Dean Eurich, PhD, MSc, BSP

Professor, School of Public Health
Assoc Dean, Rsrch & Rsrch Prog, School of Public Health

Contact

Professor, School of Public Health
Email
deurich@ualberta.ca
Phone
(780) 492-6333
Address
2-040F Li Ka Shing Centre For Research
8602 112 St NW
Edmonton AB
T6G 2E1

Assoc Dean, Rsrch & Rsrch Prog, School of Public Health
Email
deurich@ualberta.ca

Overview

About

I am the Program Director for the Clinical Epidemiology program. I am also a Research Associate with the Alliance for Canadian Health Outcomes Research in Diabetes (www.ACHORD.ca), a member of the Alberta Diabetes Institute Research & Trainee Steering Committee at the University. Provincially, I am the former Joint Lead, Capacity Development in Methods & Health Services Research platform for Alberta's Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Unit. Nationally, I am the Chair for the Personal Awards Committee and Board Member of the Canadian Diabetes Association National Research Council. My current focus is on Health Outcomes in patients with chronic diseases as well as quality improvement initiatives with several First Nations communities in the Province.

My research has focused largely in the areas of clinical epidemiology and health services research. Within those core areas, my research program has targeted three of the most common diseases - diabetes, heart failure, and community acquired pneumonia. Collectively, these diseases affect a large number of patients, are rapidly increasing due to our aging population, and result in significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in the elderly. Moreover, these disease states often co-exist within individual patients, placing tremendous strain on our health care system due to the high degree of health services utilization associated with their management. Within these three disease areas, my research aims to evaluate health outcomes and health services use in general, but given my training as a clinical pharmacist, I am particularly interested in knowledge synthesis and evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of drug therapies in real-world settings. In addition, using these disease states as a platform, I continue to explore and expand on methodology (i.e., study design and analytic methods) to improve the evaluation of interventions within clinical and large population-based administrative data sets.

My research in chronic disease management has been directly translated into policy actions and ultimately to patient care. Most notably, my work on metformin use in patients with diabetes has directly resulted in policy changes by the Food and Drug Administration in the US and Health Canada, whereby both governing bodies changed product labels to allow the use of metformin in patients with diabetes & heart failure. Moreover, this research has been incorporated in all major clinical practice guidelines for the management of diabetes around the world, as well as international heart failure clinical practice guidelines. Similar accomplishments have been achieved in my research on respiratory diseases where my research also been directly incorporated into clinical practice guidelines in that field.


Degrees

  1. PhD, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 2007
  2. MSc, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, 2003
  3. BSP, College of Pharmacy & Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, 1998

Awards

  1. Royal Society of Canada, elected as a Fellow under the College of New Scholars, artists and scientists. Class of 2018.
  2. Great Supervisor award, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Alberta, 2018 
  3. Instructor of the Year - Small Class Award = School of Public Health, 2017
  4. Ronald D Mann Best Paper Prize, 2016
  5. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Best Reviewer, 2015
  6. Instructor of the Year – Large Class Award – School of Public Health, 2015
  7. Tier II Canada Research Chair in Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, 2014-2019
  8. Pharmacotherapy and Drug Safety Best Reviewer, 2014
  9. Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Population Health Investigator Award, 2008 - 2015
  10. Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Incentive Award, 2009-2014
  11. Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award, 2009-2014
  12. Management and Leadership Best Practices Award, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists National, December, 2011

Keywords

Medical cannabis

diabetes

health outcomes

morbidity
mortality
pneumonia
chronic disease
epidemiology
health systems and services
pharmacoepidemiology
drug use and drug policy
aboriginal health

 

 

Announcements

Supervision

Not currently accepting students.  


Courses

SPH 541A - Public Health Practice & Professional Skills I

Building on foundational concepts, knowledge, and skills introduced in pre and corequisite courses and continuing with problem-based learning, students work in teams to address challenging public health scenarios. The course emphasizes qualities and skills for effective team work essential in public health practice, including critical thinking, self-awareness, reflection and reflexivity, collaboration, and deliberation. Implications of normative, Indigenous and anti-oppressive approaches to effective teamwork are introduced to shape principles to guide effective practice. Students practice skills required for conceptualizing and assessing public health problems and planning interventions, including systems thinking, using evidence, assessing stakeholders and community members, anticipating and transforming conflict, applying ethical principles, and communicating effectively. SPH 541 is a required course for the degree of Master of Public Health in General Public Health. Prerequisites: SPH 530, SPH 536. Corequisites: SPH 535, SPH 537, SPH 562, SPH 563, or consent of instructor.


SPH 541B - Public Health Practice & Professional Skills I

Building on foundational concepts, knowledge, and skills introduced in pre and corequisite courses and continuing with problem-based learning, students work in teams to address challenging public health scenarios. The course emphasizes qualities and skills for effective team work essential in public health practice, including critical thinking, self-awareness, reflection and reflexivity, collaboration, and deliberation. Implications of normative, Indigenous and anti-oppressive approaches to effective teamwork are introduced to shape principles to guide effective practice. Students practice skills required for conceptualizing and assessing public health problems and planning interventions, including systems thinking, using evidence, assessing stakeholders and community members, anticipating and transforming conflict, applying ethical principles, and communicating effectively. SPH 541 is a required course for the degree of Master of Public Health in General Public Health. Prerequisites: SPH 530, SPH 536. Corequisites: SPH 535, SPH 537, SPH 562, SPH 563, or consent of instructor.


SPH 561 - Topics in Public Health


SPH 693 - Critical Appraisal of Health Science Literature in Epidemiology

Methods for efficiently and critically identifying, appraising, and applying the health sciences literature are learned in an interactive group setting. Topics include studies of prognosis, diagnosis, therapy, causation outcomes research, economic analysis, and systematic reviews. Prerequisite: SPH 596 or 597 or consent of Instructor. Note: Credit may not be obtained for both PHS 693 and SPH 693.


Browse more courses taught by Dean Eurich

Scholarly Activities

Research - CPTP - Alberta's Tomorrow Project

20171001 to 20180930


Research - Exploring the disease burden associated with pneumonia

Principal Investigator 
Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research Operating Grant 


Research - Patients with heart failure and type-2 diabetes treated with placebo or metformin (PHANTOM) study

Principal Investigator 

Funded by Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Establishment Grant


Research - RADAR – Reorganizing the Approach to Diabetes through the Application of Registries:  eHealth Innovations Partnership Grant.

Started: 20160901

Principal investigator 

Funded by the Lawson Foundation



Research - Safety and effectiveness of Sitagliptin in relation to other oral antidiabetic agents in patients with type 2 diabetes: A population based analysis

Principal Investigator 

Funded by the Canadian Diabetes Association Operating Grant 


Research - SPOR Career Development Platform

Started: 20140901

Joint Lead with Marilynne Hebert of the University of Calgary

SPOR

Featured Publications

Soprovich A, El Kurdi S, Eurich DT

BMJ Open. 7 (9)


Chan A, Mercier P, Schiller D, Bailey R, Robbins S, Eurich DT, Sawyer M, Broadhurst D.

BJC. 114


141. Crick K, Thomson D, Fernandes RM, Nuspl M, Eurich DT, Rowe BH, Hartling L.

BMC Pediactics. 17 (1):155


Ishaque A, Mah D, Seres P, Luk C, Eurich DT, Johnston W, Yang YH, Kalra S.

Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. 5 (11):1350-1361


Marrie TJ, Tyrrell GJ, Majumdar SR, Eurich DT

Vaccine. 36 (21):2985-2990


Marrie TJ, Tyrrell GJ, Majumdar SR, Eurich DT.

BMC Infectious Disease. 17 (1):1-5


Weir DL, McAlister FA, Majumdar SR, Eurich DT

Medical Care. 54 (4)