Monica Taljaard profile picture

Contact Information

Monica Taljaard, PhD
613-7985555X18618
mtaljaard@ohri.ca

ORCID logo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3978-8961

Monica Taljaard

Senior Scientist, Clinical Epidemiology Program
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Full Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health
University of Ottawa
Member of the Centre for Implementation Research

Research Interests

  • Design, analysis, and reporting of cluster randomized trials
  • Longitudinal data analysis
  • Multilevel modeling
  • Missing data
  • Quasi-experimental designs
  • Clinical prediction rules
  • Risk-adjustment and provider profiling   
More information about the Centre for Implementation Research 

Brief Biography

I completed my PhD degree in Biostatistics and Epidemiology under the supervision of Dr. Allan Donner and Dr. Neil Klar at Western University, London, Ontario in 2006. My PhD thesis focused on methods for dealing with missing data in cluster randomized trials. I joined the Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in 2006 as an Associate Scientist. I am now a Senior Scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology Program and Full Professor in the School of  Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa. As a biostatistician and member of the Ottawa Methods Center, I work with researchers and clinicians from a variety of backgrounds in the design and analysis of  cluster randomized trials, standard clinical trials, and observational studies. I have more than 430 publications in peer-reviewed journals. I have been a principal applicant, co-applicant, statistical advisor and collaborator on over 100 funded clinical and health services research projects and a total of more than $145M in peer reviewed funding. I have served as supervisor, co-supervisor, or advisory committee member to more than 50 MSc and PhD students. I teach Biostatistics courses in the MSc program in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa.

Selected Publications

• Murray DM, Taljaard M, Turner EL, George SM. Essential Ingredients and Innovations in the Design and Analysis of Group-Randomized Trials. Annual review of public health, 2019;41: 1-19 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119–094027. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094027

• Taljaard M, McDonald S, Nicholls SG, Carroll K, Hey SP, Grimshaw JM, Fergusson DA, Zwarenstein M, McKenzie JE. A search filter to identify pragmatic trials in MEDLINE was highly specific but lacked sensitivity. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2020;124:75-84

• Teerenstra S, Taljaard M, Haenen A, Huis A, Atsma F, Rodwell L, Hulscher M. Sample size calculation for stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trials with more than two levels of clustering. Clinical Trials. 2019; 16(3):225-236. doi: 10.1177/1740774519829053

• Thiruganasambandamoorthy V, Rowe BH, Sivilotti MLA, McRae AD, Arcot K, Nemnom M, Huang L*, Mukarram M, Krahn AD, Wells GA, Taljaard M. Duration of Electrocardiographic Monitoring of Emergency Department Patients with Syncope. Circulation. 2019; 139(11):1396-1406

• Hemming K, Taljaard M. Reflection on modern methods: when is a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial a good study design choice? International Journal of Epidemiology. Accepted 1 April 2020

• Stiell IG, Sivilotti MLA, Taljaard M, Birnie D, Vadeboncoeur A, Hohl CM, McRae A, Rowe BH, Brison RJ, Thiruganasambandamoorthy V, Macle L, Borgundvaag B, Morris J, Mercier E, Clement CM, Brinkhurst J, Sheehan C, Brown E, Nemnom M, Wells GA, Perry JJ. Electrical versus pharmacological cardioversion for emergency department patients with acute atrial fibrillation (RAFF2): a partial factorial randomised trial. The Lancet 2020; 395(102219): 339-349

Research and clinical approaches