Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)

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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.

What does breast cancer have to do with heart health in men? ❤️‍🩹This October, as we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month,...
10/15/2026

What does breast cancer have to do with heart health in men? ❤️‍🩹

This October, as we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re highlighting research that sheds light on an important but less commonly discussed topic: breast cancer in men.

Male breast cancer is rare, and much of what we know about cardiovascular risk in people with breast cancer comes from research involving women.

A new study examined cardiovascular disease risk among men with breast cancer, comparing their outcomes with women with breast cancer and cancer-free men.

As Dr. Husam Abdel-Qadir, MD, PhD, Adjunct Scientist, and Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, explains:

“Male breast cancer is rare, so most evidence about cardiovascular risk in breast cancer comes from studies of women. We found that men with breast cancer had more pre-existing cardiovascular disease and risk factors, but after accounting for those differences, they did not have a higher risk of future cardiovascular events than women with breast cancer or men without cancer.”

So, what should this mean for care?

The findings highlight the importance of prioritizing effective cancer treatment while actively managing cardiovascular risk.

🔗 Read the study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/cardiovascular-disease-in-males-with-breast-cancer/

We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Susan Bronskill as ICES’s Chief Science Officer. An accomplished scient...
10/14/2026

We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Susan Bronskill as ICES’s Chief Science Officer.

An accomplished scientist, mentor and leader, Dr. Bronskill has helped shape ICES’s scientific direction and has long championed research that informs policy and improves care.

“Having grown with ICES as a trainee, scientist and program leader, she understands our impact from every vantage point: the data, the science and the people who make it possible.” – Dr. Astrid Guttmann, CEO, ICES

Read the full announcement: https://www.ices.on.ca/announcements-and-events/ices-appoints-dr-susan-bronskill-as-chief-science-officer/

Could some people face a higher risk of severe influenza than we realize?People who inject drugs may be an important pop...
10/13/2026

Could some people face a higher risk of severe influenza than we realize?
People who inject drugs may be an important population to consider when it comes to influenza prevention and early treatment.

New study found that adults with a history of injection drug use had 2.59 times the odds of being hospitalized with severe influenza compared with similar adults without that history.

Why does this matter? Because identifying people who may be at higher risk can help inform efforts to make influenza vaccination, testing and timely antiviral treatment accessible to those who need them.

The finding remained after accounting for factors including other health conditions, vaccination and healthcare use. The association was also stronger than those observed for several established medical risk factors, including congestive heart failure, COPD and asthma.

Importantly, this study found an association, not that injection drug use causes severe influenza.

As Ontario prepares for the upcoming influenza season, the findings highlight an opportunity to think about who may be missing from traditional approaches to influenza prevention and care—and how we can better reach them.

Swipe through to learn what the researchers found.

🔗 Read the full study:
https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/risk-of-severe-influenza-in-people-with-a-history-of-injection-drug-use-in-ontario/

📰 ICYMI: Your weekly roundup of health research, upcoming events, and news from !This week, explore new studies on epil...
10/09/2026

📰 ICYMI: Your weekly roundup of health research, upcoming events, and news from !

This week, explore new studies on epilepsy risk after traumatic brain injury, peripartum mental illness among mothers with chronic conditions, and neighbourhood marginalisation and opioid use disorder.

📅 Looking ahead, discover upcoming events on healthy aging, genetics and drug discovery, and health innovation.

🗞️ Plus, catch up on the latest headlines featuring ICES research and health-related news.

Read the latest, mark your calendar, and stay in the know: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/october-2-9-2026-ices-research-institute-8ivyc

What happens to mental health during pregnancy and the first year after birth for people with Attention-Deficit Hyperact...
10/08/2026

What happens to mental health during pregnancy and the first year after birth for people with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

A new population-based study in Ontario found that 50.2% of people with ADHD had a diagnosis of a mental health condition recorded during pregnancy or the first year postpartum, compared with 24.0% of those without ADHD.

The higher rates were seen across several conditions, including anxiety, depression, substance and alcohol use disorders, bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders. People with ADHD were also more likely to have a psychiatric emergency department visit or hospitalization.

The finding surprised lead author and scientist Dr. Simone Vigod:

“I expected to see more women with ADHD presenting to the healthcare system with mental health care needs around the time of pregnancy compared to women without ADHD, but I did not expect that it would be as high as 50%.”

The study highlights an important opportunity for targeted, personalized mental health supports for people with ADHD during pregnancy and after birth.

The researchers looked at more than 1 million pregnancies in Ontario between 2013 and 2024, including 22,995 pregnancies among people with ADHD.

🔗 Read the full study to learn more about ADHD and perinatal mental health: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-and-perinatal-mental-illness/

What should we know about pregnancy and cerebral palsy?Today, October 6, is World Cerebral Palsy Day—a day to raise awar...
10/06/2026

What should we know about pregnancy and cerebral palsy?
Today, October 6, is World Cerebral Palsy Day—a day to raise awareness about cerebral palsy (CP) and the experiences of people living with CP.

New study adds to that conversation by examining pregnancy outcomes among individuals with CP. In a population-based study of more than 2.27 million individuals, researchers found that those with CP had higher risks of several pregnancy-related and newborn complications compared with those without CP.

Severe maternal morbidity or mortality occurred in 4% of individuals with CP, compared with 2% among those without CP. Preterm birth occurred in 12% vs. 7%, while severe neonatal morbidity or mortality occurred in 14% vs. 9%.

The study also found higher risks of caesarean delivery, maternal hospital readmission, seizure disorders and urinary tract infections.

As lead author Marina Vainder, Maternal Fetal Medicine Physician, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, explains:
“These findings highlight the need for enhanced preconception counselling, perinatal monitoring and postpartum supports for individuals with CP, facilitated by multidisciplinary care teams.”

These findings describe differences in risk at the population level and do not mean that every person with CP will experience complications during pregnancy. Rather, they highlight the importance of pregnancy care that considers the specific needs of individuals with CP.

➡️Swipe to learn more or click the following link to read the full study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/pregnancy-outcomes-among-individuals-with-cerebral-palsy/

Did you know the ICES Public Advisory Council (PAC) helps shape not only our research and organizational initiatives, bu...
10/05/2026

Did you know the ICES Public Advisory Council (PAC) helps shape not only our research and organizational initiatives, but also how we welcome and support new PAC members?

Throughout 2025–2026, PAC members provided valuable feedback on individual projects, organization-level initiatives and the Council’s own processes.

One example: with guidance from the PAC’s continuing education working group, we made several improvements to the new-member orientation and onboarding process. These included a new orientation package and video, an optional “Data 101” module, and a new buddy system to help connect new members with experienced PAC members.

The improvements made a difference. Following the updated orientation, 100% of new members agreed with five of eight measures, including that they understood the purpose of the PAC, had enough information to begin their role and felt confident that ICES would consider their feedback.

And that’s just one part of the PAC’s work this year.

From contributing to plans for community governance of health data, to providing feedback on patient-contact studies, community analytics opportunities and medical AI research, PAC members continue to bring public perspectives into conversations that shape how ICES works with and uses health data.

Learn more about the PAC’s contributions—and how their feedback is helping strengthen public engagement—in our 2025–2026 Public Advisory Council Annual Report.
https://www.ices.on.ca/our-organization/public-advisory-council/

📰 ICYMI: This week’s newsletter is out!Catch up on the latest research, events and health system news from ICES Ontari...
10/02/2026

📰 ICYMI: This week’s newsletter is out!
Catch up on the latest research, events and health system news from ICES Ontario.

🔎 NEW STUDIES:
• How frailty, age and s*x are associated with access to stroke reperfusion treatments
• Breast cancer risk among hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors exposed to total body irradiation
• Medication adherence among people with stroke and atrial fibrillation in Australia and Canada

📅 UPCOMING EVENTS:
Explore opportunities to learn more about health care safety, workplace wellness and advancing health equity.

🗞️ Plus, see where ICES research is making headlines, including coverage on opioid use disorder among Ontario seniors, prescribing cascades in older adults and gambling-related emergency department visits.

👉 Read this week’s ICES newsletter and stay up to date on research, events and impact: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/september-25-october-2-2026-ices-research-institute-dvuuc

Surrogacy is becoming more common. But how much do we know about the health of surrogates?That evidence gap matters.Usin...
10/02/2026

Surrogacy is becoming more common. But how much do we know about the health of surrogates?

That evidence gap matters.

Using population-based health data from Ontario, scientists are helping build a clearer picture of the physical and mental health experiences of gestational carriers during pregnancy and after birth.

The study found higher rates of severe pregnancy outcomes among surrogates and a 30–40% higher risk of a new-onset mental illness diagnosed during an emergency department visit or hospitalization, compared with people who had pregnancies without fertility treatment or pregnancies conceived through IVF.

And the evidence is reaching beyond Ontario.

Dr. Maria Velez, an ICES scientist and associate professor at McGill University, contributed as an external expert reviewer to a UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology briefing on surrogacy policy, bringing Ontario evidence into international discussions about the health and wellbeing of surrogates.

As Dr. Velez says:

“It is important that this evidence from Ontario is considered as policies and practices around surrogacy continue to evolve.”

From population data to policy conversations, better evidence can help ensure surrogate health is part of the conversation.

Swipe through to explore what the research tells us—and why it matters for care, support and future policy.

🔗 Read the full story: https://www.ices.on.ca/impact-stories/ices-data-informs-uk-policy-discussions-on-the-health-and-wellbeing-of-surrogates/

10/01/2026

Among First Nations Peoples in Ontario, both buprenorphine/naloxone and methadone were effective treatment options for opioid use disorder (OUD), with buprenorphine/naloxone associated with fewer opioid toxicity events and more take-home doses, while methadone was associated with longer treatment retention. These findings highlight the importance of equitable access to both treatment options.

Learn more at https://odprn.ca/research/publications/2026-09-oat-outcomes-among-first-nation-peoples/

Chiefs of Ontario
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)
Unity Health Toronto

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