12/17/2025
Congratulations to Dr. Archna Gupta and Dr. Saadia Sediqzadah, scientists at Upstream Lab (part of MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto), who have both been awarded 2026 PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowships: https://upstreamlab.org/upstream-lab-scientists-dr-archna-gupta-and-dr-saadia-sediqzadah-awarded-2026-psi-graham-farquharson-knowledge-translation-fellowships/
The PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowships will support Dr. Gupta’s research into access to primary care and Dr. Sediqzadah’s research into youth with early phase psychosis.
The fellowships – valued at $300,000 per scientist for over two or three years – helps protect a promising new clinician-investigator’s research time, allowing the Fellow to undertake high-impact translational research in Ontario.
Knowledge translation research aims at transitioning research discoveries to the real world to improve health outcomes.
Dr. Gupta, a family physician and family medicine obstetrics provider at St. Michael’s Hospital, will use her fellowship for research into access to primary care in Ontario, at a key moment of transformation in the province’s health system.
“Ontario’s primary care system is facing major challenges, with many people struggling to find a family doctor or primary care clinician and access the care they need. The new Primary Care Act (2025) offers a unique opportunity to make meaningful improvements, setting out six patient-centred goals to increase access and strengthen care for all Ontarians. My research and knowledge translation activities are focused on helping Ontario’s primary care system evolve to meet these important targets,” says Dr. Gupta.
Dr. Sediqzadah, a psychiatrist at St. Michael's Hospital, will use her fellowship for research to improve the mental and physical health outcomes for youth with early phase psychosis in Ontario. Her goals include developing the first patient decision aid for early phase psychosis that will be co-designed by people with lived experience (PWLE), their families/caregivers and healthcare providers.
"Concerns about the side effects, how long one must be on medication, or even simply accepting one has a mental illness that requires medication in the first place, can be common concerns and barriers to treatment. We lack tools to address these issues that are tailored to both prescribers and patients, especially those that include people with lived experience in the development process. As such, my proposed research will employ knowledge translation approaches to guide both patients and prescribers on psychosis treatment, as well as the prevention/management of metabolic side effects of antipsychotics,” says Dr. Sediqzadah.
