News and Updates
OHS data being used to understand breast cancer screening rates
Feb 27, 2025 // Study Updates
The data from more than 135,000 Ontario Health Study participants are being used to explore how breast cancer screening rates – and what happens subsequent to those screenings – may vary for people of different ethnicities. By linking self-reported health information with provincial health records, researchers aim to uncover potential disparities in access, follow-up care,
What if there was a test to detect breast cancer years earlier?
Feb 21, 2025 // Study Updates
Funding from the 2024 FACIT Prospects Fund is being used to develop a technology that could identify breast cancer markers in the blood several years before that same cancer would normally be identified through a tumour biopsy. Previous data from Ontario Health Study participants were used to develop a proof of concept for this new
OHS Research Spotlight: Dr. Michelle Harwood
Jan 15, 2025 // Study Updates
Why do some people remain healthy as they age, while others develop disease earlier? Dr. Michelle Harwood used OHS data for her PhD research into this question, exploring how allele-specific expression (ASE) contributes to the variation in healthy and unhealthy agers.
Assessment Centre Questionnaire data available for access
Oct 18, 2024 // Study Updates
A unique subset of questionnaire data from more than 4,800 OHS participants is now available. In 2013-2014, these Study volunteers visited an Assessment Centre (AC) in downtown Toronto, where they also provided a series of physical measures, blood and urine samples. The Assessment Centre Questionnaire asked about cardiovascular history (cholesterol, high blood pressure, fainting, chest
