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Professor

Karen Tu

DFCM

MD, MSc, CCFP, FCFP 

Karen Tu

k.tu@utoronto.ca

Publications

Location
Central DFCM
Address
500 University Avenue, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 1V7
Research Interests
Health Informatics, Health Service Delivery, Electronic Medical Records, Administrative Databases, Quantitative Data Analysis, Chronic Diseases, Observational Studies
Accepting
Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows

Current academic appointment/faculty rank: Professor 

Affiliations:  

  • Family Physician and Active Staff; Chair in Family and Community Medicine Research in Primary Care, University Health Network (UHN)    

  • Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto    

  • Research Scientist, Research & Innovation; Family Medicine Research Lead, North York General Hospital   

  • Founder/Lead International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID)  

  • Adjunct Professor, International Centre for Future Health Systems, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia  

Research summary:  

Dr. Karen Tu established the Electronic Medical Record Administrative Data Linked Database (EMRALD) over two decades ago, pioneering the development of electronic medical record (EMR) data extraction tools, secure electronic data transfer, and anonymous linkage of primary care EMR data with Ontario's administrative health databases. Through this foundational work, she has developed unique expertise in the analysis of linked primary care EMR and administrative data and is recognized as an international leader in the use of real-world data for primary care research. Triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recognition of shared global challenges, Dr. Tu founded the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID) in 2020. INTRePID brings together primary care researchers from 23 countries, encompassing data from more than 200 million patients worldwide. Through a coordinated approach to data collection, harmonization, and analysis, the consortium enables international comparisons and large-scale studies addressing clinically and policy-relevant questions. INTRePID also fosters collaboration, networking, mentorship, knowledge exchange, and capacity building, supporting the next generation of primary care researchers while advancing evidence-based decision-making and improving primary care and population health across diverse healthcare settings.