Toulany Lab2024-12-11T17:42:52+00:00

Our mission

The Toulany Lab is primarily focused on adolescents and young adults who are transitioning from paediatric to adult health care and on the most vulnerable subpopulations, including youth with chronic physical and mental health conditions. We use large health and administrative databases to answer important clinical, health system and policy-relevant questions.

Research areas

  • Dr. Toulany has secured over $1.1 million in grant funding to research improving care for transition-age youth with chronic health conditions and their families.
  • The research prioritizes the perspectives of youth and parents/caregivers to develop a set of consensus-derived quality indicators for successful transition to adult care.
  • The indicators are applicable across chronic physical, developmental, and mental health conditions, clinical care settings, and health jurisdictions.

  • Dr. Toulany’s research seeks to improve outcomes for youth with chronic physical and/or mental health conditions by understanding health care utilization patterns.
  • This research provides insights into the COVID-19 pandemic – related health inequities and the transformation of the mental health system for Ontario youth during COVID-19.
  • Dr. Toulany has presented research on youth mental health and eating disorders during the pandemic at national and international academic venues and has contributed briefing reports to the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ontario COVID-19 Science Table, addressing the impact of COVID-19 on acute eating disorder cases and mental health care utilization among youth.

  • Dr. Toulany is co-leading a youth-led participatory action research cohort study that aims to explore the connections between screen use and adolescent sexual health.
  • This study involves a team of youth researchers partnering with the research team to inform the study, allowing them to build new skills while amplifying their voices and lived experiences.
  • Dr. Toulany is co-leading the development of a youth and family-specific engagement framework (UNITE) and, subsequently, a tool to measure meaningful engagement in research for youth and families.
  • Patient engagement approaches are being used in many of Dr. Toulany’s studies to promote health research that are most important to youth, and to ensure study methodology, materials, and knowledge mobilization are reflective of their perspectives.

Latest news

In the media

CTV News – Report suggests decrease in condom use among Canadian youth, lack of safe-sex education

CTV News – Adolescent ER visits in Ontario for eating disorders saw big jump during pandemic: study

Medscape – Adolescents' Acute Care Use for Eating Disorders Has Risen

The Print – Hospitalizations for eating disorders increased during COVID-19: Study

Today Headline – Eating disorders increased during pandemic in female adolescents and adults, says new research

Toronto Star – Care transition: How to prepare your adolescent for seeing a health-care provider on their own

Training opportunities

Dr. Toulany supervises graduate students from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto, with a concentration on youth/adolescent health.

Her research encompasses initiatives aimed at enhancing outcomes for youth transitioning from paediatric to adult care services, as well as evaluating health system interventions involving youth. Specific areas of focus include adolescent and young adult health outcomes and service delivery, obesity, mental illness and physical-mental comorbidities.

Prospective students are encouraged to visit the IHPME website for more information and contact Dr. Toulany through our lab email inbox.