Piotr Wilk, PhD

Associate Professor

P: 519.661.2111 ext: 89109
F: 519.661.3766
E-mail: pwilk3@uwo.ca

Appointments

Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University
Adjunct Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute

Research Cluster Membership

Research Interests

Dr. Wilk’s population-based health research focuses on the onset and development of chronic conditions, examining how social and structural determinants of health influence health-related behaviors and health outcomes over the life course at local, national, and international levels.

Current Research Grants

How do individual- and area-level factors modify the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of middle-aged and older adults in Canada? (Principal Investigator; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; 2025-2026; $70,000)
Inter-facility transports of children in Ontario (Co-Investigator; PSI Foundation; 2025-2026; $143,000)
Better dental care for healthy aging: Identifying barriers, connections and interactions? (Co-Principal Investigator; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; 2024-2025; $70,000)
Trends and predictors of frequent and nonurgent use of emergency departments in Canada’s paediatric population (Principal Investigator; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; 2023-2024; $100,000)
Exploring the relationship between high temperatures and cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality: Differences across vulnerable groups and geographic areas in Canada (Principal Applicant; Heart & Stroke: Grant-in-Aid; 2023-2026; $193,325)
Exploring the role of green space and air pollution on the risk of mental disorders among adolescents and young adults in Ontario: A population-based retrospective birth cohort with secondary linked data (Co-Investigator; University of Toronto; 2023-2024; $122,000)
Childhood antecedents to youth mental disorders: A birth-cohort study using population-based health administrative fata (Co-Investigator; Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Children’s Mental Health; 2022-2024; $84,456)
The dementia prevention initiative: Advancing population prevention solutions (APPS): comprehensive mapping of dementia and related disorders and offering cost-effective solutions (Co-Investigator; Weston Brain Institute: Transformational Research: Canada Alzheimer’s & Related Diseases; 2021-2025; $1,391,666)
Climate change-related health inequalities in Canada: How hot temperatures affect vulnerable groups living in large urban centres (Principal Applicant; Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Project Grant; 2020-2024; $489,600)

Publications (past 5 years)

Goodwin S, Haan M, Yuan Y, Wilk P, Jairath V. 2025 (May). “Increasing rate of hospitalization for inflammatory bowel Disease is an age-related effect: A Canada population based study.” American Journal of Gastroenterology. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000003385
Antaya TC, Zhang L, Le B, Oiamo T, Wilk P, Speechley KN, Burneo JG. 2025 (March). “The association of air pollution with new-onset epilepsy.” Epilepsia. doi: 10.1111/epi.18389
Vaishampayan P, Beniwal JS, Wilk P, McLean S, Jessani A. 2025 (March). “Unmet oral health needs and barriers to dental services among socially marginalized youth: A scoping review.” Frontiers in Oral Health, 6. doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1521753
Wilk P, Cuschieri S. 2024 (October). “Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of middle-aged and older adults from 27 European countries: Evidence from longitudinal analysis of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.” Scientific Reports, 14: 2579. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74429-x
Alemu FW, Nicholson K, Thornton JS, Wilk P, Ali S. 2024 (December). “Unmet need and access to a family physicians: A national analysis using the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging.” SSM - Health Systems, 3. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmhs.2024.100028
Alemu FW, Yuan J, Kadish S, Son S, Khan SS, Nulla SM, Nicholson K, Wilk P, Thornton JS, Ali S. 2024 (October). “Social determinants of unmet need for primary care: a systematic review.” Systematic Reviews., 13: 252.
Antaya TC*, Espino-Alvarado PH, Oiamo T, Wilk P, Speechley KN, Burneo JG. 2024 (May). “Association of outdoor air and noise pollution with unprovoked seizures and new-onset epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” The Lancet Neurology, 65(7): 1847-1867.
Couper RG, Antaya TC, Wilk P, Gofton T, Debicki DB, Burneo JG. 2024 (February). “Incidence of first-episode status epilepticus and risk factors in Ontario, Canada.” Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences 51(96): 1–9. doi: 10.1017/cjn.2024.11
Cuschieri S, Wilk P. 2024 (February). “Does pre-existing diabetes correlate with Long COVID in Europe? Evidence from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe’s Corona Surveys.” Journal of Diabetes Research.
Wilk P, Stranges S, Cuschieri S. 2024 (January). “Does sex modify the effect of pre-pandemic body mass index on the risk of Long COVID? Evidence from the longitudinal analysis of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.” International Journal of Obesity.
Wilk P, Ruiz-Castell M, Stranges S, Bohn T, Fagherazzi G, Nicholson K, Moran V, Makovski TT, Pi Alperin MN, Zeegers M, Samouda H. 2024 (January). “Relationship between multimorbidity, functional limitation, and quality of life among middle-aged and older adults: Findings from the longitudinal analysis of the 2013-2020 Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).” Quality of Life Research, 33(1): 169-181.
Wilk P, Moran V, Pi Alperin MNP, Bohn T, Fagherazzi G, Zeegers MP, Ruiz-Castell M. 2023 (December). “The role of multimorbidity and socio-economic characteristics as potential risk factors for Long Covid: Evidence from the multilevel analysis of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe's Corona Surveys (2020-2021).” Age and Ageing, 52(12): afad225.
Spilsbury S, Wilk P, Taylor C, Prapavessis H, Mitchell M. 2023 (November). “Reduction of financial health incentives and changes in physical activity.” JAMA Network Open, 6(11): e2342663.
Rodrigues R, Jing A, Anderson KK, Alonzo R; Wilk P, Reid GJ, Gilliland J, Zou G, Nicholson K, Guaiana G, Stranges S. 2023 (November). “Who sleeps well in Canada? The social determinants of sleep health among middle-aged and older adults in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.” Sleep Health; PMID: 37977986
Comeau J, Wang L, Duncan L, Edwards J, Georgiades K, Anderson KK, Wilk P, Lau T. 2023 (August). “Correlates of child mental health and substance use related emergency department visits in Ontario: A linked population survey and administrative health data study.” International Journal of Population Data Science, 8(1):2152; PMID: 37670954
Gaudin V, Stranges S, Wilk P, Sarma S. 2023 (August). “School nutrition policy and diet quality of children and youth: A quasi-experimental study from Canada.” Canadian Journal of Public Health, 114(4): 613-628.
Were JM, Stranges S, Wilk P, Ali S, Sharma I, Vargas-Gonzalez JC, Campbell KM. 2023 (July). “The double burden of malnutrition among women of reproductive age and preschool children in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review and thematic analysis of literature nutrition.” Journal of Nutrition, 111:112053.
Hadwen B, He J, Funk C, McKinney K, Wilk P. 2023 (June). “Association between accuracy of weight perception and life satisfaction among adults with and without anxiety and mood disorders: A cross-sectional study.” Journal of Public Health, 45(2): 295-303.
Lavigne E, Maltby A, Côté J-N, Weinberger KR, Hebbern C, Vicedo-Cabrera A M. Wilk P. 2023 (February). “The effect modification of extreme temperatures on mental and behavior disorders by environmental factors and individual-level characteristics in Canada.” Environmental Research, 219.
Singh S, Stranges S, Wilk P, Tang A, Frisbee S. 2023 (February). “The Influence of the Social Environment on Ideal Cardiovascular Health." Journal of the American Heart Association. ePublished.
Gaudin V, Stranges S, Wilk P, Sarma S. 2023 (January). “School Nutrition Policy and Diet Quality of Children and Youth in Canada.” Canadian Journal of Public Health. ePublished.
Cicci KR, Maltby A, Clemens KK, Vicedo-Cabrera AM, Gunz AC, Lavigne É, Wilk P. 2022 (September). “High Temperatures and Cardiovascular-related Morbidity: A Scoping Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18):11243.
Lau T, Maltby A, Ali S, Moran V, Wilk P. 2022 (August). “Does the Definition of Preventable Emergency Department Visit Matter? An Empirical Analysis using 20 Million Visits in Ontario and Alberta.” Academic Emergency Medicine.
Rodrigues R, Nicholson K, Guaiana G, Wilk P, Stranges S, Anderson K. 2022 (August). “Sleep Problems and Psychological Well-being: Baseline Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.” Canadian Journal on Aging, 42(2): 230-240.
Im JHM, Rodrigues R, Anderson KK, Wilk P, Stranges S, Nicholson K. 2022 (August). “Examining the Prevalence and Correlates of Multimorbidity among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Evidence from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) First-Follow-Up Data.” Age and Ageing, 51(8).
Wilk P, Maltby A, Lau T, Gunz AC, Osornio-Vargas A, Yamamoto SS, Ali S, Lavigne É. 2022 (July). “Geographic Inequalities in Pediatric Emergency Department Visits in Ontario and Alberta: A Multilevel Analysis of 2.5 million Visits.” BMC Pediatrics, 22:432.
Hadwen B, He J, Funk C, McKinney K, Wilk P. 2022 (April). “Association between Accuracy of Weight Perception and Life Satisfaction among Adults with and without Anxiety and Mood Disorders: A Cross-sectional Study.” Journal of Public Health.
Alonzo R, Lalva T, Couper RG, Wilk P. 2022 (April). “Association between Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction among Adults with Multimorbidity in Canada.” Canadian Journal of Public Health, 113(4): 598-606.
Hachinski V on behalf of the Dementia Prevention Initiative. 2022 (January). “The Comprehensive, Customized, Cost-effective Approach (CCCAP) to Prevention of Dementia.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2022;1-4.
Wilk P, Stranges S, Bellocco R, Bohn T, Samouda H, Nicholson K, Makovski TT, Maltby A. 2021 (December). “Multimorbidity in Large Canadian Urban Centres between 2015 And 2018: A Multilevel Analysis of Between-Neighbourhood Differences.” Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity, 11: 1-11.
Clemens K, Ouedraogo A, Lam M, Muanda-Tsobo F, Loeschnik E, Wilk P, Shariff S. 2021 (December). “Trends in Basal Insulin Prescribing in Older Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease in Ontario, Canada: A Population-based Analysis from 2010 to 2020.” Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2022;1–11.
Avan A, Hachinski V, the Brain Health Learn and Act Group. 2021 (September). “Brain Health: Key to Health, Productivity, and Wellbeing.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2021;1–12.
Nunez EC, Nunes SP, Khan A, Stranges S, Wilk P. 2021 (August). “Associations between Major Health Behaviors and Sleep Problems: Results from the 2015, 2016, 2017 Canadian Community Health Survey.” Behavioural Sleep Medicine, 29;1-14.
Wilk P, Gunz A, Maltby A, Ravichakaravarthy T, Clemens K, Lavigne E, Lim R, Vicedo-Cabrera, A M. 2021 (August). “Extreme Heat and Paediatric Emergency Department Admissions in Southwestern Ontario.” Paediatrics & Child Health, 26(5): 305-309.
Guy D, Kapr I, Wilk P, Chin J, Rodrigues G. 2021 (June). “Propensity Score Matching Versus Coarsened Exact Matching in Observational Comparative Effectiveness Research.” Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, 10(11): 939-951.
Nasreen S, Wilk P, Mullowney T, Karp I. 2021 (May). “The Effect of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on the Risk of Asthma in Offspring.” Annals of Epidemiology, 57: 7-13.
Button B, Shah T I, Clark A F, Wilk P, Gilliland J. 2021 (February). “Examining Weather-Related Factors on Physical Activity Levels of Children from Rural Communities.” Canadian Journal of Public Health.
Statler J, Wilk P, Tucker P. 2020 (December). “Habitual Physical Activity Levels and Sedentary Time of Children in Different Childcare Arrangements from a Nationally Representative Sample of Canadian Preschoolers.” Journal of Sport and Health Science, 9(6): 657-663.
Wilk P, Richard L, Ouedraogo A, Garg A, Maltby A, Shariff S. 2020 (November). “Is Prosocial Behaviour Associated with Increased Registration for Deceased Organ Donation? A Cross-Sectional Study of Ontario, Canada.” Transplantation Direct, 6(12): e631.
Nicholson K, Rodrigues R, Anderson K, Wilk P, Guaiana G, Stranges S. 2020 (November). “Sleep Behaviours and Multimorbidity Occurrence in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.” Sleep Medicine, 75(November 2020): 156-162.
Wilk P, Stranges S, Maltby A. 2020 (October). “Geographic Variation in Short Sleep Duration and Poor Sleep Quality: A Multilevel Analysis Using the 2015-2018 Canadian Community Health Survey.” Sleep Health Journal.
Wilk P, Ali S, Anderson K, Clark A, Cooke M, Frisbee S, Gilliland J, Haan M, Harris S, Kiarasi S, Maltby A, Norozi K, Petrella R, Sarma S, Singh S, Stranges S, Thind A. 2020 (May). “Geographic Variation in Preventable Hospitalizations in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study.” BMJ Open. 10:e037195.
Irwin B, Speechley MR, Wilk P, Clark A, Gilliland J. 2020 (April). “Promoting Healthy Beverage Consumption Habits Among Elementary School Children: Results of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge ‘Water Does Wonders’ Interventions in London, Ontario.” Canadian Journal of Public Health.
El-Aloul B, Speechley K, Wei YS, Wilk P, Campbell C. 2020 (February). “Fatigue in Young People with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.” Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 62(2): 245-251.
Nasreen S, Wilk P, Mullowney T, Karp I. 2020 (January). “Age, Period and Cohort Effects on Asthma prevalence in Canadian Adults, 1994–2011.” Annals of Epidemiology, 41:(49-55).
Smith C, Clark AF, Wilk P, Tucker P, Gilliland JA. 2020 (January). “Assessing the Effectiveness of a Naturally-Occurring Population-Level Physical Activity Intervention for Children.” Public Health, 178: 62-71.

Graduate Students (Past 5 Years)

Michelle Brown: PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Individual and contextual risk factors for cardiovascular health and disease: Longitudinal assessment of linked survey and administrative health data.”
Luis Limo: PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Better dental care for healthy aging: Identifying barriers, connections and interactions.”
Sandra Guga: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “The interplay between peripheral vascular disease and mental health.”
Anusha Nair: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Impact of geographic distribution of dentists on oral health and psychosocial well-being among aging Canadians - A structural mediation analysis.”
Chizaram Eje: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Incident of post-COVIS-19 musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.”
Diya Patel: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Effects of environmental risk factors on mental health.”
Taniya Yasmin: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Characteristics of children using transported by ORNGE.”
Shristi Sharma: PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental health using in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.”
Brandon Wong: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Effects of High Temperature on Stroke.”
Bart van Boxtel; Degree: MSc, Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University (Current); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Link between Parkinson’s and Occupation Exposures.”
Maliha Mamun; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Association Between Regional Cannabis Sales and the Frequency of Acute Mental Health Service Use for Psychotic Disorders: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.”
Rebecca Rodrigues; Degree: PhD, Epidemiology, Maastricht University (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Risk Factors for Forensic Hospitalization in Early Psychosis Using ICES Data.”
Gabrielle Alimorad; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “The Associations between Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Control on Cognitive Function and Impairment.”
Kyle Lou; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Investigating the Determinants of 30-day Readmission in Patients Admitted with an Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) in the United States, Using National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data.”
Pranav Vaishampayan; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Unmet Oral Health Care Needs and Oral Healthcare Services Utilization among High-risk Youth in London, Ontario.”
Veena Hira; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Complete Mental Health, Unmet Healthcare Needs and Future Risk of Mental Health Related Emergency Departure Visits among Adolescents and Emerging Adults in Canada.”
Emma Loeaschnik; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Supervisor; Title: “The Hypoglycemic Risk of Basal Insulins in Chronic Kidney Disease.”
Tresah Antaya; Degree: PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Current); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Exploring Long-Term Environmental Exposures as Epilepsy Risk Factors: A Large, Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.”
Lara van der Meulen; Degree: MSc, Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University (2023); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Longitudinal Effects of Social Determinants on Health and Development and Progression of Multimorbidity among Adults in Europe.”
Bill Le; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2023); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Social and Health Determinants of Patient Satisfaction and Wait times for Primary Care in Canada.”
Feben Alemu; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2023); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Social Determinants of Access to Primary Care in Canada.”
Jason Were; Degree: PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2023); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Predictors of the Double Burden of Malnutrition among Women of Reproductive Age and Preschool Children in Sub-saharan Africa: A Case Study of Four Countries.”
Tasneem Lalva; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2022); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Patterns of Multimorbidity among Immigrants to Canada Patterns of Multimorbidity among Immigrants to Canada.”
Tran Nguyen; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2022); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.”
Sean Spilsbury Degree: MSc, Kinesiology (2022); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Examining the impact of financial incentive removal on physical activity: A quasi-experimental study of 584,760 mobile health application users.”
Onyebuchi Omodon; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology & Biostatistics (2022); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Anxiety symptoms ten years after diagnosis of childhood-onset epilepsy: Prevalence and Correlates.”
David Zeke Guy; Degree: PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2021); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Addressing Bias in Non-Experimental Studies Comparing Treatment Outcomes in Prostate Cancer.”
Adetola Aboyeji; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2021); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “The Association Between Ethnicity and Caregiver Health.”
Meghan Smith; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2021); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Ethnic and Socioeconomic Variations in Psychiatric Hospitalization.”
Chinmoy Talukder; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2021); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Health Care Utilization by Immigrants with Multimorbidity: A Population Based Cross-sectional Study of the 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).”
Branka Vujcic; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2021); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Correlates of Mental Well-Being among Migrants in Canada.”
David McHugh; Degree: MSc, Kinesiology (2020); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Understanding Physical Activity Behaviour in Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Analysis of Carrot Rewards App Users”
Tammy Lau; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2020); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Correlates of Unneeded Emergency Room Visits: Lessons from the 2015-2017 Canadian Community Health Survey.”
Shannon Wong; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2020); My role: Co-Supervisor; Title: “ADHD Symptoms and Substance Use among Adolescents in Ontario: A Cross-Sectional Study Examining Sex Differences and Covariates.”
Victoria Gaudin; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2020); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “The Impact of School Nutrition Policy on Diet Quality of Children and Youth: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Canada.”
Sarah Singh; Degree: PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2020); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Examining the Simultaneous Influence of Individual and Neighborhood Determinants on Cardiovascular Health: A Multilevel Study in Canadian Adults.”
Aini Khan; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2020); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Proportion of Canadian Adults with Unreported Type 2 Diabetes who Experience a Related Hospitalization: Results from Canadian Community Health Survey and Discharge Abstract Database Linkage.”
Brenton Button; Degree: PhD, Geography (2020); My role: Member of Advisory Committee; Title: “Examining the environmental influences on physical activity among children in rural Northern Ontario.”
Soushyant Kiarasi; Degree: MSc, Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2020); My role: Supervisor; Title: “Multi-level Analysis for Geographical Inequalities on Ambulatory Care Sensitive Hospitalizations.”

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