"Our first step is to understand if there are ethnic and racial differences in the prevention and treatment of blood clots in Canada. And if so, what we can do about it." -Dr. Yan XuWhile caring for people with blood clots during his residency and fellowship training, hematologist Dr. Yan Xu vividly remembers instances where patients from racialized communities asked him, “How do you know this medication will work for someone like me?”

It was a question that he found challenging to answer. Despite our improved understanding of blood clotting diseases (known as thrombosis) through decades of research, clinical investigations in the field have predominantly involved patients of European descent.

While existing data point to potential differences in risk profiles of thrombosis between individuals of different ethnic and racial groups, it is unknown whether the tools currently in use to predict and treat thrombosis are generalizable and reflective of Canada’s diverse population.

Dr. Xu’s research program therefore aims to use state-of-the-art blood clotting tests and advanced computing capabilities to optimize the prevention and treatment of thrombosis, with a focus on racialized minority populations.

Dr. Xu was recently appointed as an Associate Scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He is a hematologist at The Ottawa Hospital and an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa.

"Our first step is to understand if there are ethnic and racial differences in the prevention and treatment of blood clots in Canada. And if so, what we can do about it," he says.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.