Julia Orkin

Title: Medical Officer, Integrated Community Partnerships

Designations: MD, M.Sc., FRCP(C)

Phone: 416-813-7654

Email: julia.orkin@sickkids.ca

Alternate Contact Name: Sylvi Siraji

Alternate Phone: 416-813-4680

Alternate Email: Sylvi.siraji@sickkids.ca

U of T Positions: Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics

Chair Positions: Chair, Community Paediatric Committee, Canadian Paediatric Society

Hospital Positions

Staff Physician, Division of Paediatric Medicine

Medical and Fellowship Director, Complex Care Program

Research Positions

Associate Scientist - Track Investigator
Child Health Evaluative Sciences

Biography

Dr. Julia Orkin is a staff paediatrician at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Division of Paediatric Medicine and holds an Associate-Scientist Track position at the SickKids Research Institute. She is the Medical and Fellowship Director of the Complex Care program and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She is the Medical Officer for Integrated Community Partnerships where she supports system integration and partnership across the broad health-care sector. She is the Paediatric Clinical Lead for Ontario Health GTA Region and is the Chair of the Community Paediatric Committee at the Canadian Paediatric Society. Her research focuses on innovations in care delivery for children with medical complexity and their families.

Research

Orkin's research focuses on the evaluation of innovative care delivery models for children with medical complexity and their families. She leads two large provincial and national randomized control trials looking at models of care for our most high need paediatric patients.

Education

2009–2010: M.Sc., University of Oxford – Distinction, Global Health Science, Department of Public Health, United Kingdom
2004–2007: Doctor of Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
2000–2004: Bachelor of Arts, Honours Psychology with Great Distinction, Dean’s Honour list (top 10% of graduating class), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Experience

2018–Present: Paediatric Clinical Lead, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
2015–Present: Complex Care Program Fellowship Director, Division of Paediatric Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
2014–Present: Staff Paediatrician, Division of Paediatric Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
2014–Present: Medical Director, Complex Care Program, SickKids
2014–Present: Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto

Achievements

2020: President's Award. Community Outreach Team - COVID-19, SickKids
2020: Reviewer's Choice Award, American Society of Human Genetics
2020: Harry Bain Award, Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
2017–Present: Co-lead, Complex Care, Paediatric Project Echo
2016–Present: Leadership table, Complex Care Kids Ontario-Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health
2019: Award for Outstanding Clinical Contribution. Department of Paediatrics, SickKids
2018–Present: Chair, Community Paediatrics, Canadian Paediatric Society

Publications

Diskin C, Orkin J, Agarwal T, Parmar A, Friedman JN. The Secondary Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hospital Pediatrics. Hosp Pediatr. 2021 Feb;11(2):208-212.
Verma R, Mehdian Y, Sheth N, Netten K, Vinette J, Edwards A, Polyviou J, Orkin J, Amin R: Screening for Caregiver Psychosocial Risk in Children with Medical Complexity: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMJ Pediatr Open. 2020 Jul 27;4(1):e000671.
Lord S, Moore C, Beatty M, Cohen E, Rapoport A, Hellmann J, Netten K, Amin R, Orkin J: Assessment of Bereaved Caregiver Experiences of Advance Care Planning for Children with Medical Complexity. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e2010337.
Huth K, Audcent T, Long-Gagne S, Sbrocchi AM, Weiser N, Miller D, Arje D, Stephens D, Major N, Issa K, Cohen E, Orkin J: Evaluating curricular modules in the care of children with medical complexity: A mixed-methods randomized controlled trial. Acad Pediatr. 2019 Sep 12. [Epub ahead of print]
Orkin J, Beaune L, Moore C, Weiser N, Arje D, Rapoport A, Netten K, Adams S, Cohen E, Amin R: Toward an Understanding of Advance Care Planning in Children with Medical Complexity. Pediatrics. 2020 Mar; 145(3).

2020–2021: The Hidden Danger: A Surveillance Study to Describe the Unintended Health Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pediatric Consultants Partnership Creative Professional Activities Grants – COVID Call, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Principal Investigator: Orkin J.
Co-Investigators: Diskin C, Cohen E, Sunderji A, Faraoni D, Fecteau A, Fischer J, Langrish K, Parmar A, Friedman J.
2020–2021: Transition to Adult primary care for youth with medical complexity through the use of Telemedicine (TACT). Pediatric Consultants Partnership Creative Professional Activities Grants, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Principal Investigators: Lee S, Orkin J. Co-Investigators: Cohen E, Toulany A, Korenblum C, Abells D.
2019–2021: The Evaluation of the Connected Care Program for Children with Medical Complexity: A Prospective Cohort Study with Embedded Health Economic and Qualitative Analysis. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Operating Grant: Transitions in Care – Evaluation Grants.
Principal Investigators: Amin R, Orkin J. CoInvestigators: Van Clieaf J, Buchanan F, Cohen E, Sultan R.
Collaborators: Ballantyne M, Chu S, Czarny T, Fayed N, Fleming-Carroll B, Katz S, Keilty K, Langrish K, Major N, Moretti M, Nicholas D, Nonoyama M.
2017–2021: Coached, Coordinated, Enhanced Neonatal Transition (CCENT) (Discharge from NICU – 18 months later). CHILD-BRIGHT (Child Health Initiatives Limiting Disability-Brain Research Improving Growth and Health Trajectories).
Principal Investigators: Cohen E, Major N, Orkin J, Church P.
2015–2021: Health Outcomes of Children with Medical Complexity and their Caregivers. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Foundation Scheme Programmatic Grants.
Principal Investigator: Cohen E.
Co-Investigators: Berry J, Brehaut J, Guttmann A, Lim A, Mahant S, Major-Cook N, McNeil D, Morinis J, Nicholas D, Offringa M, Peebles E, Ray J, Rosenbaum P, Stremler R, Stromquist L, To T, Vigod S, Williams L, Wodchis W.
2019–2020: Connected Care Live - An Evaluation of Uptake & User Experience. Baxter Grant. Principal Investigators: Keilty K, Czarny T.
Co-Investigators: Orkin J, Flemming B.
2018–2020: Patient-facing Virtual Care Platform for Paediatric Complex Care (Maternal & Child Health). Health Technologies Fund (HTF is a program of the Government of Ontario, developed by the Office of the Chief Health Innovation Strategist (OCHIS), administered by the Ontario Centres of Excellence).
Principal Investigators: Orkin J, Adams S, Stinson J.
2017–2019: Optimizing the Management of Pain and Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairments (PIUO). Canadian Institutes for Health Research, SPOR CHILD-BRIGHT.
Principal Investigator: Siden H.
Co-Principal Investigator: Oberlander T.
Co-Investigators: Carleton B, Cohen E, Dewan T, Gnanakumar V, Holsti L, Orkin J (site PI), Rapoport A, Robertson M, Schwantes S, Vadeboncoeur C, Singer J.

Complex Care Program

Our expert staff paediatricians care for children with medical complexities.

Talking to families about advanced care planning: Perspectives of families and health-care providers

Drs. Julia Orkin and Reshma Amin are SickKids leaders in the care of children with medical complexity who are technology-dependent. SickKids is home to the largest program in Canada for children with medical complexity as well as for long-term ventilation. Their new study, Understanding of Advance Care Planning in Children with Medical Complexity, was published February 13, 2020 in Pediatrics.