Bridging research and clinical care

‘There has to be a constant back and forth – a marriage’

Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou is a child neurologist and scientist recruited to Bloorview from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York to develop a clinical research program in autism.

Evdokia’s clinician scientist position is a new one that reflects the hospital’s goal to better bridge the worlds of research and care.

What brought you to Bloorview?

Dr. Anagnostou: There were a number of pluses to building a clinical research lab here: access to children with autism; our link with SickKids, which allows me to collaborate with geneticists and basic scientists; and a well-organized research institute with huge potential to grow. I like the philosophy that disability is where you start and not where you end. It doesn’t become who you are, but is just one aspect of you. That attitude is very promising for children with autism.

One part of your research focuses on testing alternative compounds like fish oil. Why is this important?

Dr. Anagnostou: There are limited medications available to children with autism. As a result, parents and physicians have started using alternative compounds without any evidence that they are safe or effective. We need to test the compounds scientifically. And because we’ll be treating many people with autism over their lifetime, if there are natural substances that have better safety profiles than the current drugs we’re using, we need to know that.

What are the advantages of being a clinician scientist?

Dr. Anagnostou: The risk, if you’re just a researcher, is that you get caught up in asking questions you think you can answer, instead of what’s relevant and will have impact for families living with autism. Seeing children keeps me grounded in what needs to be asked. Research keeps us up to date on the newest treatments. There has to be a constant back and forth – a marriage – between the clinical and the research in order to provide excellent care.

How do you bring a sense of wonder to your work?

Dr. Anagnostou: My patients bring me a sense of wonder. What’s special about children with autism is that their brain is wired differently, so they have an alternative view of the world that challenges our perceptions. They have the ability to see things from a completely different view.

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