The SPARK study is a CIHR-funded national study that was birthed out of the lack of data on social determinants of health in primary care settings in Canada. Healthcar...
Alexander Zsager
Advisory Members/Patient Partners
About
Alexander Zsager is a researcher, consultant and advisor for over 15 years with many organizations such as the Mental Health Commission of Canada, St. Michael’s Hospital, Dixon Hall, Ryerson University, Ontario Health Team, Homeless Connect Toronto and many others. He is currently supporting the SPARK study and the Healthy Hearts for the Homeless (HH4H) project as a Patient Adviser and has taken part in a number of community engagements to promote the projects. Currently, Alex also serves in the board of directors of the Inner-City Health family health team.
I have been working on the SPARK project for more than 2 years now and it is very important to me as it gives a real voice to patients and offers an opportunity to improve patient-provider relationship. Patients will be empowered to provide meaningful input on their healthcare plan moving forward. As a person with lived experience, I am also passionate about the issue of housing and homelessness that are addressed through the HH4H project. Collaborating with the Upstream Lab has given me valuable learning opportunity in research.
Projects
Healthy Hearts for the Homeless (HH4H)
In Progress
People experiencing homelessness have a heightened need for heart disease management given their unstable living environment and challenges in accessing care. We must ...
Canadians are facing a serious crisis in access to primary care, with 1 in 5 lacking a primary care provider. The federal, provincial and territorial governments have ...
Canadian Adaptive Platform Trial of Treatments for COVID in Community Settings (CanTreatCOVID) Study
In Progress
While public health measures and vaccines have reduced the spread of SARS-CoV-2, most scientists predict this virus will become endemic and new variants will continue ...