Research Scientist
MD, MPH

Appointments
Professor, Centre de Recherche, Université Laval 
Clinician-Scientist, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec

 

Dr. Fortin obtained his medical degree from ‘Université Laval’ in Quebec City and graduated from McGill University in Rheumatology.  He then obtained a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University School of Public Health.  He followed three years of special training in clinical epidemiology as a Harvard post-doctoral research fellow under the direction of Dr. Matthew H. Liang at the Robert Breck Brigham Multi-Purpose Arthritis Center of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  He returned as an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Medicine at McGill University and to the Montreal General Hospital/McGill University Health Centre and Research Institute between 1992 and 2000, where he was funded uninterruptedly by operating grants from The Arthritis Society (TAS) and/or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).  

Dr. Fortin joined the staff of Toronto Western Division/University Health Network (UHN) and Research Institute in 2000 as a Clinician Scientist and Director of Clinical Research for the Arthritis Centre of Excellence.  He became Full Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto in 2007 and held cross-appointments as staff at the Hospital for Sick Children and as Associate Professor at the Institute of Medical Sciences and the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation of the University of Toronto.   In August 2011, he moved to Quebec City, Canada and became Full Professor with tenure at Université Laval and Clinician-Scientist at the ‘Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec’

Dr. Fortin has been working on a better understanding of the bio-psycho-social impact of chronic rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD), osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. He is particularly interested in developing interventions for the treatment of SLE, APS and SARD.

His methodological interests cover the development and validation of health status measures and other clinical tools such as measures of disease activity or damage in SLE.  His other methodological interests include the development of risk profiles for arterial or venous thrombosis in APS, the testing of treatments of disease activity or cardiovascular disease in SLE, or the validation of biological markers in osteoarthritis.  

In 1995, he created the Canadian Network for Improved Outcomes in SLE (CaNIOS) with the specific goal of running a multi-centre, randomized, and controlled Study of Methotrexate in Lupus Erythematosus (SMILE).  CaNIOS brought together many lupus experts who, despite their limited individual cohorts, were able to pool information for the completion of SMILE.  CaNIOS is now conducting several CIHR and TAS funded national studies, including the recently funded project on ‘Empowering Patients as Active Partners in Their Care: Lupus Interactive Navigator (LIN)’, ‘The Dissemination of the Lupus Health Passport’, ‘Health Improvement and Prevention Program for Persons with SLE’ (HIPP study), ‘Lupus Nephritis New Emerging Team’ (LuNNET), ‘Genetic and Environmental Factors in SLE’ (GenES Study),  and ‘Role of Thrombophilic Factors in Persons with SLE’ (ThromboFIL study).   Also, CaNIOS is building a national database, a clinical trial infrastructure through support from the Lupus Clinical Trial Consortium and a training environment for young researchers.

Dr Fortin received the Kirkland Scholar Award in 2007, and he received the prestigious Distinguished Senior Research Investigator Award from The Arthritis Society of Canada.  In 2010, he received the Hope Award from the Lupus Ontario to recognize his outstanding leadership in improving the lives of people with lupus.

Selected Publications 

1. Dieudé M., Correa J., Neville C., Pineau C., Levine J., Subang R., Landolt-Marticorena C., Su J., Kassis J., Solymoss S., Fortin P.R., Rauch J. Autoantibodies to Heat Shock Protein 60 are Associated with Arterial Vascular Events in Patients with Anti-phospholipid Antibodies. Arthritis and Rheumatism 2011;63(8):2416-24.
2. Reich HN, Gladman DD, Urowitz MB, Bargman JM, Hladunewich MA, Fan CPS, Su J, Herzenberg AM, Cattran DC, Wither J, Landolt-Marticorena C, Scholey JW, Fortin PR. Persistent Proteinuria and Dyslipidemia Increase the Risk of Progressive Chronic Kidney Disease in Lupus Erythematosus. Kidney International 2011;79, 914–920.
3. Aghdassi E, Zhang W, St-Pierre Y, Clarke AE, Morrison S, Peeva V, Landolt-Marticorena C, Su J, Reich H, Scholey J, Herzenberg A, Pope JE, Peschken C; LuNNET CaNIOS Investigators, Wither JE, Fortin PR. Healthcare Cost and Loss of Productivity in a Canadian Population of Patients with and Without Lupus Nephritis. J Rheumatol 2011; 38(4):658-66.
4. Zhang W, Aghdassi E, Reich HN., Su J, Lou W, Landolt-Marticorena C, Gladman D, Urowitz M, Scholey J, Fortin PR. Glomerular Filtration Rate Predicts Arterial Events in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Rheumatology 2011; 50(4):799-805.
5. Zhang W, Aghdassi E, Reich HN., Su J, Lou W, Landolt-Marticorena C, Gladman D, Urowitz M, Scholey J, Fortin PR. Glomerular Filtration Rate Predicts Arterial Events in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Rheumatology 2011; 50(4):799-805.
6. Cooper G, Wither J, Bernatsky S, Claudio J, Clarke A, Rioux J, CaNIOS Collaborators, Fortin PR. Occupational and Environmental Exposures and Risk of SLE: Silica, Sunlight, Solvents. Rheumatology 2010;49(11):2172-80.
7. Jung H, Bobba R, Su J, Shariati-Sarabi Z, Gladman D, Urowitz M.B., Lou W, Fortin PR. The Protective Effect of Antimalarial Drug on Thrombovascular Events in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis and Rheumatism 2010;62(3):863-8.
8. Al-Dhanhani A, Gignac M, Su J, Fortin PR. Work Disability in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis and Rheumatism 2009;61(3):378-85.
9. Neville C, Rauch J, Kassis J, Solymoss S, Joseph L, Belisle P, Fortin PR (*Neville C and Rauch J contributed equally to this research). Antiphospholipid Antibodies Predict Imminent Vascular Events Independently from Other Risk Factors in a Prospective Cohort. Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2009;101(1):100-7.
10. Fortin PR, Abrahamowicz M, Ferland D, Lacaille D, Smith CD, Zummer M, and the Canadian Network for Improved Outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Steroid-sparing Effects of Methotrexate in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis and Rheumatism 2008; 59(12):1796 – 804.