Healthcare Workers Studies

COVID-19 testing of health professional students, residents, and Faculty of Health Sciences graduate students: Informing testing and public policy for universities and society

Anne Ellis, Queen’s University

This study looks at the antibody levels of students from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University who train and work at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre. Researchers will focus on students who have no symptoms to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection among this group.
Research summary

COVID-19 experience in Canadian dental schools

Paul Allison and Walter Siqueira, McGill University

This research uses saliva testing to determine infection rates, transmission risks and immune system responses for people working in clinical and academic dental school settings.
Research summary Results View study on

Immunogenicity of current SARS-CoV-2 vaccine schedules in BC and Ontario

Pascal Lavoie, University of British Columbia

This study is looking at the level of protection people have after a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and after a second dose with an extended dosing schedule. Researchers are also determining why some people do not develop adequate protection (non-responders) even when receiving vaccines on a recommended schedule.
Research summary Results

Photo of Caroline Quach-Thanh

REinfection in COVID19 Estimation of Risk (RECOVER)_Phase 2/Vaccine

Caroline Quach-Thanh, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine

The phase 3 clinical trials of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines did not include participants with prior SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-confirmed infections. Using a cohort of healthcare workers, this study aims to understand how people who have had a SARS-CoV-2 infection respond to COVID-19 vaccines over 18 months.
Research summary Results

Photo of Caroline Quach-Thanh

REinfection in COVid-19 Estimation of Risk (RECOVER)

Caroline Quach-Thanh, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine

This study aims to estimate the risk of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers who have already been infected. Over a 12-month period, researchers are studying antibody response and levels in asymptomatic and symptomatic participants with confirmed COVID-19 reinfection.
Research summary Results

Allison McGeer
Allison McGeer

The Canadian COVID-19 Cohort Study for people working in hospitals

Brenda Coleman and Allison McGeer, Sinai Health System

The Canadian COVID-19 Cohort Study (CCCS) follows 2,000 health care workers from Halifax, Sherbrooke, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, and Edmonton. The study will identify occupational risks, determine the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, study the uptake and effectiveness of vaccines and, assess the psychological impact of working in a hospital during a pandemic.
Research summary Results Study website

Studying paramedics’ risk of exposure to COVID-19

Brian Grunau, University of British Columbia

The study aims to follow 5,000 paramedics from British Columbia and Ontario to examine COVID-19 risk factors, infection, and immunity; this includes paramedics who have already been vaccinated.
Research summary Results

Detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using inexpensive home blood collection kits

Keith Jarvi, Sinai Health System

This study is using a group of healthcare workers to develop and validate a home blood collection kit that will be used with a fully automated antibody testing platform.
Research summary View study on

The impact of COVID-19 on the health of physicians, nurses, and other health care workers

Nicola Cherry, University of Alberta

The study follows more than 5,200 health care workers in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec in order to determine how many have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and identify workplace practices that could be improved and made safer. They will also assess the state of their mental health and identify workplace practices as well as family/community supports that could alleviate stress.
Research summary Results View study on

Tracking COVID-19 rates among Canadian dentists

Sreenath Arekunnath Madathil, McGill University

This study aims to monitor dental care during the pandemic, including COVID-19 incidence rates among dentists and how these rates vary according to treatments provided and personal protective equipment used.
Research summary Results Study website

Occupational Group Studies

Measuring the prevalence of COVID-19 among Quebec food workers

Denis Boudreau, Université Laval

This study aims to shed light on how many food industry workers have been exposed to the virus and what their immune responses are.
Research summary

Study of the epidemiology of COVID-19 in teachers and education workers

Brenda Coleman, Sinai Health System

This study aims to better understand the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the impact of variants of concerns and the mental health repercussions for teachers and education workers from across Ontario.
Research summary Results Study website

Monitoring hotspots for COVID-19 among University of Waterloo students

Brian Dixon and Marc Aucoin, University of Waterloo

This study of students, faculty and staff at the University of Waterloo and other nearby post-secondary institutions aims to demonstrate which groups on a university campus are more at risk for catching SARS-CoV-2, and the factors that increase risk of exposure.
Research summary

Tracking COVID to inform interventions and help make our schools safer

Pascal Lavoie and Louise Mâsse, University of British Columbia

This study is evaluating a group of staff and students in the Vancouver School District to determine how many have previously been infected with COVID-19. Researchers are determining the risk of exposure to the virus in schools, and the effects of the pandemic on participants’ mental health.
Research summary Results Study website

Ontario food workers: determining the prevalence of COVID-19 to help stop transmission

Amit Oza, University Health Network

Using asymptomatic testing, this study aims to better understand the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in food industry settings. This study focuses specifically on employees at several food production facilities in the Greater Toronto Area.
Research summary

School personnel and COVID-19: Seroprevalence study in Montréal

Kate Zinszer, Université de Montréal

Building on the research team’s EnCORE study—also funded by CITF—which has been looking at the number of children and adolescents with SARS-CoV-2 infections in schools and daycares in four Montreal neighbourhoods, this second study focuses on staff from the same schools and daycares to determine how many have had SARS-CoV-2.
Research summary Results

See our other funded research studies

See our other funded research studies