Karen Burns

Biosketch:

Dr. Karen Elizabeth Ann Burns MD, FRCPC, MSc (Epid)

Dr. Karen Burns received undergraduate degrees, a BSc (1989) and a BA (1990) from the University of Windsor. She graduated from medical school at the University of Western Ontario in 1994 where she completed postgraduate training in Internal Medicine (1997). Subsequently she completed the combined Respirology and Critical Care Medicine training program (2000) at the University of Western Ontario and a Lung Transplantation Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh (2001). She returned to Canada to complete a Master’s degree in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University. Her formal training in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics was followed by two additional years of Postdoctoral training supported by Postdoctoral Fellowships from the Canadian Lung Association/Merck Frosst and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. During her postgraduate training, Dr. Burns worked as a Clinical Scholar in Critical Care Medicine at Victoria Hospital (London). Dr. Burns joined St Michael’s Hospital as a member of the Department of Medicine (Divisions of Respirology and the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care) in July of 2005.

As a Clinician Scientist, Dr. Burns’ primary research interest is in mechanical ventilation. Dr. Burns has developed a Program of Research in Weaning Critically Ill Adults from Invasive Mechanical Ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit which includes a bicentre, observational study, a National Weaning Survey, a multicentre, pilot randomized controlled trial and an International Weaning Survey. Many of her research initiatives are conducted in collaboration with the members of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. Dr. Burns received a CIHR Clinician Scientist Award in 2006 to further develop and implement her research program. Additional research interests of Dr Burns include noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, transplantation, organ donation, research ethics and advancing the field of research methodology.