Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table names new scientific director

The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table (SAT) has announced who will be it’s new scientific director.

In a post on the Public Health Ontario website on Friday, the SAT said Dr. Fahad Razak will take over the role, effective May 9.

Razak will replace Dr. Peter Jüni, who the SAT said will be leaving Ontario in June for Oxford University.

“Dr. Razak has been a member of the table since its inception and has contributed to many science briefs including long-COVID, hospital visitor policies, vaccines and therapeutics,” the release reads.

The SAT said his research group has “led some of Canada’s largest studies on patients hospitalized with COVID-19, including examining the impact of disability on care and outcomes, exploring how to manage critical drug shortages, and a randomized trial to see whether prone positioning helps patients.”

According to the release, Razak is a general internist at St. Michael’s Hospital and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

He has expertise in health services research and global health.

“He also has been a front-line physician providing care for hospitalized COVID-19 patients since the start of the pandemic,” the release reads.

The SAT thanked Jüni for his “leadership and contributions as the inaugural SAT Scientific Director.”

In a series of tweets Friday, Razak said he is “honoured” to be the new scientific director.

“Harnessing science to inform our response to the pandemic has been a great privilege,” he wrote. “Thank you to all the scientists on the table who I have learned so much from, and the hundreds of hours they have volunteered.”

Razak also thanked Jüni for his “incredible leadership.”

“As we push through the next phase of the pandemic, I hope that science will continue to help us determine the best way forward,” he said.