Karim Ladha

MD, MSc, FRCPC

Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute

Biography

Dr. Karim Ladha is a clinician-scientist and staff anesthesiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto. Dr. Ladha received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He then completed his anesthesia training at Massachusetts General Hospital and obtained a fellowship in cardiac anesthesia at Toronto General Hospital. He also holds a Master’s degree in clinical epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. His program of research uses mixed methodologies to obtain a multifaceted view of pain and recovery after surgery including retrospective analyses of administrative databases, prospective observational studies, and multi-center randomized controlled trials. His research has been published in top-tier journals including JAMA, BMJ, British Journal of Anesthesia and Anesthesiology. He has received numerous awards for his work including the International Anesthesia Research Society Mentored Research Award, a new investigator award from the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society and the IMPACT award in anesthesia.

His current research interests include:

–       Exploring the use of anesthetic drugs such as ketamine and nitrous oxide to treat depression

–       Understanding the role of cannabis in mitigating pain

–       Using wearable technology and mobile applications to track recovery after surgery

Please note: Dr. Ladha is not accepting any students at this time.

Recent Publications

  1. Clarke, H, Waisman, A, Aternali, A, Axenova, K, Almohawis, A, Curtis, K et al.. Ten years of transitional pain service research and practice: where are we and where do we go from here?. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2025;50 (2):188-203. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2024-105609. PubMed PMID:39909550 .
  2. OPTIMISE II Trial Group. Cardiac output-guided haemodynamic therapy for patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery: OPTIMISE II randomised clinical trial. BMJ. 2024;387 :e080439. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2024-080439. PubMed PMID:39626899 .
  3. Dinsmore, M, Nijs, K, Plitman, E, Al Azazi, E, Venkatraghavan, L, Ladha, K et al.. Oral ketamine for acute postoperative analgesia (OKAPA) trial: A randomized controlled, single center pilot study. J Clin Anesth. 2025;100 :111690. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2024.111690. PubMed PMID:39577234 .
  4. Dionne, A, Al-Zakri, M, Labelle, H, Joncas, J, Parent, S, Mac-Thiong, JM et al.. Canadian Spine Society: 24th Annual Scientific Conference, Wednesday, February 28 - Saturday, March 2, Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Whistler, B.C., Canada. Can J Surg. 2024;67 (6suppl1):S17-S76. doi: 10.1503/cjs.011424. PubMed PMID:39537311 PubMed Central PMC11573431.
  5. Lee, J, Philip, K, Wijeysundera, DN, Clarke, H, Pritlove, C, Katz, J et al.. Prospective Preference Assessment for the Psilocybin for Enhanced Analgesia in Chronic nEuropathic PAIN (PEACE-PAIN) Trial. Can J Pain. 2024;8 (1):2406285. doi: 10.1080/24740527.2024.2406285. PubMed PMID:39529994 PubMed Central PMC11552286.
  6. McIsaac, DI, Tandon, P, Kidd, G, Branje, K, Hladkowicz, E, Hallet, J et al.. STRIVE pilot trial: a protocol for a multicentre pragmatic internal pilot randomised controlled trial of Structured TRaining to Improve fitness in a Virtual Environment (STRIVE) before surgery. BMJ Open. 2024;14 (11):e093710. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093710. PubMed PMID:39510784 PubMed Central PMC11552010.
  7. Mistry, N, Mazer, CD, Sivaswamy, A, Haldenby, O, Austin, PC, Sud, M et al.. Transfusion in Anemic Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Can J Cardiol. 2024;40 (12):2515-2524. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2024.10.012. PubMed PMID:39427842 .
  8. Malhotra, AK, Jaffe, RH, Shakil, H, Mathieu, F, Nathens, AB, Kulkarni, AV et al.. Unemployment and Personal Income Loss After Traumatic Brain Injury. JAMA Surg. 2024;159 (12):1415-1422. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2024.4285. PubMed PMID:39382862 PubMed Central PMC11581738.
  9. Diep, C, Patel, K, Petricca, J, Daza, JF, Lee, S, Xue, Y et al.. Incidence and relative risk of delirium after major surgery for patients with pre-operative depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Anaesthesia. 2024;79 (11):1237-1249. doi: 10.1111/anae.16398. PubMed PMID:39229767 .
  10. Shakil, H, Essa, A, Malhotra, AK, Jaffe, RH, Smith, CW, Yuan, EY et al.. Insurance-Related Disparities in Withdrawal of Life Support and Mortality After Spinal Cord Injury. JAMA Surg. 2024;159 (10):1196-1204. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2024.2967. PubMed PMID:39141362 PubMed Central PMC11325240.
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management – University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital