Samir Gupta is a Respirologist, Clinician-Scientist and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.  He is originally from Montreal and completed medical school and internal medicine training at McGill University. He then completed Respirology specialty training followed by a Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto, then a fellowship in Knowledge Translation Research. 

Samir has always had a specific interest in science communication. His research training not only tied in with this, but further strengthened his resolve that making science accessible and interesting is an urgent need in today’s online world.

Samir started his television career at Global with the segment called “On Call With Dr. Gupta,” and is now a medical correspondent across properties on the CBC, including every Wednesday morning on Morning Live and Tuesday and Thursday evenings on Canada Tonight. He appears on multiple networks and shows and communicates about health and science across electronic, print, radio, and television media. As a leading media voice in the COVID-19 pandemic, Samir’s online “explainers” have been viewed over 10 million times.

Research

Samir’s research focus is in the area of knowledge translation, also called implementation science. His research team tries to identify gaps between best scientific evidence (best practices according to studies and medical guidelines) and what is actually happening in the real world. They measure the size of those gaps, why those gaps exist (what barriers prevent people from receiving the best care), and design and test strategies to overcome those gaps. His team specializes in developing technology such as apps for patients and providers, to deliver the best care. One of the tools that was developed in his lab is the Electronic Asthma Management System (eAMS) (www.easthma.ca).

Samir also does research in a rare lung disease called the hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) and is the founder and Head of the Canadian Hepatopulmonary Syndrome Program (www.hpscare.com). He sees patients with this condition in Ontario and Quebec, and leads multicenter studies in this disease.

 Canada-India Wellness Initiative

Samir co-founded the Canada-India Wellness Initiative (CIWI) and leads this international program. This is a medical and wellness initiative designed for children and families living below the poverty line in Chettipalayam, Tamil Nadu, India. The program is run through the Canadian-funded Global Pathways School (https://vcfoundation.ca). It includes a multipoint education, prevention, treatment, and health promotion plan, and is operationalized by Samir, GPS administrators/teachers, and numerous volunteers, including a Loran Summer Student (https://loranscholar.ca) supervised by Samir each year.

Clinical Practice

Samir is a practicing respirologist in Toronto and Montreal who sees a variety of patients across the spectrum of respiratory medicine, in both outpatient practice and inpatient hospital care. One of his areas of clinical focus is asthma and the other is the rare lung disease hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). He is appointed both at the University of Toronto and Université de Montreal.