Dr. Alanna Weisman

• 2023–present; Assistant Professor (Status Only), University of Toronto, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Toronto
• 2020–present; Adjunct Scientist, ICES, Toronto
• 2020–present; Clinician Scientist, Mount Sinai Hospital, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto
• 2020–present; Assistant Professor, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto

• PhD, Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research, University of Toronto, Toronto; 2015–2020 
• FRCPC, Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Toronto, Toronto; 2013–2015 
• FRCPC, Internal Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto; 2010–2013
• MD, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario; 2006–2010 
• BSc, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario; 2003–2006 

• 2025 – Ontario Health Early Researcher Award
• 2024 – Banting & Best Diabetes Centre Diabetes Team of the Year Award
• 2023 – Breakthrough T1D Canada Emerging Clinician Researcher Award
• 2022 – Banting Research Foundation & Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute Ontario Discovery Award
• 2020 – Banting & Best Diabetes Centre Sunlife Financial New Investigator Award

EQUAT1D: Equitable uptake and appropriate use of diabetes technologies

The Equitable Uptake and Appropriate Use of Technologies for Adults with type 1 diabetes (EQUAT1D) is a project focused on reducing inequities in access to and use of diabetes technologies including insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and automated insulin delivery systems among adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from socially disadvantaged communities. While diabetes technologies improve blood glucose management and enhance quality of life, their uptake remains inequitable, especially among people with low income, lower education, racial or ethnic minority backgrounds, or those living in rural settings. 

The project has 3 phases: 

Phase 1: Using population-based administrative health data from Ontario and Quebec and survey data from the BETTER Registry, we are quantifying disparities in technology initiation and evaluating whether their clinical benefits differ by social disadvantages. 

Phase 2: This is a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), where we are conducting semi-structured interviews with endocrinologists, diabetes educators and socially disadvantaged adults living with T1D to understand the barriers and facilitators to technology initiation and use. 

Phase 3: Guided by a User Advisory Panel (UAP), we will co-design a behaviour change intervention targeting patients, providers, and health systems. More information can be found on our project website: www.equat1d.ca.

Increasing initiation of diabetes technologies among socially disadvantaged adults with type 1 diabetes through patient- and provider-level behaviour change

This project aims to evaluate the behaviour change intervention developed to increase initiation of diabetes technologies among socially disadvantaged adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Despite universal or partial public funding, inequities in uptake persist due to non-financial barriers such as provider bias, subjective prescribing criteria, administrative burden and limited patient education. 

This project will address identified barriers through a theory-informed, user-centered design process. We will develop pilot patient- and provider-facing clinical tools and conduct a cluster randomized controlled feasibility trial in four diabetes clinics to test the intervention’s acceptability, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness outcomes. 

We are always looking for motivated researchers to join our team.

Postdocs
Our research group is always interested in recruiting highly motivated postdoctoral fellows with a strong publication record in health services research. Please forward your CV, references and research interests to Alanna Weisman ([email protected]). 

Graduate students
Our research group is part of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at U of T, which has a central admission committee. Identification of a supervisor prior to application is recommended though not necessary. Graduate students interested in doing an MSc or PhD should contact Alanna Weisman ([email protected]). 

Summer students
For researchers affiliated with LTRI:
Summer students are exclusively selected from successful applicants to the Research Training Center (RTC) at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute. Applications are available online and need to be filled by February 28th of each year.