Lise Bjerre

Dr. Lise M. Bjerre holds the University of Ottawa and Institut du Savoir Montfort Chair in Family Medicine, a position she has held since January 1st, 2021. Dr. Bjerre holds a B.Sc. Honours in Biology from Concordia University, an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Epidemiology from McGill University, a medical degree (MDCM) from McGill University, and a Medical Doctorate (Dr. med.) from the University of Göttingen, Germany. She also holds family medicine certification from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP). In addition to her clinical career in family medicine, which she has led on two continents, she has extensive research experience as a clinician-investigator with the Department of Family Medicine since 2010. She is an Associate professor in family medicine and is also affiliated with the School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Ottawa, where she supervises graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Bjerre is also an Adjunct (full-status) Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) – the agency responsible for Ontario’s population health databases, which her team uses for several studies.

Current research conducted by Dr. Bjerre and her research team focuses on access to primary health care (particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations, including Francophones minorities and rural populations), and on the appropriate use of medications at the population level. This program of research aims to produce evidence-based knowledge that improves clinical practice and fosters patient involvement in managing their own health. In addition, Dr. Bjerre has an interest in using novel tools and methods for population health research and evaluation. These include the use of AI and machine learning in large populations health data repositories, and employing geomapping as a tool to support research on access to healthcare, and to language-concordant care for Canada’s diverse population.