Portrait of David Buckeridge

David Buckeridge

Associate Academic Member
Full Professor, McGill University, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health
Research Topics
Medical Machine Learning
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Biography

David Buckeridge is a professor at the School of Population and Global Health at McGill University, as well as chief digital health officer for the McGill University Health Centre and executive scientific director of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

A Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Health Informatics and Data Science, Buckeridge has projected health system demand for the Canadian province of Quebec, led data management and analytics for the Canadian Immunity Task Force, and supported the World Health Organization in monitoring global immunity to SARS-CoV-2. He has an MD from Queen's University, an MSc in epidemiology from the University of Toronto and a PhD in biomedical informatics from Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada.

Current Students

Kalash Dave
Master's Research - McGill University
Eva Gao
PhD - McGill University
yachen li Li
Master's Research - McGill University
yachen.li@mail.mcgill.ca
Aidan Licoppe
Master's Research - McGill University
Github
Yannan Shen
Master's Research - McGill University

Publications

COVID-19 Seroprevalence in Canada Modelling Waning and Boosting COVID-19 Immunity in Canada a Canadian Immunization Research Network Study
David W. Dick
Lauren Childs
Zhilan Feng
Jing Li
Gergely Röst
David Buckeridge
Nick H. Ogden
Jane Heffernan
2021-12-23
Vaccines (published)
doi.org
Fall 2021 Resurgence and COVID-19 Seroprevalence in Canada: Modelling waning and boosting COVID-19 immunity in Canada, A Canadian Immunization Research Network Study
David W. Dick
Lauren Childs
Zhilan Feng
Jing Li
Gergely Röst
David Buckeridge
Nick H. Ogden
Jane Heffernan
2021-12-23
Vaccines (published)
doi.org
Global epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of standardized population-based seroprevalence studies, Jan 2020-Oct 2021
Isabel Bergeri
Mairead Whelan
Harriet Ware
Lorenzo Subissi
Anthony Nardone
H. Lewis
Zihan Li
Xiaomeng Ma
Marta Valenciano
Brianna Cheng
Lubna Al Ariqi
Arash Rashidian
Joseph Okeibunor
Tasnim Azim
Pushpa Wijesinghe
Linh-Vi Le
Aisling Vaughan
Richard Pebody
Andrea Vicari
Tingting Yan … (see 8 more)
Mercedes Yanes-Lane
Christian Cao
Matthew P. Cheng
Jesse Papenburg
David Buckeridge
Niklas Bobrovitz
Rahul K. Arora
Maria D Van Kerkhove
Background COVID-19 case data underestimates infection and immunity, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We meta-analyze… (see more)d standardized SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies to estimate global seroprevalence. Objectives/Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, searching MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, preprints, and grey literature for SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies aligned with the WHO UNITY protocol published between 2020-01-01 and 2021-10-29. Eligible studies were extracted and critically appraised in duplicate. We meta-analyzed seroprevalence by country and month, pooling to estimate regional and global seroprevalence over time; compared seroprevalence from infection to confirmed cases to estimate under-ascertainment; meta-analyzed differences in seroprevalence between demographic subgroups; and identified national factors associated with seroprevalence using meta-regression. PROSPERO: CRD42020183634. Results We identified 396 full texts reporting 736 distinct seroprevalence studies (41% LMIC), including 355 low/moderate risk of bias studies with national/sub-national scope in further analysis. By April 2021, global SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 26.1%, 95% CI [24.6-27.6%]. Seroprevalence rose steeply in the first half of 2021 due to infection in some regions (e.g., 18.2% to 45.9% in Africa) and vaccination and infection in others (e.g., 11.3% to 57.4% in the Americas high-income countries), but remained low in others (e.g., 0.3% to 1.6% in the Western Pacific). In 2021 Q1, median seroprevalence to case ratios were 1.9:1 in HICs and 61.9:1 in LMICs. Children 0-9 years and adults 60+ were at lower risk of seropositivity than adults 20-29. In a multivariate model using data pre-vaccination, more stringent public health and social measures were associated with lower seroprevalence. Conclusions Global seroprevalence has risen considerably over time and with regional variation, however much of the global population remains susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. True infections far exceed reported COVID-19 cases. Standardized seroprevalence studies are essential to inform COVID-19 control measures, particularly in resource-limited regions.
2021-12-15
medRxiv (preprint)
doi.org
Mortality trends and lengths of stay among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Ontario and Quebec (Canada): a population-based cohort study of the first three epidemic waves
Yiqing Xia
Huiting Ma
David Buckeridge
Marc Brisson
Beate Sander
Adrienne K. Chan
Aman D Verma
Iris Ganser
Nadine Kronfli
Sharmistha Mishra
Mathieu Maheu-Giroux
Background: Epidemic waves of COVID-19 strained hospital resources. We describe temporal trends in mortality risk and length of stay in inte… (see more)nsive cares units (ICUs) among COVID-19 patients hospitalized through the first three epidemic waves in Canada. Methods: We used population-based provincial hospitalization data from Ontario and Qu&eacutebec to examine mortality risk and lengths of ICU stay. For each province, adjusted estimates were obtained using marginal standardization of logistic regression models, adjusting for patient-level characteristics and hospital-level determinants. Results: Using all hospitalizations from Ontario (N=26,541) and Qu&eacutebec (N=23,857), we found that unadjusted in-hospital mortality risks peaked at 31% in the first wave and was lowest at the end of the third wave at 6-7%. This general trend remained after controlling for confounders. The odds of in-hospital mortality in the highest hospital occupancy quintile was 1.2 (95%CI: 1.0-1.4; Ontario) and 1.6 (95%CI: 1.3-1.9; Qu&eacutebec) times that of the lowest quintile. Variants of concerns were associated with an increased in-hospital mortality. Length of ICU stay decreased over time from a mean of 16 days (SD=18) to 15 days (SD=15) in the third wave but were consistently higher in Ontario than Qu&eacutebec by 3-6 days. Conclusion: In-hospital mortality risks and lengths of ICU stay declined over time in both provinces, despite changing patient demographics, suggesting that new therapeutics and treatment, as well as improved clinical protocols, could have contributed to this reduction. Continuous population-based monitoring of patient outcomes in an evolving epidemic is necessary for health system preparedness and response.
2021-12-08
medRxiv (preprint)
doi.org
Opioid prescribing among new users for non-cancer pain in the USA, Canada, UK, and Taiwan: A population-based cohort study
Meghna Jani
Nadyne Girard
David W. Bates
David Buckeridge
Therese Sheppard
Jack Li
Usman Iqbal
Shelly Vik
Colin Weaver
Judy Seidel
William G. Dixon
Robyn Tamblyn
Background The opioid epidemic in North America has been driven by an increase in the use and potency of prescription opioids, with ensuing … (see more)excessive opioid-related deaths. Internationally, there are lower rates of opioid-related mortality, possibly because of differences in prescribing and health system policies. Our aim was to compare opioid prescribing rates in patients without cancer, across 5 centers in 4 countries. In addition, we evaluated differences in the type, strength, and starting dose of medication and whether these characteristics changed over time. Methods and findings We conducted a retrospective multicenter cohort study of adults who are new users of opioids without prior cancer. Electronic health records and administrative health records from Boston (United States), Quebec and Alberta (Canada), United Kingdom, and Taiwan were used to identify patients between 2006 and 2015. Standard dosages in morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) were calculated according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Age- and sex-standardized opioid prescribing rates were calculated for each jurisdiction. Of the 2,542,890 patients included, 44,690 were from Boston (US), 1,420,136 Alberta, 26,871 Quebec (Canada), 1,012,939 UK, and 38,254 Taiwan. The highest standardized opioid prescribing rates in 2014 were observed in Alberta at 66/1,000 persons compared to 52, 51, and 18/1,000 in the UK, US, and Quebec, respectively. The median MME/day (IQR) at initiation was highest in Boston at 38 (20 to 45); followed by Quebec, 27 (18 to 43); Alberta, 23 (9 to 38); UK, 12 (7 to 20); and Taiwan, 8 (4 to 11). Oxycodone was the first prescribed opioid in 65% of patients in the US cohort compared to 14% in Quebec, 4% in Alberta, 0.1% in the UK, and none in Taiwan. One of the limitations was that data were not available from all centers for the entirety of the 10-year period. Conclusions In this study, we observed substantial differences in opioid prescribing practices for non-cancer pain between jurisdictions. The preference to start patients on higher MME/day and more potent opioids in North America may be a contributing cause to the opioid epidemic.
2021-11-01
PLoS Medicine (published)
doi.org
Evaluating Montréal’s harm reduction interventions for people who inject drugs: protocol for observational study and cost-effectiveness analysis
Dimitra Panagiotoglou
Michal Abrahamowicz
David Buckeridge
J Jaime Caro
Eric Latimer
Mathieu Maheu-Giroux
Erin C Strumpf
2021-10-26
BMJ Open (published)
doi.org
Stringency of containment and closures on the growth of SARS-CoV-2 in Canada prior to accelerated vaccine roll-out
D. Vickers
S. Baral
Sharmistha Mishra
J. Kwong
M. Sundaram
Alan W. Katz
Andrew J. Calzavara
Mathieu Maheu-Giroux
David Buckeridge
Tyler Williamson
2021-10-21
International Journal of Infectious Diseases (published)
doi.org
Evaluation of real-life use of Point-Of-Care Rapid Antigen TEsting for SARS-CoV-2 in schools for outbreak control (EPOCRATES)
A. Blanchard
Marc Desforges
A. Labbé
C. Nguyen
Y. Petit
Derek Besner
Kate A. Zinszer
Olivier Séguin
Zineb Laghdir
K. Adams
Marie-ève Benoit
Ghislain Leduc
Jean Longtin
Ioannis. Ragoussis
David Buckeridge
Caroline Quach
We evaluated the use of rapid antigen detection tests (RADT) for the diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-… (see more)2) infection in school settings to determine RADT performance characteristics compared to PCR. Methods: We did a real-world, prospective observational cohort study where recruited high-school students and staff from two high-schools in Montreal (Canada) were followed from January 25th to June 10th, 2021. Twenty-five percent of asymptomatic participants were tested weekly by RADT (nasal) and PCR (gargle). Class contacts of a case were tested. Symptomatic participants were tested by RADT (nasal) and PCR (nasal and gargle). The number of cases/outbreak and number of outbreaks were compared to other high schools in the same area. Results: Overall, 2,099 students and 286 school staff members consented to participate. The overall RADT specificity varied from 99.8 to 100%, with a lower sensitivity, varying from 28.6% in asymptomatic to 83.3% in symptomatic participants. The number of outbreaks was not different in the 2 participating schools compared to other high schools in the same area, but included a greater proportion of asymptomatic cases. Returning students to school after a 7-day quarantine, with a negative PCR on D6-7 after exposure, did not lead to subsequent outbreaks, as shown by serial testing. Of cases for whom the source was known, 37 of 57 (72.5%) were secondary to household transmission, 13 (25%) to intra-school transmission and one to community contacts between students in the same school. Conclusion: RADT did not perform well as a screening tool in asymptomatic individuals. Reinforcing policies for symptom screening when entering schools and testing symptomatic individuals with RADT on the spot may avoid subsequent significant exposures in class.
2021-10-14
medRxiv (preprint)
doi.org
Transfer functions: learning about a lagged exposure-outcome association in time-series data
Hiroshi Mamiya
Alexandra M. Schmidt
Erica E. M. Moodie
David Buckeridge
Many population exposures in time-series analysis, including food marketing, exhibit a time-lagged association with population health outcom… (see more)es such as food purchasing. A common approach to measuring patterns of associations over different time lags relies on a finite-lag model, which requires correct specification of the maximum duration over which the lagged association extends. However, the maximum lag is frequently unknown due to the lack of substantive knowledge or the geographic variation of lag length. We describe a time-series analytical approach based on an infinite lag specification under a transfer function model that avoids the specification of an arbitrary maximum lag length. We demonstrate its application to estimate the lagged exposure-outcome association in food environmental research: display promotion of sugary beverages with lagged sales.
2021-10-01
medRxiv (preprint)
doi.org
Estimating the lagged effect of price discounting: a time-series study using transaction data of sugar sweetened beverages.
Hiroshi Mamiya
Alexandra M. Schmidt
Erica E. M. Moodie
David Buckeridge
2021-09-28
medRxiv (preprint)
doi.org
Monitoring non-pharmaceutical public health interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic
Yannan Shen
Guido Powell
Iris Ganser
Qulu Zheng
Chris Grundy
Anya Okhmatovskaia
David Buckeridge
2021-08-24
Scientific Data (published)
doi.org
Generating community measures of food purchasing activities using store-level electronic grocery transaction records: an ecological study in Montreal, Canada
Hiroshi Mamiya
Alexandra M. Schmidt
Erica E.M. Moodie
Yu Ma
David Buckeridge
2021-08-23
Public Health Nutrition (published)
doi.org