Julia Orkin
Hospital Positions
Staff Physician, Division of Paediatric Medicine
Medical and Fellowship Director, Complex Care Program
Research Positions
Associate Scientist - Track Investigator
Child Health Evaluative Sciences
Biography
Dr. Julia Orkin is a staff paediatrician at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Division of Paediatric Medicine and holds an Associate-Scientist Track position at the SickKids Research Institute. She is the Medical and Fellowship Director of the Complex Care program and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She is the Medical Officer for Integrated Community Partnerships where she supports system integration and partnership across the broad health-care sector. She is the Paediatric Clinical Lead for Ontario Health GTA Region and is the Chair of the Community Paediatric Committee at the Canadian Paediatric Society. Her research focuses on innovations in care delivery for children with medical complexity and their families.
Research
Orkin's research focuses on the evaluation of innovative care delivery models for children with medical complexity and their families. She leads two large provincial and national randomized control trials looking at models of care for our most high need paediatric patients.
Education
- 2009–2010: M.Sc., University of Oxford – Distinction, Global Health Science, Department of Public Health, United Kingdom
- 2004–2007: Doctor of Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- 2000–2004: Bachelor of Arts, Honours Psychology with Great Distinction, Dean’s Honour list (top 10% of graduating class), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Experience
- 2018–Present: Paediatric Clinical Lead, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- 2015–Present: Complex Care Program Fellowship Director, Division of Paediatric Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
- 2014–Present: Staff Paediatrician, Division of Paediatric Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
- 2014–Present: Medical Director, Complex Care Program, SickKids
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2014–Present: Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto
Achievements
- 2020: President's Award. Community Outreach Team - COVID-19, SickKids
- 2020: Reviewer's Choice Award, American Society of Human Genetics
- 2020: Harry Bain Award, Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
- 2017–Present: Co-lead, Complex Care, Paediatric Project Echo
- 2016–Present: Leadership table, Complex Care Kids Ontario-Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health
- 2019: Award for Outstanding Clinical Contribution. Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
- 2018–Present: Chair, Community Paediatrics, Canadian Paediatric Society
Publications
- Diskin C, Orkin J, Agarwal T, Parmar A, Friedman JN. The Secondary Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hospital Pediatrics. Hosp Pediatr. 2021 Feb;11(2):208-212.
- Verma R, Mehdian Y, Sheth N, Netten K, Vinette J, Edwards A, Polyviou J, Orkin J, Amin R: Screening for Caregiver Psychosocial Risk in Children with Medical Complexity: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMJ Pediatr Open. 2020 Jul 27;4(1):e000671.
- Lord S, Moore C, Beatty M, Cohen E, Rapoport A, Hellmann J, Netten K, Amin R, Orkin J: Assessment of Bereaved Caregiver Experiences of Advance Care Planning for Children with Medical Complexity. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e2010337.
- Huth K, Audcent T, Long-Gagne S, Sbrocchi AM, Weiser N, Miller D, Arje D, Stephens D, Major N, Issa K, Cohen E, Orkin J: Evaluating curricular modules in the care of children with medical complexity: A mixed-methods randomized controlled trial. Acad Pediatr. 2019 Sep 12. [Epub ahead of print]
- Orkin J, Beaune L, Moore C, Weiser N, Arje D, Rapoport A, Netten K, Adams S, Cohen E, Amin R: Toward an Understanding of Advance Care Planning in Children with Medical Complexity. Pediatrics. 2020 Mar; 145(3).
- 2020–2021: The Hidden Danger: A Surveillance Study to Describe the Unintended Health Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pediatric Consultants Partnership Creative Professional Activities Grants – COVID Call, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Principal Investigator: Orkin J.
Co-Investigators: Diskin C, Cohen E, Sunderji A, Faraoni D, Fecteau A, Fischer J, Langrish K, Parmar A, Friedman J. - 2020–2021: Transition to Adult primary care for youth with medical complexity through the use of Telemedicine (TACT). Pediatric Consultants Partnership Creative Professional Activities Grants, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Principal Investigators: Lee S, Orkin J. Co-Investigators: Cohen E, Toulany A, Korenblum C, Abells D. - 2019–2021: The Evaluation of the Connected Care Program for Children with Medical Complexity: A Prospective Cohort Study with Embedded Health Economic and Qualitative Analysis. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Operating Grant: Transitions in Care – Evaluation Grants.
Principal Investigators: Amin R, Orkin J. CoInvestigators: Van Clieaf J, Buchanan F, Cohen E, Sultan R.
Collaborators: Ballantyne M, Chu S, Czarny T, Fayed N, Fleming-Carroll B, Katz S, Keilty K, Langrish K, Major N, Moretti M, Nicholas D, Nonoyama M. - 2017–2021: Coached, Coordinated, Enhanced Neonatal Transition (CCENT) (Discharge from NICU – 18 months later). CHILD-BRIGHT (Child Health Initiatives Limiting Disability-Brain Research Improving Growth and Health Trajectories).
Principal Investigators: Cohen E, Major N, Orkin J, Church P. - 2015–2021: Health Outcomes of Children with Medical Complexity and their Caregivers. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Foundation Scheme Programmatic Grants.
Principal Investigator: Cohen E.
Co-Investigators: Berry J, Brehaut J, Guttmann A, Lim A, Mahant S, Major-Cook N, McNeil D, Morinis J, Nicholas D, Offringa M, Peebles E, Ray J, Rosenbaum P, Stremler R, Stromquist L, To T, Vigod S, Williams L, Wodchis W. - 2019–2020: Connected Care Live - An Evaluation of Uptake & User Experience. Baxter Grant. Principal Investigators: Keilty K, Czarny T.
Co-Investigators: Orkin J, Flemming B. - 2018–2020: Patient-facing Virtual Care Platform for Paediatric Complex Care (Maternal & Child Health). Health Technologies Fund (HTF is a program of the Government of Ontario, developed by the Office of the Chief Health Innovation Strategist (OCHIS), administered by the Ontario Centres of Excellence).
Principal Investigators: Orkin J, Adams S, Stinson J. - 2017–2019: Optimizing the Management of Pain and Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairments (PIUO). Canadian Institutes for Health Research, SPOR CHILD-BRIGHT.
Principal Investigator: Siden H.
Co-Principal Investigator: Oberlander T.
Co-Investigators: Carleton B, Cohen E, Dewan T, Gnanakumar V, Holsti L, Orkin J (site PI), Rapoport A, Robertson M, Schwantes S, Vadeboncoeur C, Singer J.
Complex Care Program
Our expert staff paediatricians care for children with medical complexities.
Talking to families about advanced care planning: Perspectives of families and health-care providers
Drs. Julia Orkin and Reshma Amin are SickKids leaders in the care of children with medical complexity who are technology-dependent. SickKids is home to the largest program in Canada for children with medical complexity as well as for long-term ventilation. Their new study, Understanding of Advance Care Planning in Children with Medical Complexity, was published February 13, 2020 in Pediatrics.