Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD is a Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. In addition, Dr. Boon is cross-appointed to the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, both in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She was originally trained as a pharmacist, completed a PhD in medical sociology (U of T) and a Post-doctoral Fellowship in Centre for Studies in Family Medicine (UWO). Dr. Boon is one of the Founding Chairs and Principal Investigators of the Canadian Interdisciplinary Network for CAM Research (IN-CAM) which received start-funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health and the Natural Health Products Directorate (Health Canada). She is the current Chair of Health Canada’s Expert Advisory Committee for Natural Health Products. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on complementary/alternative medicine and is co-author of the text book: A Complete Natural Medicine Guide to the 55 Most Common Herbs (2nd Edition) . Her primary research interests are patients’ use of complementary/alternative medicine, the safety and efficacy of natural health products and complementary/alternative medicine regulation and policy issues. Examples of ongoing research projects include:
1. A Pilot Trial of Homeopathic Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Dr. Boon is one of the principal investigators on this clinical trial which was funded by the Sick Kids Foundation in Toronto.
2. Pharmacy SONAR Project
Dr. Boon has been supervising PhD student Kosta Cvijovic on this project which is assessing the feasibility of an active surveillance model for collecting suspected adverse events related to natural health products in community pharmacies in Ontario. This study is led by Dr. Sunita Vohra from the University of Alberta and includes collaborators from across Canada and from the University of Vienna in Austria.
3. The AFMnet Consumer Monitor: Tracking Consumer Attitudes Toward New Products for Health and Well-Being in Canada
Dr. Boon is a co-investigator on this large interdisciplinary team led by Spencer Henson from the University of Guelph. The overall aim of the project is to establish a longitudinal consumer panel to track consumer perceptions towards food, diet and health and acceptance of new food innovations in Canada and to disseminate actively the gathered information to stakeholders in a timely manner. More specifically, the objectives are to: a) Establish a national representative panel of food consumers – the AFMNet Consumer Monitor - to monitor attitudes towards food, diet and health, acceptance of new food innovations and propensity to make changes in dietary behaviour; b) Monitor how consumer attitudes towards food, diet and health and acceptance of new food innovations both change over time and vary across consumer subgroups, and determine the factors influencing such changes and differences; c) Analyse the implications of the identified trends in consumer attitudes towards food, diet and health and acceptance of new food innovations for stakeholders; and d) Disseminate the identified trends and their implications to stakeholders in a timely manner so as to support business and policy decision-making.
4. Compound Formula of Natural Health Products for Kids for AHDD: A Placebo Controlled Randomized Cross-Over Trial
Dr. Boon is a co-investigator on this clinical trial which was funded by the Sick Kids Foundation in Toronto.
5. Natural Health Products (NHPs) and Pharmacy Practice
Dr. Boon is the Principal Investigator on this project that asks the question: What are the legal, ethical and practice responsibilities of pharmacists with respect to natural health products (NHPs), including vitamins/minerals, herbal products and homeopathy? Many herbal products are purchased in pharmacies and it has been argued that pharmacists are in the best position to provide patients with evidence-based information about NHPs, especially regarding potential interactions with conventional medications. However, others argue that pharmacists do not have enough knowledge about NHPs to adequately counsel patients. These assertions are being explored through documentary collection and analysis, as well as interviews with key stakeholders, focus groups with practising pharmacists and consumers, and a survey of practising pharmacists. Funding for this study is provided through a CIHR Partnerships for Health System Improvement grant as well as by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care.
Study Co-Investigators & Collaborators:
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Timothy Caulfield, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta
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Lynda Eccott, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia
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Glenn Griener, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta
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Shirley Heschuk, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta
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Kristine Hirschkorn, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
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Tannis Jurgens, College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University
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Della Kwan, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
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Shade Olatunde, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
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Ken Potvin, Executive Director, National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities
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Narmatha Shanthakumar, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
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Sandy Welsh, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
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Deanna Williams, Registrar, Ontario College of Pharmacists
Companion Project: Natural Health Products (NHPs) and Dietetic Practice
Dr. Boon supervised this project conducted by Principal Investigator and CIHR Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Kristine Hirschkorn ( kristine@hirschkorn.net ). This project asked the question: What are the roles and responsibilities of dietitians with respect to natural health products such as vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other nutritionally-related compounds? Key informant interviews, a focus group and a survey of practising dietitians were conducted to address this question. The final report is available in PDF format here. Appendices, including a methods overview, supplementary data tables, acronyms, references, and recommended NHP resources, are available here.
6. IN-CAM (www.incamresearch.ca)
Launched in January 2004, IN-CAM is now an active research network with over 1800 members. IN-CAM’s efforts have been focused towards developing the network infrastructure, promoting knowledge transfer and building research capacity (the ability to do research). To this end, IN-CAM has launched a web site (www.incamresearch.ca) that offers a searchable member database, through which members may locate and contact one another for the purpose of research collaboration. (IN-CAM membership is free and is established by completing a brief member profile questionnaire on the IN-CAM web site). The web site also hosts information regarding CAM research funding, research education and CAM research-related events as well as training opportunities. IN-CAM also hosts a biannual research symposium (next in November 2010), and bi-weekly newsflashes (emails) to communicate information regarding CAM research activities across Canada and internationally.
7. CAMline (www.camline.ca)
Dr. Boon is the founding Director of CAMline, which began as a joint initiative of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, the Friends of Alternative and Complementary Therapies (FACT) Society, The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and the Ontario Branch of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. The usefulness of this resource to support healthcare professionals in their day-to-day practice, aid the drafting of effective healthcare policy and empower consumers in making informed decisions about their health is already being recognized by a variety of stakeholders.
Students Supervised 2004-2009:
1. Post-doctoral Fellow Supervision
05/09 to present
Karine Toupin, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa (co-supervisor with Dr. David Moher); Project: Validation of a self-report and proxy-report questionnaire about complementary and alternative health care (CAHC) used with children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
01/06 to 12/08
Kristine Hirschkorn, CIHR Post-doctoral Fellow (Project: Health Providers’ Professional Responsibilities Regarding Natural Health Products)
2. PhD Student Supervision
01/10 to present
Raza Mirza, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto
(Project: A Qualitative Study of Elderly Chinese Immigrants’ Management of Newly Diagnosed Chronic Illness, Use of Medicines, and Healthcare Decision-making: The Role of Adult Children)
09/09 to present
Natasha Kachan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto
01/07 to present
Kosta Cvijovic, University of Vienna, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Diagnostics (Research Supervisor); Pharmacy SONAR Project
01/05 to 08/08
Rishma Walji, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto (Project: NHP Adverse Event Reporting) (PhD completed Aug/08)
09/02 to present
Heidi Amernic, Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto successful transfer from MSc to PhD program 09/04 (two maternity leaves); Project: Team-based patient centred care
3. MSc Students Supervision
09/07 to present
Ani Byrne, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto (MSc completed July/09)
09/07 to present
Teresa Tsui, (part-time), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto ; Project: NHP-related decision-making in elderly individuals with arthritis
01/07 to present
Kieran Cooley, (part-time), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto; topic: pilot clinical trial of a compound NHP product for ADHD
09/06 to present
Orest Szczuko , (part-time), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto; topic: Pilot clinical trial of ginkgo for vitiligo
01/06 to 09/09
Narmanth Shanthakumar, (part-time), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto (MSc completed Sept/09)
08/05 to 09/08
Shade Olatunde, (part-time), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto (MSc completed Sept/08)
08/05 to 09/07
Della Kwan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto (MSc completed Sept/07)
08/05 to 09/07
Teela Johnston, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto (MSc completed Sept/07)
01/05 to 06/06
Christine Dennis, (Research Supervisor) University of Wales (MSc Completed June/06)
09/03 to 08/05
Karen Moss, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Toronto (MSc completed Aug/05)
09/03 to 08/05
Hina Laeeque, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto (MSc completed Aug/05)
Publications at PubMed for Heather Boon
