Tricia Corrin, a recent graduate from York University’s Master of Disaster & Emergency Management program, is making an impact on crisis response with contributions to two published articles on the evolution of evidence synthesis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her research, which examines how teams across Canada adapted to urgent decision-making challenges, has potential to reshape how evidence is used in public health emergencies.
“I decided to study DEM because it goes hand-in-hand with my background and expertise in public health,” says Corrin, who earned her MDEM in April 2024, after receiving a master’s in public health from the University of Guelph and a bachelor of science from the University of Waterloo. "Lessons learned from this experience can be used to improve the field of evidence synthesis and prepare for future emergencies."
Expanding on the major research paper she wrote for her master’s program at York, Corrin has published two research articles on how evidence synthesis – the process of consolidating research to guide decision-making – adapted during the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, this practice faced unprecedented challenges, including rapid timelines and a deluge of often unreliable data. To uncover how experts adapted, Corrin interviewed evidence synthesis teams across Canada, uncovering innovative methods like the use of artificial intelligence (AI), living reviews, and closer collaboration with subject-matter experts.
Published in Evidence & Policy in October 2024, her study “ The production and utility of evidence synthesis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: perspectives of evidence synthesis producers” documents the response to challenges in evidence-informed policy-making from the perspectives of those who produced evidence synthesis in Canada.
Her second study, “The Evolution and Adaptation of Evidence Synthesis During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada: Perspectives of Evidence Synthesis Producers,” was published in PLOS ONE in November 2024. Corrin is first author on this study which examines how the pandemic reshaped evidence synthesis practices and provides key insights into managing such challenges in the future.
“It’s incredibly rare for a master’s student to publish at this level, let alone twice,” says Disaster & Emergency Management Professor Eric Kennedy. “Tricia’s research is hugely important for improving evidence-based decision making and reflects the cutting-edge work our students are doing to address real-world problems.”
York’s Disaster & Emergency Management program, the first of its kind in Canada, prepares students to tackle global challenges through interdisciplinary learning and practical applications. As the program gears up to launch the nation’s first PhD in disaster and emergency management next year, Corrin’s success highlights the program’s leadership in the field.
“It’s a testament to how relevant, important and timely student research can be... especially in the Disaster & Emergency Management program at York, which is the leading program in Canada,” says Kennedy.