Theresa Gyorkos

PhD

Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University; and Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre;

Director, Regroupement stratégique en santé mondiale, Réseau de recherche sur la santé des populations du Québec;

Director, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Parasite Epidemiology and Control

Location

Montreal, Quebec

Keywords

Global health, soil-transmitted helminths, global policy, deworming, trials, capacity-building

Research interests

Parasite epidemiology and global health are my two primary research foci. My current global health research program is population-based and mostly conducted in Peru. It focuses on local health priorities such as infant malnutrition, parasite infection (especially soil-transmitted helminths) in preschool and school-aged children and their families, anemia in pregnant women, malaria in rural communities, adverse outcomes of pregnancy, gender and parasites, equity, and evidence-informed health policy. My research program contributes evidence to inform global health policy on deworming in the three high risk groups of school-age children, preschool-age children and women of reproductive age. Research capacity-building activities include multidisciplinary and participatory workshops and short courses on epidemiological and biostatistical methodology. The recent designation of a McGill-based WHO CC in parasite epidemiology reflects the interests of several research and training groups at McGill, and their partners, whose scientific contributions inform global health policy and practice.

Expertise in

Epidemiology

Public Health

Toxoplasmosis

Relevant publications

Rodriguez Ferrucci H, Razuri H, Casapia M, Rahme E, Silva H, Ault S, Blouin B, Mofid LS, Montresor A, Gyorkos TW. Governance, organization, accountability and sustainability of a region-wide school-based deworming program in Loreto, Peru. Acta Tropica 2016;159:219-226.

Joseph SA, Montresor A, Casapia M, Pezo L, Gyorkos TW. Safety of mebendazole use in early preschool-age children: adverse events from a randomized controlled trial of deworming in children 12 to 24 months of age. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2016;95(1):83-87.

Montresor A, Addiss D, Albonico M, Ali SM, Ault SK, Gabrielli A-F, Garba A, GAsimov E, Gyorkos T, Jamsheed MA, Levecke B, Mbabazi P, Mupfasoni D, Savioli L, Vercruysse J, Yajima A. Methodological bias can lead Cochrane Collaboration to irrelevance in public health decision-making. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015;9(10):e0004165.

Thériault FL, Blouin B, Casapia M, Gyorkos TW. Sustaining a hygiene education intervention to prevent and control geohelminth infections at schools in the Peruvian Amazon. Pan Am J Public Health 2015:38(4):344-346.

Joseph SA, Casapia M, Lazarte F, Rahme E, Pezo L, Blouin B, Gyorkos TW. The effect of deworming on early childhood development in Peru: a randomized controlled trial. Soc Sci Med (Population Health) 2015;1:32-39.

Gyorkos TW and Gilbert NL. Blood drain: soil-transmitted helminths and anemia in pregnant women. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014:8(7):e2912

Gyorkos TW, Maheu-Giroux M, Blouin B, Casapia M. Impact of health education on soil-transmitted helminth infections in schoolchildren of the Peruvian Amazon: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013;7(9):e2397

Gyorkos TW, Maheu-Giroux M, Blouin B, Saavedra L, Casapia M. Eficacia en dosis única de albendazol sobre las infecciones por helmintos transmitidos por el suelo en escolares de una comunidad de Iquitos, Perú. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica 2013:30 (4):601-607.

Gyorkos TW, Gilbert NL, Larocque R, Casapia M. Trichuris and hookworm infections associated with anemia during pregnancy. Trop Med Int Health 2011;16 (4):531-537. (published on-line doi:10.1111/j.1365-3156.2011.02727.x). Editor’s Pick for the month of April 2011.

Gyorkos TW, Maheu-Giroux M, Creed-Kanashiro H, Casapia M, Joseph SA, Penny ME. Stunting and early helminth infection in preschool-age children in the Amazon lowlands of Peru. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2011 published online 23-FEB-2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2010.12.003

Contact

Office:

V Building

Royal Victoria Hospital Campus

(corner Peel and Pine)

Mail:

Purvis Hall, McGill University

1020 Pine Ave. West,

Montréal, QC H3A 1A2

theresa.gyorkos@mcgill.ca