Supporting the next generation of child health researchers
We were pleased to sponsor this year’s 21st Annual Institute of Policy, Management and Evaluation Research & Impact Day on May 7, 2025 – a student-led event at the University of Toronto that showcases innovative research and supports professional growth in the healthcare field. Centered on the theme "Bridging the Gap Between Research and Reality," the event highlights how research can be transformed into real-world improvements in care, policy, and outcomes.
As part of our commitment to advancing child health equity, the Centre supported two student awards recognizing outstanding research focused on improving the lives of children and families. Read more about the work of this year’s recipients below.
Alastair Fung is a PhD candidate in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research. His research explores how to improve early identification of life-threatening illnesses in infants through prediction models using clinical information gathered by community health workers (CHWs) during routine postnatal home visits.
Using both time-varying Cox regression and ensemble machine learning methods, he developed models to predict hospitalization and death among infants, comparing their performance to the World Health Organization’s current danger sign criteria. His findings showed that a Cox regression model based solely on caregiver-reported history outperformed both the WHO criteria and the Random Forest model. Notably, this approach could be implemented remotely, such as through telephone-based CHWs assessments, expanding access to timely surveillance without requiring in-person clinical exams. Dr. Fung’s long-term goal is to enhance the model’s accuracy through biomarker integration and develop a scalable, mobile-based tool to support early identification of high-risk infants and promote more equitable access to innovative health technologies.
Yukiko Mihashi, a Master’s student in Health Systems Research (Health Services Outcomes and Evaluation), presented her scoping review on mental health service utilization measures among youth.
Recognizing the lack of standardized tools to track mental health service use in transitional-aged youth, her review aimed to identify patient or caregiver-reported instruments used in mental health settings, particularly those with tested measurement properties. She identified eight eligible instruments, with the Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents standing out for having the most established properties and widespread use. However, none of the tools incorporated recent advancements such as patient engagement in development or the ability to distinguish between virtual and in-person care - highlighting the need for updated instruments in youth mental health research and evaluation.