Karina Top, MD, MS, FRCPC

Area of Study / Keywords

immunization; immunocompromised host; infectious diseases; pediatrics; pregnancy; vaccine safety

About

Dr. Karina Top is a pediatric infectious disease physician and clinician-scientist in vaccine research. She joined the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta as a Professor in July 2023. Originally from Nova Scotia, Dr. Top completed medical school and pediatric residency at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS and went on to complete fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases and a Master of Science (Epidemiology) at Columbia University in New York. She returned to Dalhousie University and IWK Health in 2011 as a clinician-scientist and consultant in pediatric infectious diseases where she established a research program in vaccine safety and vaccination of special populations. Dr. Top is the Principal Investigator of the International Network of Special Immunization Services and co-Principal Investigator of the Canadian Immunization Research Network’s Special Immunization Clinic Network.

Research

Dr. Top’s research focuses on understanding causes and risk factors for rare adverse events following immunization, and improving vaccination practices for individuals who may be considered at higher risk of an adverse event, such as those with previous history of adverse events following immunization, immunocompromised patients, and people who are pregnant. She leads national and international research projects that employ epidemiological and mixed-methods, and is collaborating on studies employing genomics and multi-OMICs to better understand causes underlying rare vaccine adverse events.

Selected Recent Publications

• Muñoz CE, Pham-Huy A, Pernica JM, Boucher FD, De Serres G, Vaudry W, Constantinescu C, Sadarangani M, Bettinger JA, Tapiéro B, Morris SK, McConnell A, Noya F, Halperin SA, Top KA for the Canadian Immunization Research Network Investigators. Factors associated with intention for revaccination among patients with adverse events following immunization. Vaccine. 2023 Sep 2;S0264-410X(23)01023-X. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.08.067. Online ahead of print. 

• Fitzpatrick T, Alsager K, Sadarangani M, Pham-Huy A, Murguía-Favela L, Morris SK, Seow CH, Piché-Renaud PP, Jadavji T, Vanderkooi OG, Top KA*, Constantinescu C*, on behalf of the Special Immunization Clinic Network investigators. Immunological effects and safety of live rotavirus vaccination following antenatal exposure to monoclonal antibody biologics: a prospective cohort study from the Canadian Immunization Research Network study. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2023 Jun 27:S2352-4642(23)00136-0. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(23)00136-0. PMID: 37390832 [ePub ahead of print]

• Muñoz CE, MacDonald B, Pham-Huy A, Vaudry W, Pernica JM, Boucher FD, Constantinescu C, Sadarangani M, Bettinger JA, Tapiéro B, Morris SK, McConnell A, Cowan J, Zafack J, Upton J, Abdurrahman Z, McHenry M, Hildebrand KJ, Noya F, De Serres G, Halperin SA, Top KA. Revaccination and adverse event recurrence in patients with adverse events following immunization. J Pediatr. 2022;250:45-53.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.07.019. PubMed PMID: 35948192.

• Top KA, Chen RT, Levy O, Ozonoff A, Carleton B, Crawford N, Creech CB, Kochhar S, Poland GA, Gutu K, Cutland CL. Advancing the Science of Vaccine Safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: Launching an International Network of Special Immunization Services. Clin Infect Dis. 2022;75(supplement_1):S11-S17. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac407. PubMed PMID: 35680552.

• Manca TA, Graham JE, MacDonald NE, Top KA. Healthcare providers’ interpretations of product labelling information developed through a consensus stakeholder approach. Vaccine. 2021;39(19):2652-2659. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.082. PubMed PMID: 33849724.