Dr. Andrea Furlan
PhD, Clinical Epidemiology, University of Toronto
Dr. Andrea Furlan is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. She is also a physician and senior scientist at the KITE Research Institute at University Health Network, and associate professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Physiatry at the University of Toronto.
Furlan completed her residency in physiatry at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She obtained her PhD in clinical epidemiology from the University of Toronto. Her thesis focused on methods to search and analyze non-randomized studies of interventions for low-back pain. She completed a two-year clinical fellowship in physiatry at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Furlan received the 2020 Pain Excellence Award in 2020 by the Pain Society of Alberta, and she is the recipient of the 2021 Canadian Pain Society’s Excellence in Pain Mentorship Award.
Her main research interests include rehabilitation medicine, chronic pain, low-back pain and neuropathic pain, with a methodological focus on systematic reviews and meta-analyses. She has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, has written seven book chapters and has been an invited speaker at many local, national and international conferences, and is frequently sought by the media for interviews. During the Covid-19 pandemic she started a Youtube channel to share her knowledge about chronic pain worldwide.
"I spend about 80 per cent of my time as a researcher and 20 per cent as a clinician. The clinical work maintains the relevance of what I do, as well as credibility among my medical peers.” – Dr. Andrea Furlan
Projects
- Cannabis and workplace fatalities: establishing a baseline in Ontario. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ongoing.
- Cannabis use and long-term recovery and return-to-work outcomes among Ontario injured workers. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ongoing.
- ECHO OEM: Piloting a telementoring program in occupational and environmental medicine. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Opioid-related harms among Ontario workers: a surveillance tool. Funded by Public Health Agency of Canada. Ongoing.
- Workplace cannabis use and perceptions among Canadian workers. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ongoing.
Publications
- Lau J, Mazzotta P, Whelan C, Abdelaal M, Clarke H, Furlan AD, Smith A, Husain A, Fainsinger R, Hui D, Sunderji N, Zimmermann C. Opioid safety recommendations in adult palliative medicine: a North American Delphi expert consensus. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. 2021 [epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-003178.
- Lau J, Mazzotta P, Fazelzad R, Ryan S, Tedesco A, Smith AJ, Sud A, Furlan AD, Zimmermann C. Assessment tools for problematic opioid use in palliative care: a scoping review. Palliative Medicine. 2021;35(7):1295– 1322. doi:10.1177/02692163211015567.
- Carnide N, Lee H, Frone MR, Furlan AD, Smith PM. Patterns and correlates of workplace and non-workplace cannabis use among Canadian workers before the legalization of non-medical cannabis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2021;218:108386. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108386.
- Mu J, Furlan AD, Lam WY, Hsu MY, Ning Z, Lao L. Acupuncture for chronic nonspecific low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;12:CD013814. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013814.
- Furlan AD, Díaz S, CarolA, Macdougall P, Allen M. Self-reported practices in opioid management of chronic noncancer pain: an updated survey of Canadian family physicians. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020;9(10):E3304. doi:10.3390/jcm9103304.
Speaker Series presentations
- New World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on rehabilitation in health systems. IWH Speaker Series. April 18, 2017.
- Systematic review on depression in the workplace. IWH Speaker Series. March 1, 2011.
Interviews and articles
- IWH hosts new program to mentor Ontario’s frontline doctors in occupational medicine. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 105, Summer 2021.
- Cochrane back group earns high praise for its rigorous systematic reviews. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 102, Fall 2020.
- IWH review outlines promising strategies to prevent prescribed opioid abuse. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 94, Fall 2018.
- New systematic review outlines promising strategies to prevent prescribed opioid abuse, overdoses. OOHNA Journal. October 16, 2018. Available from: https://www.iwh.on.ca/sites/iwh/files/oohna_journal_fw_2018_opioid.pdf
- Opioids linked to longer disability leaves. Canadian HR Reporter. June 1, 2018. Available from: https://www.hrreporter.com/workplace-health-and-wellness/37069-opioids-linked-to-longer-disability-leaves/