James Downar

James Downar, MDCM, MHSc, FRCPC Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Principal Investigator:

2019 Knowledge Translation Grant — Use of an automated prospective clinical surveillance tool to drive screening for unmet palliative needs among patients in the final year of life (KT2019-04)

2017 Knowledge Translation Grant — Using an automated mortality prediction tool to focus advance care planning efforts for older inpatients who are frail (KT2017-10)

2015 Catalyst Grant Program — Pilot study of an automated one-year mortality prediction tool to trigger Advance Care Planning (CAT 2015-16)

2014 Catalyst Grant Program — A pilot study of a MEdication RAtionalization (MERA) Intervention (CAT 2014-29)

2013 Catalyst Grant Program — DECision-making about goals of care for hospitalized medical patiEnts II: a COMMUNICATion intErvention (DECIDE II COMMUNICATE) — Patient Data Collection and Feedback Pilot (CAT 2013-18)

James Downar is a Critical Care and Palliative Care Physician at the University Health Network and Sinai Health System in Toronto, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He graduated from McGill Medical School and completed residency training in Internal Medicine, Critical Care and Palliative Care at the University of Toronto. He has a Master’s degree in Bioethics from the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto. He is the Program Director for the Subspecialty Residency Program in Palliative Care at the University of Toronto, the chair of the Postgraduate Education Committee of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians and the chair of the Ethical Affairs committee of the Canadian Critical Care Society. He is an Associated Medical Services Phoenix Fellow for 2016-17. His research interests include communication and decision-making for seriously ill patients and their families, palliative care for the critically ill and palliative care for noncancer illnesses.