-year outcomes following surgery for infective endocarditis—this week’s ICYMI highlights new findings with important implications for health and care.

Plus, upcoming events on wastewater surveillance, heart failure, and living with CKD.

👉 Here’s what’s new this week: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/september-4-11-2025-ices-research-institute-2yncc

⏰ Final days to save!Early Bird registration closes next week on September 16!Secure your place at the 2026 ICES Researc...
09/10/2026

⏰ Final days to save!

Early Bird registration closes next week on September 16!
Secure your place at the 2026 ICES Research Forum and take advantage of discounted pricing before it's gone.

Register now: https://www.ices.on.ca/annual-forum/

This summer, wildfire smoke has once again made one thing impossible to ignore: the air we breathe can affect our health...
09/09/2026

This summer, wildfire smoke has once again made one thing impossible to ignore: the air we breathe can affect our health.

Across Canada, widespread wildfires have brought air quality into sharp focus, with smoke affecting communities far beyond the areas where fires are burning. But what about the longer-term health effects of air pollution? Could the air we breathe every day also play a role in new-onset epilepsy?

Air pollution has been linked to a growing list of brain conditions, from stroke to dementia. This research adds new insight into a much less studied question: whether long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with developing epilepsy for the first time.

For Jorge Burneo, MD, MSPH, Adjunct Scientist, ICES and Professor of Neurology, Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Western University, one of the most unexpected findings was the result for nitrogen dioxide (NOâ‚‚).

“What surprised us most was nitrogen dioxide: instead of raising epilepsy risk as the biology would predict, it appeared protective. We suspect that's not real biology but a marker for something else about where and how people live.”

That unexpected finding is a reminder that population health research requires careful interpretation. Associations can point researchers toward important signals, but they can also reflect other factors that need to be investigated.

Ultimately, this research matters because roughly a third of epilepsy cases have no known cause. If pollution turns out to be a real, modifiable piece of that puzzle, cleaner air could one day become part of epilepsy prevention.

🔗 Read the study → https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/the-association-of-air-pollution-with-new-onset-epilepsy/

What does it mean when nearly 1 in 5 pregnancies in Ontario misses the first-trimester window for syphilis screening?Con...
09/08/2026

What does it mean when nearly 1 in 5 pregnancies in Ontario misses the first-trimester window for syphilis screening?

Congenital syphilis is preventable—but when syphilis screening happens later in pregnancy, there is less time to identify maternal infection, provide treatment and help prevent congenital syphilis.

A new population-based study of 551,706 pregnancies in Ontario found that 91.9% were screened for syphilis during pregnancy, but only 78.9% received screening in the first trimester. The researchers found that late screening was associated with social, demographic and behavioural factors—including younger age, a history of drug use or lower neighbourhood income. The study also found that pregnancies with syphilis testing in the year before conception were more than twice as likely to miss prenatal screening during pregnancy.

“Our findings highlight a need to rethink how screening is being delivered. Relying solely on traditional prenatal care models may not be sufficient to reach populations who face barriers to accessing care.”

— Amanda Featherstone, Student, Queen's University and lead author

The findings highlight the need for coordinated clinical, public health and community-based approaches that make timely prenatal syphilis screening more accessible and equitable.

đź“– Read the study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/uptake-of-prenatal-syphilis-screening-and-its-determinants-in-ontario-canada/

What does sexual health equity look like for young people with disabilities?On World Sexual Health Day, we’re highlighti...
09/04/2026

What does sexual health equity look like for young people with disabilities?

On World Sexual Health Day, we’re highlighting research that reminds us that sexual and reproductive health care needs to be accessible to everyone.

Our recent work examined sexual and reproductive health and violence-related acute care among 959,305 females aged 12–24 in Ontario, comparing youth with and without disabilities.

The findings point to important disparities across disability groups. Most notably, youth with physical, intellectual/developmental, and multiple disabilities experienced a nearly two-fold increased risk of violence resulting in acute care compared with youth without disabilities.

The study also found differences in family planning visits, contraception, pregnancy and STI management.

“Particularly stark disparities in violence resulting in an acute care encounter reminded me of the importance of early access to sexual and reproductive health-related care, including violence-related supports, for this group.”
— Hilary Brown, PhD, Scientist, and Associate Professor, University of Toronto

Nearly 15% of youth have a disability, yet healthcare for youth with disabilities can focus primarily on their disability rather than their sexual and reproductive health needs.

The findings highlight the importance of accessible, inclusive, patient-centred and respectful sexual and reproductive health education and care, as well as training for healthcare providers.

đź”— Read the study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/sexual-and-reproductive-health-in-female-adolescents-and-young-adults-with-disabilities/

📣 ICYMI: Catch up on this week’s latest research, health system insights, and upcoming learning opportunities—from new...
09/04/2026

📣 ICYMI: Catch up on this week’s latest research, health system insights, and upcoming learning opportunities—from new studies on neurologic impairment, virtual care and primary care access to featured events and professional development opportunities.

đź”— Explore the latest updates, research and events: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/august-28-september-4-2026-ices-research-institute-kzuec

🚨 Two weeks left to save.Early Bird pricing for the 2026 ICES Research Forum ends in just two weeks.Don't miss your oppo...
09/03/2026

🚨 Two weeks left to save.

Early Bird pricing for the 2026 ICES Research Forum ends in just two weeks.

Don't miss your opportunity to attend at the best available rate before prices increase.

đź“… Deadline: September 16.
https://www.ices.on.ca/annual-forum/

What if our understanding of who uses methamphetamine in Ontario is missing some of the people most affected?A new stu...
09/02/2026

What if our understanding of who uses methamphetamine in Ontario is missing some of the people most affected?

A new study offers a different perspective on methamphetamine/amphetamine use in Ontario—and raises important questions about how we measure substance use and who may be missing from the picture.

“I expected the lab data to reflect the picture we tend to carry of methamphetamine use, that it is largely young men. The results looked different. Women accounted for 41% of positive tests, and nearly one in five people testing positive was over 50.”
— Dr. Michael Silverman, Departments of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases) and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, lead author of the study.

The study examined more than 215,000 urine drug screen results from selected community and hospital-based laboratories across Ontario. The findings suggest that women and older adults may have been underestimated in previous studies relying on self-reported information.

As Dr. Silverman notes, this gap may suggest that some people are either not being asked about their substance use or may not feel comfortable reporting it.

That matters because the way we understand a health issue can influence how services and supports are designed. When some groups are less visible in the data, their needs can be harder to identify and address.

The study also demonstrates how routinely collected health data can provide another lens for understanding population health and identifying patterns that may not be captured through other data sources.

đź”— Read the full study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/prevalence-of-methamphetamine-amphetamine-usage-and-demographics-of-users-in-ontario-based-on-laboratory-drug-screen-results/

If a diabetes device is publicly funded, does everyone have the same access to it?New study from examined whether immi...
09/01/2026

If a diabetes device is publicly funded, does everyone have the same access to it?

New study from examined whether immigration status was associated with how quickly older adults with insulin-requiring diabetes accessed Flash Glucose Monitoring (FGM) systems, also known as intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) systems, through Ontario’s public drug program.

Researchers found that:
• Immigrants were 5% less likely to initiate FGM systems compared with long-term residents.
• People who immigrated to Canada within the past decade experienced the greatest difference, being 13% less likely to start using these devices.

Lead author Mary Elias was inspired to explore this question by her own experiences:
“As a daughter of first-generation immigrants, I saw first-hand the challenges my family faced navigating the healthcare system. That experience inspired me to study how immigration status impacts care. We need to ensure that barriers that affect timely access to novel diabetes management devices are reduced.”

The findings suggest that improving access to new health devices require more than coverage alone. Supporting healthcare navigation, patient–clinician communication, and awareness of available treatments may help reduce delays in accessing diabetes management devices.

đź“„ Read the study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/immigration-status-and-time-to-accessing-publicly-funded-flash-glucose-monitoring-systems/

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