• Portrait of Alexander Singer
  • Associate professor / 
    Director, Office of Research & Quality Improvement / 
    Director, Manitoba Primary Care Research Network
     

    Max Rady College of Medicine
    Department of Family Medicine
    P219 – 780 Bannatyne Ave
    University of Manitoba
    Winnipeg, MB R33 0W2

    Phone: 204-789-3314  
    alexander.singer@umanitoba.ca

Cross-appointments

  • Director, Research and Quality Improvement, Department of Family Medicine

  • Director, Manitoba Primary Care Research Network (MaPCReN)

Research summary

Dr. Alexander Singer's research focuses on using electronic medical records (EMRs) for secondary use, specifically in the areas of disease surveillance, natural language processing, and pragmatic clinical trials based in primary care settings. He is affiliated with several research groups, including the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Choosing Wisely Canada, Diabetes Action Canada, and the Patients, Experience, Evidence, Research network. Dr. Singer has received numerous awards and recognition for his research, including the Manitoba Psychiatric Association Award for Best Resident Paper, the Child Health Research Days Best Presentation Award, and the David Lanier Prize for Top Poster Presentation at the North American Primary Care Research Group Practice-Based Research Network Conference.

Research themes

  • Using digital technologies to improve primary care delivery
  • Change management and improvement science

Research interests

  • Using primary care EMR data for secondary use, specifically in the areas of disease surveillance, natural language processing and pragmatic clinical trials based in primary care settings
  • Quality improvement in primary care settings
  • Antibiotic stewardship
  • Medication prescribing patterns
  • Adherence to Choosing Wisely recommendations in primary care settings
  • eConsult and interoperability of digital health records
  • Virtual care in primary care settings

Keywords

  • Antibiotic stewardship
  • Choosing Wisely
  • Disease surveillance
  • eConsult
  • EMR
  • Pragmatic clinical trials
  • Quality improvement
  • Virtual care

Research affiliations

  • Scholar, University of British Columbia, Innovation Support Unit
  • Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network

Research groups

  • Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Commonwealth Fund Expert Advisory Committee
  • Choosing Wisely Canada
  • Diabetes Action Canada
  • eConsult Centre of Excellence
  • Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP)
  • Manitoba Primary Care Research Network (MaPCReN) / Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN)
  • Patients, Experience, Evidence, Research (PEER)
  • True Patriot Love Advisory Council

Biography

Dr. Alexander Singer is an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Manitoba, where he also serves as the director of research and quality improvement. In addition, he is the director of the Manitoba Primary Care Research Network and a clinician-teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Dr. Singer's research focuses on using electronic medical records (EMRs) for secondary use, specifically in the areas of disease surveillance, natural language processing, and pragmatic clinical trials based in primary care settings. He has published and presented on a wide range of topics, including quality improvement in primary care settings, EMR data quality, chronic disease surveillance, antibiotic stewardship, medication prescribing patterns, and adherence to Choosing Wisely recommendations in primary care.

Dr. Singer has received numerous awards and recognition for his research, including the Manitoba Psychiatric Association Award for Best Resident Paper, the Child Health Research Days Best Presentation Award, the David Lanier Prize for Top Poster Presentation at the North American Primary Care Research Group Practice-Based Research Network Conference, and the Herndon Award for Outstanding IJMSC Article, among others. He is a scholar at the University of British Columbia's Innovation Support Unit and is affiliated with several research groups, including the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Choosing Wisely Canada, Diabetes Action Canada, the eConsult Centre of Excellence, the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, and the Patients, Experience, Evidence, Research network.

Dr. Singer's expertise in primary care research and quality improvement has made him a sought-after speaker and advisor. He has been a keynote speaker at several conferences and is a member of several expert advisory committees, including the Commonwealth Fund Expert Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the True Patriot Love Advisory Council, which supports programs and services for Canadian military veterans and their families.

Education

Post-graduate certification in Family Medicine, University of Manitoba (2009)

Bachelor of Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, University College Dublin (2007)

Bachelor of Science (Microbiology and Immunology), McGill University (2002)

Awards

2020:

  • Manitoba Psychiatric Association Award for Best Resident Paper
  • Child Health Research Days Best Presentation

2018:

  • First prize for poster presentation at Pharmacists Manitoba Conference

2017:

  • David Lanier prize for top poster presentation at North American Primary Care Research Group; Practice Based Research Network Conference

2016:

  • Herndon Award for Outstanding IJMSC Article

2014:

  • Best Poster Presentation at the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada Conference

2013:

  • One of the top 4 Canadian family medicine research projects at Manitoba eHealth Conference

2008:

  • Best Poster Presentation at the Department of Family Medicine, University of Manitoba Research Day

2005:

  • Best Research Presentation at University College Dublin, Summer Student Research Presentations

Contact us

Family Medicine
S100, 750 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba (Bannatyne campus)
Winnipeg, MB R33 0W2 Canada

204-318-2555
204-789-3671