Associate Professor, McGill University
Attending physician, Department of Medicine, Jewish General Hospital
Member, Division of Internal Medicine
Dr. Vicky Tagalakis is an Associate Professor of Medicine at McGill University and an attending physician in the Department of Medicine of the Jewish General Hospital. She completed an MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University in 2003, and is a Research Scientist in the Centre of Epidemiology and Community Studies at the Jewish General Hospital. She holds a FRSQ Clinician-Scientist Junior 2 career award. Her research interests include the epidemiology of venous thrombosis, the elucidation of risk factors for cancer-related thrombosis, and the evaluation of anti-cancer properties of anti-thrombotic medications. To date, she has completed work and published in the following areas: measuring the role of inherited thrombophilic disorders in catheter-related thrombosis, describing the incidence and predictors of thrombosis in lung cancer patients, the natural history of birth control related venous thrombosis, and the effect of anticoagulant use on cancer risk. Her current research is focused on understanding the difference between men and women when it comes to outcomes related to venous thrombosis.
Major Research Activities
With regard to epidemiologic studies of venous thromboembolism, she has sought to elucidate the impact of known risk factors - such as inherited thrombophilic disorders - on venous thrombotic outcomes - such as catheter related thrombosis - through the use of nested case-control and cohort study methodology. In addition, she has recently received peer review funding to better understand the impact of sex on the incidence of venous thromboembolism in Quebec, and to understand differences between men and women with regard to thrombotic outcomes, such as recurrent thrombosis, post-thrombotic syndrome, and fatal pulmonary embolism (CIHR 2007-2009). Finally, she has studied the incidence and etiologic risk factors of lung cancer-related venous thromboembolism, and is planning a biomarker study to address the impact of inflammatory markers in the development of venous thrombosis in lung cancer patients.
Dr. Tagalakis has undertaken pharmacoepidemiology studies involving warfarin and other anticoagulants. Through the use of population-based administrative healthcare databases, she has been able to demonstrate an important protective effect of warfarin in the development of prostate cancer (NCIC 2003-2006). She plans to further explore this association by expanding the study to assess the impact of warfarin on prognostic indicators of prostate cancer and prostate cancer-related death (CIHR 2008-2010).
Recent Publications
Tagalakis V, Tamim H. Validating a method that deals with missing drug information in the Saskatchewan Prescription Drug Plan database. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2008; 17:1-7.
Tagalakis V. The epidemiology of superficial vein thrombophlebitis. BMJ Point-of-Care. 2009.
Tagalakis V, Tamim H, Blostein M, Collet JP, Hanley JA, Kahn SR. Use of warfarin and risk of urogenital cancer: a population-based, nested case-control study. Lancet Oncology. 2007; 8(5):395-402.