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Clinicial Pharmacology and Toxicology

The Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology focuses on a wide range of drug-related issues in paediatrics such as adverse drug reactions, overdoses and poisoning, drug of abuse, rationale use of therapeutic agents, and medication errors.

The division is one of the largest and the most active pediatric pharmacology programs in the world. Our major clinical activities include a consultation service, the Motherisk program (the counseling and information center for drug and other exposures during pregnancy and lactation), and the Ontario Regional Poison Information Center. Most recently, the Palliative and Bereavement care service has become part of the division to further strengthen clinical care and research for optimal drug therapy and management in alleviating pain and discomfort of those children.

In 2003, the Motherisk and the Poison Information Center provided medical information and advice to approximately 35,000, and 70,000 patients and health professionals, respectively. Similarly, in 2003, we provided clinical care to more than 100 children through our consultation service and other clinical activities including the fetal alcohol syndrome program and DART clinic (Drug Allergy Reaction and Toxicology). The division is one of the two major training sites of the Royal College-accredited Clinical Pharmacology Residency program of the University of Toronto.

Our research programs focus on a wide range of clinically important drug-related issues: drug metabolizing enzymes and its regulation, drug transporters, placental and mammary gland drug transport and metabolism, and reproductive toxicology and teratology including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and clinical outcomes of fetuses and neonates exposed to medications or drug of abuse in utero, or during breastfeeding. As the discipline of clinical pharmacology is growing in its scope, our current research methodologies include not only molecular-level pharmacology such as pharmacogenetics but also population-level pharmacology using clinical epidemiology approaches.