Matt Orava

Current academic appointment/faculty rank: Adjunct Lecturer

Affiliations:  

• Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre - Family Medicine Teaching Unit 

• University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine

Research summary:  

Matt Orava, is a Community Family Physician working at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) and a faculty member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine.  As the Barrie Family Health Organization Associate Lead Physician, Co-Chair of the Barrie and Area Ontario Health Team Primary Care Network Executive and the Tristan Lawson Distinguished Fellow in Child Nutrition and Community Engagement he has led several health-promoting and equity-focused community initiatives.   He was recently awarded the Waddington Early-Career Research Award from the University of Toronto.  

He is currently involved in collaborative research around social prescribing initiatives in primary care and health promotion activities led by family physicians.  Working with community partners, he is studying how to connect patients with services to help with food security and participation in healthy activities.   He is supporting a New Frontiers in Research Fund Exploration grant that reviews culturally responsive practices to support the access and safe delivery of a ‘food is medicine’ approach, utilizing a Community-informed model.