Meet Nick Grubic - MSc Public Health Sciences - Field of Study Epidemiology

| 28 May 2020

How did you come to be in your program?

My interests in population health and epidemiology stemmed from two summer placements at the Population Health Research Institute (McMaster University/Hamilton Health Sciences) where I worked with study teams conducting multi-centre prospective cohorts and clinical trials in cardiovascular disease prevention and diabetes treatment.

At Queen’s, I continued my interests in epidemiological work, cardiovascular research, and sports cardiology at the Cardiovascular Imaging Network at Queen’s (CINQ). At CINQ, I am involved in projects pertaining to pre-participation cardiovascular screening and sudden cardiac death prevention. I joined the MSc Epidemiology program at Queen’s to develop these interests, where I am currently working under the supervision of Steven Brooks, Paul Peng, and Melanie Walker to examine urban-rural differences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

What challenges have you had with the pandemic, and how did you overcome/deal with them?

Given the imminent importance of physical distancing during this pandemic, adapting to the realities of working from home and limiting interactions have been difficult. In order to adjust to these new matters, I have developed strategies to stay on track of ongoing academic work, research, and personal communications. Maintaining a structured and ordered workday has been an integral to maintain my productivity during isolation. Similarly, holding weekly videoconferences with my thesis committee, research lab, colleagues, friends, and family, have helped me stay on track of ongoing commitments. Every day, I make sure to start off with my morning “commute”, in the form of either a run or cycle in Kingston. I find that this helps me to reflect and plan any necessary tasks required for the day.

In order to engage in meaningful research during these difficult times, I am currently working with the Cardiovascular Imaging Network at Queen’s on a project that will enhance access to care for rural and geographically remote communities during this pandemic. Currently, many remote care centres lack professional cardiopulmonary services, which is an imminent concern as this pandemic continues to spread, particularly given the well-known cardiopulmonary and cardiac impacts of COVID-19.

As a solution to this problem, I am collaborating on a multi-centre investigation to provide telehealth support to these remote communities, harnessing expert-guided point-of-care ultrasound and machine learning algorithms for risk prediction – this project is entitled ARCTICA (Accelerated Remote Cardiopulmonary Tele-POCUS by Augmented Intelligence in COVID-19 Assessment). Our group has received preliminary funding from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society COVID-19 Challenge for Canada Initiative; we are currently awaiting the funding decisions from the CIHR COVID-19 Rapid Research Operating Grant competition.

What are your hopes and plans?

Upon completing my MSc Epidemiology degree, I am planning to apply for an MD/PhD program in Canada.

Is there anything else that you think would help our readers understand who you are, and what you stand for?

I enjoy road cycling and running during my free time!

Post-secondary Awards

Academic:

Retired Teachers of Ontario Scholarship (2019)
Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce Scholarship (2019)
Dean’s Honour List and OUA Academic All-Start (2016, 2018, 2019)
Croatian Fraternal Union of America Scholarship (2015-2018)
ROWONTARIO High School Bursary Award (2015)
Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge 954 Scholarship (2015)
Hamilton Health Sciences Leader’s of Tomorrow Scholarship (2015)
Queen’s University Excellence Entrance Scholarship (2015)

Athletic:

Queen’s University Triathlon Male Veteran Most Valuable Player (2020)
University of Toronto Swim Row Go Indoor Triathlon Veteran Men Silver Medalist (2020)
Multi-Sport Canada Wasaga Beach Olympic Triathlon Gold Medalist (2019)
Multi-Sport Canada Welland Short Course Triathlon 20-24 Silver Medalist (2019)
Multi-Sport Canada Kingston Triathlon Silver Medalist (2019)
Botterell Award (2018)
Athletic All-Canadian (2018)
Canadian University Rowing Championships Gold Medalist (2018)
Ontario University Association Rowing Championships Gold Medalist (2017, 2018)
Canadian University Rowing Indoor Rowing Championships Gold Medalist (2018)
Royal Canadian Henley U23 Lightweight Single Champion (2018)
Canadian University Rowing Championships Silver Medalist (2017)
Ontario University Association Rowing Championships All-Star (2017, 2018)
Most Valuable Player (2016)
Canadian University Rowing Championships Bronze Medalist (2016)
Academic All-Star (2016, 2018, 2019)
Rookie of the Year (2015)
Ontario Athlete Assistance Program (2015-2018)

Financial Awards while in PHS Program

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master’s (CGS-M)
Canadian Cardiovascular Society Academy (CCSA) Have a Heart Bursary

Successful Research Funding

Co-Investigator on the Canadian Cardiovascular Society COVID-19 Challenge for Canada Initiative: Accelerated Remote Cardiopulmonary Tele-POCUS by Augmented Intelligence in COVID-19 Assessment (ARCTICA) - $30,000 (Co-PIs: Amer Johri, Josh Durbin, Sharon Mulvagh, Omid Kiamanesh). 2020.

Co-Applicant on CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grant: Canadian Cardiovascular Society Sport Group Mobilization Event – A Planning Meeting to Collaborate, Identify Barriers, and Build National Solutions for the Cardiovascular Screening and Care of Athletes Program - $15,000 (PI: Amer Johri). 2019.

Co-investigator on SEAMO Innovation Fund: Implementation of Canada’s First Cardiovascular Screening and Care of Athletes Program - $50,000 (PI: Amer Johri). 2019.

TA/RA Positions Held

Research Assistant for the Cardiovascular Imaging Network at Queen’s (2018 – Present)
Teaching Assistant for the Faculty of Health Sciences (GLPH 271 and 471) (2019-2020)

Publications

Grubic N, Badovinac S, & Johri AM. Student Mental Health in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Call for Further Research and Immediate Solutions. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2020 [Online ahead of print]. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020925108

Grubic N, Baranchuk M, & Johri AM. An Athlete's Journey Through Cardiovascular Screening: Applying a Non-Binary Approach to Sports Participation/Restriction Using Shared-Decision Making. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 2019;35(7):941.e3-941.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2019.04.013

Johri AM, Grubic N, Kuljic N, O'Connor M, Graham K, Bennett R, & Moulson N. Translation of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian Heart Rhythm Society Cardiovascular Screening and Care of Athletes Program into Practice. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 2019;35(7):935-939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2019.03.026

Grubic N & Chan B. The Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Pleural Assessment and Intervention. Journal of Point of Care Ultrasound. 2019;4(1):4-5. https://doi.org/10.24908/pocus.v4i1.13315

Grubic N, Leaman P, Salata C, Montgomery W, & Johri AM. Feasibility and Comparison of Pulmonary Pressure Estimation Techniques in Doppler Exercise Echocardiography. Abstract. Journal of American Society of Echocardiography. June 2020 (To be published).

Volunteer Work

Canadian Cardiovascular Society Trainee Program Planning Committee – Research Stream Member (2020-Present)
Kingston Gets Active – Physical Activity Ambassador (2019-Present)
Queen’s University Rowing – Alumni Representative (2019-Present)
Science to Business Network – Sponsorship Director (2019-Present)
Science Rendezvous – Volunteer (2018 – Present)

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Meet Nick Grubic - MSc Public Health Sciences - Field of Study Epidemiology

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