Robin Hayeems

Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences

Dr. Hayeems is a Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences (CHES) at SickKids Research Institute and an Associate Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto. Dr. Hayeems is trained in genetic counselling (ScM, Johns Hopkins University), public health and bioethics (PhD, University of Toronto), health policy research (University of Toronto, IHPME Postdoctoral Fellowship) and health services research (University of Toronto, Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship).

Dr. Hayeems’ research focuses on the development and implementation of high-quality genomic screening and diagnostic tools for the maternal-child health context. Using applied health services and policy research methods, her work focuses on the delivery, evaluation and governance of genomic screening and diagnostic tools in the prenatal, newborn and early childhood periods. As a member of several provincial advisory committees, her work informs and is informed by policy development in this area.

Research

Since joining the Child Health Evaluative Sciences Program at The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in January 2014, Dr. Hayeems has established an interdisciplinary, theoretically-grounded, policy-relevant research program focused on (i) outcomes of genomic screening and diagnostic technologies that are important to patients, families, and health-care systems and (ii) novel models of care to support the appropriate, equitable and sustainable delivery of these technologies in child health. Going forward, Dr. Hayeems will broaden the measurement toolkit that she has developed and deepen its integration into novel strategies for delivering care. As precision medicine gains traction, health system funding decisions and policies related to it’s appropriate use will increasingly depend on Dr. Hayeems’ methodologies and research findings.

Education

Degrees

• 2002–2007: PhD, Dept. Public Health Sciences & Collaborative Program in Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 1998–2001: ScM, Genetic Counselling, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD and The National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
• 1996–1998: M.Sc., Medical Science, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 1992–1996: B.Sc. (Hons.), Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, PQ

Postgraduate Research and Specialty Training

• 2011–2013: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences, Health System and Policy Evaluation Program, Toronto, ON
• 2008–2010: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Health System Strategy Division, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Toronto, ON
• 2007–2010: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2006–2007: Research Fellow, Centre for Health Economics & Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

Experience

• 2019–Present: Associate Professor (status), Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2017–Present: Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 2014–2019: Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2014–2017: Scientist-track Investigator, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 2011–2013: Genetic Counsellor, Division of Clinical & Metabolic Genetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 2001–2005: Genetic Counsellor, Adult Genetics Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON

Achievements

• 2022–2027: Canada Research Chair in Genomics and Health Policy, Tier 2, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• 2018: Value Assessment Initiative: Challenge Award (2nd Place) - PhRMA Foundation/ Personalized Medicine Coalition, Washington, DC, USA.
• Co-Chair, Prenatal Screening Ontario - Advisory Committee, Advisory to Prenatal Screening Ontario, Better Outcomes Registry and Network and Ontario Ministry of Health, Ontario, Canada
• Member, Ontario Genetics Advisory Committee, Advisory to Ontario Health (Quality Division), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1. Hayeems RZ, Bernier FP, Boycott KM, et al. Positioning whole exome sequencing in the diagnostic pathway for rare disease to optimise utility: a protocol for an observational cohort study and an economic evaluation. BMJ Open. 2022; 12(10): E061468.
2. Hayeems RZ, Luca S, Venkataramanan V, et al. The Clinician-reported Genetic testing Utility InDEx (C-GUIDE): Preliminary evidence of validity and reliability. Genetics in Medicine. 2022;24(2):430-438.
3. Hayeems RZ, Marshall CR, Gillespie MK., et al. Comparing genome sequencing technologies to improve rare disease diagnostics: a protocol for the evaluation of a pilot project, Genome-wide Sequencing Ontario. CMAJ Open. 2022;10(2): E460-E465.
4. Hayeems RZ, Luca S, Bhatt A, Abd Assamad D, Ungar W. Utility of Genetic Testing from the Perspective of Parents/Caregivers: A Scoping Review. Children. 2021;8(4):259.
5. Hayeems RZ, Dimmock D, Bick D, et al. Clinical utility of genomic testing: A measurement toolkit. NPJ Genomic Medicine. 2020;5(1):56

See a full list of Robin Hayeems' publications.