Dr. Alexander Wong MD, FRCPC

Dr. Alexander Wong is an infectious disease and addiction medicine physician and clinician-researcher with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He completed medical school at Western University in 2005 and internal medicine residency and infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Alberta from 2005 to 2010. He obtained certification in addiction medicine in 2019.

Dr. Wong’s primary clinical and research interests focus on HIV and viral hepatitis (B and C), particularly in marginalized populations including persons with substance use disorder, persons who use and inject drugs, and persons in carceral settings. His primary clinical practice is based at the ID Clinic at Regina General Hospital, which consists of an interdisciplinary team that provides specialized care to persons living across southern Saskatchewan with an infectious disease. He provides care for general infectious diseases via all inpatient facilities in Regina and throughout southern Saskatchewan via virtual means. He attends multiple inner-city clinics across Regina as well as provincial and federal correctional facilities across Saskatchewan. In these settings, he practices full-scope addiction medicine including opioid agonist therapy, harm reduction, and overdose prevention.

Along with colleagues from Public Health in Regina, Dr. Wong helps to lead the Research & Evaluation Unit in the ID Clinic, which consists of research nurses and coordinators. The unit carries out research studies and clinical trials in the areas of viral hepatitis and HIV in collaboration with national and international partners and is recognized for its work with marginalized populations. He was recently awarded the 2021 CAHR-CAHFAR Excellence in HIV Research Award for Clinical Sciences by his peers.

In his administrative role, he works to expand system capacity and improve the care of persons living with substance use disorder and sexually transmitted & blood-borne infections across Saskatchewan. Dr. Wong teaches and mentors learners at all levels from medical students to practicing physicians and is the proud recipient of multiple teaching awards.

• 2019 – Certification for Methadone and Buprenorphine / Naloxone Prescribing (College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan)
• 2017 – Lean Leadership Certification
• 2008-2010 – Infectious Diseases Fellowship, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
• 2005-2008 – Internal Medicine Residency, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
• 2001-2005 – M.D. – Western University, London, Canada
• 1996-2001 – Honours B.Sc. – University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

• 2023 – Continuing Medical Education Teaching Excellence Award
• 2022 – Provincial Head Award: Teacher of the Year (Regina)
• 2021 – CAHR-CAHFAR Excellence in HIV Research Award for Clinical Sciences
• 2020 – Teacher of the Year: University of Saskatchewan Internal Medicine Residency Training Program
• 2020 – Provincial Head Award: Researcher of the Year (Regina)

• Antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection, including novel therapeutics.
• Antiviral therapy for HBV and HCV, including novel therapeutics.
• HCV treatment and elimination in marginalized populations.
• HIV and HCV cascades of care in marginalized populations.
• Addictions medicine, including the optimal care of persons with addiction and blood-borne infection.
• HIV and HCV care in correctional settings.
• HIV and HCV care in persons on opioid agonist therapy.

 

1. Overton ET, Richmond G, Rizzardini G, Thalme A, Girard PM, Wong A, Porteiro N, Swindells S, Reynes J, Noe S, Harrington C, Español CM, Acuipil C, Aksar A, Wang Y, Ford SL, Crauwels H, van Eygen V, Van Solingen-Ristea R, Latham CL, Thiagarajah S, D'Amico R, Smith KY, Vandermeulen K, Spreen WR. Long-Acting Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine Dosed Every 2 Months in Adults With Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 Type 1 Infection: 152-Week Results From ATLAS-2M, a Randomized, Open-Label, Phase 3b, Noninferiority Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 May 3;76(9):1646-1654.
2. Yuen MF, Lim SG, Plesniak R, Tsuji K, Janssen HLA, Pojoga C, Gadano A, Popescu CP, Stepanova T, Asselah T, Diaconescu G, Yim HJ, Heo J, Janczewska E, Wong A, Idriz N, Imamura M, Rizzardini G, Takaguchi K, Andreone P, Arbune M, Hou J, Park SJ, Vata A, Cremer J, Elston R, Lukić T, Quinn G, Maynard L, Kendrick S, Plein H, Campbell F, Paff M, Theodore D; B-Clear Study Group. Efficacy and Safety of Bepirovirsen in Chronic Hepatitis B Infection. N Engl J Med. 2022 Nov 24;387(21):1957-1968.
3. Lanièce Delaunay C, Maheu-Giroux M, Marathe G, Saeed S, Martel-Laferrière V, Cooper CL, Walmsley S, Cox J, Wong A, Klein MB; Canadian Coinfection Cohort investigators. Gaps in hepatitis C virus prevention and care for HIV-hepatitis C virus co-infected people who inject drugs in Canada. Int J Drug Policy. 2022 May;103:103627.
4. Onofrio FQ, Cooper C, Borgia SM, Vachon ML, Ramji A, Lilly LB, Wong A, Booth J, Sattar I, Morales H, Lee S, Conway B, Feld JJ. Salvage Therapy with Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir/Voxilaprevir in DAA-experienced Patients: Results from a Prospective Canadian Registry. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jun 1;72(11):e799-e805.
5. Overton ET, Richmond G, Rizzardini G, Jaeger H, Orrell C, Nagimova F, Bredeek F, García Deltoro M, Swindells S, Andrade-Villanueva JF, Wong A, Khuong-Josses MA, Van Solingen-Ristea R, van Eygen V, Crauwels H, Ford S, Talarico C, Benn P, Wang Y, Hudson KJ, Chounta V, Cutrell A, Patel P, Shaefer M, Margolis DA, Smith KY, Vanveggel S, Spreen W. Long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine dosed every 2 months in adults with HIV-1 infection (ATLAS-2M), 48-week results: a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3b, non-inferiority study. Lancet. 2020 Dec 19;396(10267):1994-2005.
6. Kronfli N, Young J, Wang S, Cox J, Walmsley S, Hull M, Cooper C, Martel-Laferriere V, Wong A, Pick N, Klein MB. Liver fibrosis in HIV-Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection before and after sustained virologic response: what is the best non-invasive marker for monitoring regression? Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Aug 1.  Pages 468–477. 
7. Saeed S, Strumpf E, Moodie EEM, Wong L, Cox J, Walmsley S, Tyndall M, Cooper C, Conway B, Hull M, Martel-Laferriere V, Gill J, Wong A, Vachon ML, Klein MB. Eliminating Structural Barriers: The Impact of Unrestricted Access on Hepatitis C Treatment Uptake Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Clin Infect Dis. 2020; 71(2): 363-371.
8. Pham HT, Xiao MA, Principe MA, Wong A, Mesplède T. Pharmaceutical, clinical, and resistance information on doravirine, a novel non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Drugs Context. 2020; 9: eCollection 2020.
9. Tsybina P, Hennink M, Diener T, Minion J, Lang A, Lavoie S, Kim J, Wong A. Repeated False Reactive ADVIA Centaur and Bio-Rad Geenius HIV Tests in a Patient Self-Administering Anabolic Steroids. BMC Infectious Diseases, 2020; 20(1): 1-4.
10. Wong A, Goldstein D, Mallolas J, DeJesus E, Johnson M, Molina J-M, Pozniak A, Rodgers A, Teal V, Hepler D, Kumar S, Sklar P, Hanna G, Hwang C, Badshah C, Teppler H. Efficacy and Safety of Doravirine/Lamivudine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (DOR/3TC/TDF) in Treatment-Naïve Adults with HIV-1 and Transmitted Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor Resistance Mutations, J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2019; 82(4): e47-e49.
11. Kronfli N, Buxton JA, Jennings L, Kouyoumdjian F, Wong A. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) care in Canadian correctional facilities: Where are we and where do we need to be? Canadian Liver Journal, 2019; 2(4): 171-183.
12. Poordad F, Shiffman ML, Ghesquiere W, Wong A, Huhn GD, Wong F, Ramji A, Shafran S, McPhee F, Yang R, Noviello S, Linaberry M. Daclatasvir and sofosbuvir with ribavirin for 24 weeks in chronic hepatitis C genotype 3-infected patients with cirrhosis: a phase III study (ALLY-3C). Antiviral Therapy. 2019; 24(1): 35-44.
13. Lang R, Minion J, Skinner S, Wong A. Disseminated Exophiala dermatidis causing septic arthritis and osteomyelitis. BMC Infectious Diseases, 2019; 18(1): 255.
14. Nitulescu R, Young J, Saeed S, Cooper C, Cox J, Martel-Laferriere V, Hull M, Walmsley S, Tyndall M, Wong A, Klein MB. Variation in hepatitis C treatment uptake between Canadian centres in the era of direct-acting antivirals. International Journal of Drug Policy, 2019; 65(3): 41-49.
15. Wong A, Tsien C, Mansour S, Cooper C. Remaining clinical issues in hepatitis C treatment. Canadian Liver Journal, 2018; 1(2): 66-77.
16. Brumme Z, Kinloch N, Sanche S, Wong A, Martin E, Cobarrubias K, Sandstrom P, Levett PN, Harrigan PR, Joy JB. Extensive host immune adaptation in a concentrated North American HIV epidemic. AIDS. 2018; 32(14): 1927-38.
17. Saeed S, Strumpf EC, Moodie EM, Young A, Nitulescu R, Cox J, Wong A, Walmsley S, Cooper C, Vachon M-L, Martel-Laferriere V, Hull M, Conway B, Klein MB. Disparaties in direct acting antivirals uptake in HIV-hepatitis C co-infected populations in Canada. JAIDS, 2017; 29(3): e25013
18. Hull M, Shafran S, Wong A, Tseng A, Giguere P, Barrett L, Haider S, Conway B, Klein M, Cooper C. CIHR Canadian HIV trials network coinfection and concurrent diseases core research group: 2016 updated Canadian HIV/hepatitis C adult guidelines for management and treatment. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology. 2016; Article ID 4385643.