2025 ANESTHESIA RESEARCH DAY
A PARTNERSHIP WITH DALHOUSIE PAIN NETWORK
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Anesthesia Keynote
Dr. Karim Ladha MD, MSc University of Toronto
Topic: Opioids, Cannabis and Psychedelics: Important Therapeutics or Just Getting High?
Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate the potential role of opioids for treating acute pain.
- Provide examples of ongoing studies that re-purpose existing drugs for therapeutic purposes.
- Assess the limitations of current evidence related to emerging therapies for chronic pain.
Bio of Dr. Ladha
Dr. Ladha is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and the Evelyn Bateman Recipe Chair in Ambulatory Anesthesia and Women's Health at Women's College Hospital. He leads a diverse research program that conducts innovative studies in acute and chronic pain. He has been awarded $16.4 million in grant funding ($8.4 million as PI or co-PI) from various organizations such as CIHR, PCORI and Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program. In addition, he has received several awards including a Career Scientist Award from the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, the International Anesthesia Research Society Mentored Research Award and the IMPACT Award in Anesthesia.
Dr. Ladha's profile : https://anesthesia.utoronto.ca/faculty/karim-ladha.
Collaborative Keynote
Dr. Muhammad Mamdani PharmD, MA, MPH University of Toronto
Topic: Applied Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Learning Objectives
- Review AI and machine learning applications and their relevance to clinical and surgical environments.
- Describe key opportunities and challenges in the implementation of AI in clinical practice.
- Critically examine the implications of increasingly available AI solutions for clinicians, researchers, educators and trainees.
Bio of Dr. Mamdani
Dr. Mamdani is a Professor in the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Public Health at the University of Toronto, as well as Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto. He is the Director of the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine Centre for Artificial Intelligence Education and Research in Medicine (T-CAIREM) and uses innovations in data analytics to advance patient care. Dr. Mamdani's team collaborates with engineers, statisticians, clinicians, computer scientists and administrators to bridge advanced analytics including machine learning with clinical and management decision making to improve patient outcomes and hospital efficiency.
Dr. Mamdani's profile : https://lmp.utoronto.ca/faculty/muhammad-mamdani.