Rae Spiwak, MSc, PhD

Research summary

Dr. Rae Spiwak is an accomplished researcher with 32 peer-reviewed publications, including 14 as the lead author, with 694 citations and an h-index of 13. She is recognized as a CIHR Sex and Gender Champion for her contributions to research and her completion of the competitive CIHR Summer Institute in Gender and Health. In this capacity, Dr. Spiwak leads research education and grant writing sessions for clinicians, designing methodologies for grant applications and research studies across health disciplines to promote clinician involvement and evidence uptake at the Health Authority level.

Dr. Spiwak's research over the last decade has centered on understanding the risk factors and mental and physical health consequences of trauma, injury, and disease. She has focused on developing innovative approaches to utilize administrative data for effective health promotion and intervention. Her research portfolio encompasses diverse health areas, including social determinants of health, poor health and injury development, suicide, bereavement, traumatic physical injury, burn-related injury, violence, and sex and gender-based research.

Since joining the Department of Surgery in 2020, Dr. Spiwak has been the recipient of several prestigious grants, including two CIHR Catalyst Grants for alcohol-related traumatic injury research ($100,000 and $99,973), a CIHR Fall Project Grant ($130,000), a CIHR Operating Grant ($10,000,000), a Manitoba Medical Service Foundation Grant ($17,000), and a University of Manitoba Research Grants Program Award ($10,000). She is also the principal applicant on a CIHR 2020 Fall Project Grant investigating social determinants of pediatric trauma ($60,000).

Research interests

• Administrative data
• Health outcomes of traumatic injury
• Mental disorders
• Psychiatric epidemiology
• Sex and gender
• Social determinants of health
• Trauma

Research affiliations

Member:

• Traumatic Injury Research Group
• Manitoba Population Mental Health Research Group

Collaborator:

• Department of Psychiatry

Brief bio

Dr. Rae Spiwak, an epidemiologist, assistant professor, and research scientist in the Department of Surgery at the University of Manitoba, embarked on her research journey in 2005 following the completion of her Master of Science degree at the same institution. Beginning her career as an epidemiologist at the Health Research Intelligence Unit for the Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia, Dr. Spiwak facilitated research education and grant writing sessions for clinicians. Her role extended to designing research methodologies to enhance clinician involvement and evidence uptake at the Health Authority level.

Returning to Manitoba in 2009, Dr. Spiwak delved into research associate duties in the Department of Psychiatry while pursuing her PhD in community health sciences. Throughout her doctoral tenure, she authored 20 manuscripts in psychiatric epidemiology utilizing large national and population-level administrative databases. Dr. Spiwak's collaborative efforts extend to the Department of Psychiatry, where she continues to engage in research activities.

Her collaboration with the Burns and Trauma Research Group in the Department of Surgery led to the publication of numerous manuscripts focusing on surgery and burn injury, enriching her understanding of the mental and physical health implications of traumatic injury.

Recognized as a CIHR Sex and Gender Champion, Dr. Spiwak's expertise was honed through her participation in the CIHR Summer Institute in Gender and Health. She further augmented her skills through training with the Cochrane Collaboration on Systematic Reviews and Advanced Statistical Modelling Techniques with SPSS, as well as Survey and Questionnaire Design Training with Statistics Canada.

Dr. Spiwak's commitment to mentorship is evident through her supervision of numerous students, including undergraduates and residents, many of whom have garnered accolades for their work. Additionally, she co-created and teaches SURG 7012 Major Course in Surgical Problems: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods as part of the Master of Surgery program.