Researchers
Brian Hutton

Brian Hutton

MSc, PhD

Senior Scientist, Methodological and Implementation Research

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Associate Professor, School of Epidemiology

Public Health and Preventive Medicine

Adjunct Scientist

Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center

Contact

bhutton@ohri.ca

613-737-8899 ext 73842

ORCID 0000-0001-5662-8647
@BH_epistat

Bio

Dr. Hutton is a Senior Scientist with the OHRI's Clinical Epidemiology Program, an Associate Professor within the University of Ottawa's School of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Adjunct Scientist with the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center. His primary research interests currently lie in the realm of network meta-analysis, systematic reviews and other forms of evidence synthesis. He directed the Knowledge Synthesis Group from 2015-22, and previously led CIHR-funded network meta-analysis research projects and other forms of knowledge synthesis (including systematic reviews, rapid reviews and scoping reviews) for the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network, with topics including treatments for latent tuberculosis, the influence of industry relationships on prescribing, the incidence of preventable adverse drug reactions, and best evidence interventions for management of chronic pain, amongst others. Dr. Hutton was awarded a 5-year CIHR New Investigator Award and led the development of the extension of the PRISMA statement for reporting of network meta-analyses. Dr. Hutton contributes time to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Center in the role of methodologist for the REaCT pragmatic trials program in oncology (https://react.ohri.ca/), Canada's largest such program. His past and current fields of clinical research include works in the realms of oncology, transfusion medicine, infectious diseases, mental health, addiction medicine, anesthesiology, critical care, pharmacy, geriatrics, and others. In recent years Dr. Hutton has undertaken research related to the health effects of cannabis consumption in older adults, the evaluation of interventions for opioid use disorder, artificial intelligence applications in knowledge synthesis, the development of risk of bias tools for network meta-analysis, real-world data evaluations of RAAM clinics for opioid and alcohol use disorder, treatments for cancer related brain fog, and a variety of others. He holds an H-index of 71, an i10-index of 227 and has been awarded many grants as PI, co-PI and co-I (see Funding page for details).

Research Goals and Interests

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis; network meta-analysis (and other methods for indirect comparisons of interventions); technology assessment; rapid reviews; scoping reviews; overviews; oncology; mental health and addiction; real-world data.

Dr. Hutton's current research interests include systematic reviews and meta-analyses, network meta-analyses, clinical oncology, mental health, addiction medicine, automation in knowledge synthesis, and real-world data. He currently devotes  time leading a broad range of systematic reviews in the realms of oncology, addiction medicine, surgical pre-habilitation, neurology, rheumatology and other fields. He also contributes time to systematic reviews and other research projects with members of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Center (within the REaCT pragmatic trials program) as well as the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (ROMHC; focused upon the use of cannabis, alcohol and methamphetamines, including both knowledge synthesis work and administrative database projects). He is a Senior Scientist within the OHRI, as well as Associate Professor with the University of Ottawa and an Adjunct Scientist with the ROMHC. He directed the Knowledge Synthesis Group from 2015-2022, a multi-disciplinary team of 15 individuals who performed an assortment of knowledge syntheses for national and international groups.

I will next be co-teaching EPI6188, An Introduction to Health Technology Assessment, in Winter 2025 along with Dr. Kednapa Thavorn. I also guest lecture in courses related to systematic reviews, meta-analysis and network meta-analysis at both the University of Ottawa as well as McGill University, the University of Montreal and the University of Toronto.

News

Publications

Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions to Treat Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment in Adult Cancer Survivors Following Systemic Therapy: A Systematic Review with Network Meta-Analyses

2025-10-01 Go to publication

Network connectivity, between-study heterogeneity and timepoint challenges in generalized myasthenia gravis: a feasibility assessment of indirect treatment comparisons

2025-05-05 Go to publication

Evaluating Loon Lens Pro™, an AI-Driven Tool for Full-Text Screening in Systematic Reviews: A Validation Study

2025-02-14 Go to publication

Temporal and external validation of the multidimensional scale—uremic pruritus in dialysis patients (UP‐Dial): A psychometric evaluation

2024-08-01 Go to publication
View More on ORCiD
Recent Grants:

Updating PRISMA Guidance for Network Meta-Analysis, Scoping Reviews and Rapid Reviews (Co-PI; $416,925, CIHR, 2023-2025).

Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare (with a Focus on Pharmacies): A Series of Scoping Reviews (Co-PI; $100,000, CIHR, 2023-24).

Using case-finding algorithms on routinely collected administrative data to identify study outcomes in patients with early-stage breast cancer (REaCT-ZELDA). (Co-PI, TOHAMO. 2023-24, $100,000).

Developing a case-finding algorithm for patients with lymphoma using routinely collected administrative data to identify relapse of disease (Co-PI, TOHAMO. 2024-25, $100,000).

Operating Grant: The SPOR Evidence Alliance for Guidelines and Systematic Reviews (Co-I, $1,380,000, CIHR, 2024-25).

Knowledge syntheses to identify best treatments for chemotherapy related neurocognitive dysfunction in cancer survivors (Nominated PI. $99,450, CIHR. 2022-2024).

Evaluating the Benefits of Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinics for Problematic Alcohol Use: A Retrospective Cohort Study to Inform Policy, Practice, and Future Research (co-PI, $99,700, CIHR. 2022-2023).

The Canadian Prehabilitation Network Review: a systematic review and component network meta-analysis to inform prehabilitation design and evaluation (Co-PI, $100,000, CIHR. 2022-23).

Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Evidence Alliance, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Operating Grant: SPOR – Guidelines and Systematic Reviews - Extension and Renewal (Co-investigator, $2,630,000, CIHR. 2022-23).

Intraoperative pharmacologic opioid minimization strategies and patient-centred outcomes after surgery: a scoping review (Co-investigator, $100,000, CIHR. 2022-23)

Examining the downstream health impacts associated with emergency room visits for alcohol intoxication in youth and young adults (Co-Investigator, $100,000, CIHR. 2022-23).

Synthetic Data Generation to Enable Rapid and Broad Access to 3 Large Clinical Trial Datasets (Co-Investigator, $95,842, Canadian Cancer Society. 2022-24).

Models for Primary Medical Care, Nursing Care and Personal Care in Long-Term Care Homes: Systematic Reviews to Inform Change in Canada (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2021-2023: $126,000). Role: Co-PI.

An umbrella review of prehabilitation interventions in surgery to inform policy and practice (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2021: $100,000). Role: Co-PI.

The development of a risk of bias assessment tool for network meta-analysis (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2021-24: $360, 116). Role: Co-I.

RESILIENCE (RESponsive Inquiry Linking IntervENtions and Caregiving Experiences) (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2021-22: $100,000). Role: Co-I.

Scoping Review of Evidence Regarding Psychosocial and Pharmacologic Interventions for Methamphetamine Use Disorder and Problematic Methamphetamine Use: Planning and Prioritizing Future Research (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2020: $99,240). Role: PI.

Artificial Intelligence in Systematic Reviews: Evaluation of Emerging Electronic Tools for Researchers in Knowledge Synthesis (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2019: $100,000). Role: PI.

CIHR Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network Team Grant: Methods and Applications Group for Indirect Comparisons (MAGIC) (Canadian Institutes of Health Research: 2019-2021: $5,000,000). Role: Co-PI.

Evaluating the Health Effects of Medical and Non-Medical Cannabis Use in the Elderly (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2019: $122,626). Role: PI.

Evaluating Ontario's rapid access addiction medicine (RAAM) model of care to address the Canadian opioid crisis (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2019: $97,000). Role: Co-PI.

Establishing an International Core Outcome Set for Clinical Trials of Interventions for Venous Thromboembolism in Adults (VTE-COS) (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2019: $250,000). Role: Co-investigator.

Using Real-World Data and Iterative Economic Evaluation to Prioritize Resource Allocation for Care and Research in Adult Patients with Relapsed/Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, 2019: $285,000). Role: Co-investigator.

Does integration of the Predict 2.1 algorithm into routine clinical practice improve the value of multigene assays in early stage breast cancer patients? A prospective cohort study with a pre-versus post-comparison (Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, 2019: $260,000). Role: Co-investigator.

Comparing Psychosocial Interventions and Establishing Core Outcomes for Opioid Use Disorder (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2018; $108,100). Role: PI.

Signal detection and network meta-analyses to update Canadian guidelines for chronic sinusitus (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2018-2020; $190,000). Role: PI.

Decision coaching for people preparing to make health decisions: A systematic review using an integrated knowledge translation approach (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2019-2021; $150,000). Role: Co-PI.

Randomised Study Comparing No Mechanical Bowel Preparation with Oral Antibiotics Alone in Patients Undergoing Elective Colon Surgery (The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization, 2018; $100,000). Role: Co-Investigator.

Cochrane Collaboration Complementary and Alternative Medicine Field: Resource for Research (NIH, 2018-2022: $250,000). Role: Co-Investigator.

Systematic Reviews with Network Meta-Analyses to Compare Interventions for Sudden Hearing Loss, Single Sided Deafness and Meniere's Disease (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2017: $245,000). Role: PI.

Application of network meta-analysis for assessment of pre-clinical/animal studies of interventions for stroke (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2016; $100,000). Role: Co-Investigator.

Sedation and delirium in the ICU: network meta-analyses of interventions (CIHR, 2015; $90,000). Role: Co-PI.

Expanding the Rethinking Clinical Trials (REaCT) Program in Ontario- a prospective study (Cancer Care Ontario, 2017-2019, $200,000). Role: Co-I.

Randomised Study Comparing No Mechanical Bowel Preparation with Oral Antibiotics Alone in Patients Undergoing Elective Colon Surgery (The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization, 2018-19, $99,000). Role: Co-Investigator.

Systematic review and network meta-analysis of non-hormonal interventions for management of hot flashes in breast cancer and prostate cancer (CIHR, 2015, $100,000). Role: PI.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network Meta-Analysis Operating Grant (5 years, $7,000,000). Role: Co-Investigator.

Network Meta-Analysis of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic alternatives for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Alicia Koplowitz Foundation, $43,000). Role: Co-Investigator.

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) – Evidence Review Synthesis Centre (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2015-17; $200,000). Role: Co-Investigator.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network New Investigator Award (2013-2018; $300,000). Role: PI.

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