Dr. Penz

Getting to know Dr. Erika Penz,
Respirology, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine

Could you provide a short description of your background?
I am an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. I am an adjunct scientist with the Health Quality Council (HQC) and a member of the Respiratory Research Centre, University of Saskatchewan. I am also a clinician researcher with a combined clinical, teaching and research mandate (30% clinical, 50% research, 20% teaching and administrative). 

I completed my medical degree from McMaster University in 2004 followed by Internal Medicine (2008) and Respiratory Fellowship training (2010) at the University of Calgary. I took a Clinical Scholar position at the University of Calgary in 2011 for two years and pursued a Master’s in Health Economics from the University of York, UK followed by a research fellowship in Health Economics. In 2013 I took my first faculty appointment at the University of Saskatchewan. Born in Manitoba and raised in Saskatchewan, I am a prairie girl at heart and a lover of all animals, including my two labs, Theo and Sully.

What is your area of research?
My research interest and expertise is in health economics and health policy, specifically use of decision analytic models, cost-effectiveness analysis alongside clinical trials, and use of large administrative databases to understand health outcomes at a population level. I self-identify as a “Burdenologist.”

 Specifically, my program of research relates to studying burden of disease in our society in order to understand: 1) the personal impact chronic disease has on individuals in terms of quality of life, productivity, and mortality; 2) the health care system impact in terms of health service utilization, costs, budget and system capacity; and 3) how therapeutic interventions improve health system outcomes in a cost-effective way.  Given that respiratory diseases contribute greatly to morbidity and mortality in society, my research has focused to a large extent on these diseases.

Could you tell us about the “big moments of research” for you?
Gosh, that is hard. I have to admit that I’ve learned that research is actually a series of a lot of small moments.  Having said that, there have been some awesome moments such as when I got my Establishment Grant from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation and then four years later received my first CIHR Operating grant.  These were big moments because they provided me an opportunity to develop collaborations with some great individuals and organizations and through this I have expanded my own knowledge and skills, which has allowed me to grow as a researcher. 

In the past 2 years I have also been part of a research team that developed a patient and family advisory group that has been central to our work exploring the benefits of animal assisted therapy in COPD.  I couldn’t have predicted how much richer our process has been by including patients as part of our research team.  It has been very meaningful to me.

Do you have any messages for early-career clinicians on how to get involved in research? Or any messages for junior researchers?
Relationships are key and mentorship is incredibly valuable. I would encourage anyone wanting research as part of their career to take advantage of every mentoring opportunity they can (either formally through their own departments) or reaching out to a more senior colleague whom you respect to go for coffee and just talk.  My hope is that this can become much easier for all of us as we move out of this pandemic.

What are your future aspirations for research?
I hope to still be excited and energized by my research in 10 years!  I am really interested in building capacity in our own province related to health economics research and growing and leveraging some of the amazing talent we have in our own province. 

Dr. Erika Penz, Respirology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine – Saskatoon