Seminar Series: Dr. Ellen Kuenzig

Understanding Chronic Disease:
Lessons from the Integration of Routinely-Collected Data Sources

Ellen Kuenzig

Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University

Short Biography:
Dr. Kuenzig completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and ICES, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, and Mitacs Canada. She completed her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Calgary and her Master’s in Epidemiology at Western University. She is an Investigator with the Canadian Gastro-Intestinal Epidemiology Consortium (cangiec.ca) and a member of its Scientific Committee. She is also a member of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Council and the steering committee for The Canadian Children Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network (CIDsCaNN).

Abstract:
Routinely-collected health data, including health administrative data and electronic medical records, are being increasingly used for epidemiologic research. While there are several advantages to using these data, there are also unique methodological challenges that researchers encounter when using these data. This presentation will provide an overview of routinely-collected health data, including discussion of these methodological challenges. The discussion will then focus on how the integration of multiple databases can help address some of the limitations of using these data. The importance of transparent reporting and the importance of using reporting guidelines will also be discussed.

Area of Research:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) epidemiology and health services research using routinely-collected health data – aiming to understand environmental factors that are associated with an increased risk of developing IBD, developing a more severe disease course, and understanding how patients interact with the health care system. She is also interested in the reporting of research using these data.

Date: Friday, November 20
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: PHFM 3015 (Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine) or Zoom (request link by email   epibio@uwo.ca )