Karina Top, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Education

• Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship (Columbia University Medical Center)
• Pediatric Residency (Dalhousie University)
• MSc, Epidemiology (Columbia University)
• MD (Dalhousie University)
• BSc(Hons), Immunology (University of Toronto)

Research interests

Dr. Top’s research focuses on vaccine safety surveillance, clinical management of patients with adverse events following immunization, vaccine safety and effectiveness in immune-compromised patients and pregnant people.
She is Principal Investigator of the Canadian Immunization Research Network’s Special Immunization Clinic Network and an investigator in the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program Active (IMPACT).

Selected publications

• Top KA, Righolt CH, Hawken S, Donelle J, Pabla G, Brna P, Deeks SL, Smith B, Wilson K, Mahmud SM. Adverse events following immunization among children with epilepsy: A self-controlled case series. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2020;39(5):454–459. PubMed PMID: 32301921.
• Top KA, Vaudry W, Morris SK, Pham-Huy A, Pernica JM, Tapiéro B, Gantt S, Price VE, Rassekh SR, Sung L, McConnell A, Rubin E, Chawla R, Halperin SA. Waning vaccine immunity and vaccination responses in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A Canadian Immunization Research Network study. Clin Infect Dis. 2020;71(9):e439-e448. PubMed PMID: 32067048.
• Top KA, Macartney K, Bettinger JA, Tan B, Blyth CC, Marshall HS, Vaudry W, Halperin SA, McIntyre P; on behalf of the IMPACT and PAEDS investigators. Active surveillance of acute paediatric hospitalisations demonstrates the impact of vaccination programmes and informs vaccine policy in Canada and Australia. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(25):1900562. PubMed PMID: 32613939.
• Manca TA, Graham JE, Dubé E, Kervin M, Castillo E, Crowcroft NS, Fell DB, Hadskis M, Mannerfeldt JM, Greyson D, MacDonald NE, Top KA, Canadian Vaccine Product Monograph Working Group. Developing product label information to support evidence-informed use of vaccines in pregnancy. Vaccine. 2019;37(48):7138–7146. PubMed PMID: 31594709.
• Zafack JG, De Serres G, Kiely M, Gariépy MC, Rouleau I, Top KA; for the Canadian Immunization Research Network. Risk of recurrence of adverse events following immunization: A systematic review. Pediatrics. 2017;140(3):e20163707. PubMed PMID: 28847985.

Selected awards and honours

• Junior Faculty Researcher Award, Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, 2018
• IWK Research Investigatorship, IWK Health Centre, 2014-2018
• Vaccine and Edward Jenner Vaccine Society Young Investigator Program Scholar, 2014- 2017
• Dr. J. Donald Hatcher Research Award, Dalhousie University, 2005

Memberships

• Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (AMMI Canada)
• Brighton Collaboration
• Canadian Association for Immunization Research, Evaluation and Education
• Canadian Paediatric Society
• European Society of Paediatric Infectious Disease
• Infectious Diseases Society of America
• Pediatric Infectious Disease Society

Service & activity

• Chair, Vaccine Safety Working Group, Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group, COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, 2021- present
• Co-Lead International Network of Special Immunization Services, 2021- present
• Member, Nova Scotia Vaccine Expert Panel, 2020- present
• Member, Faculty of Medicine Research Advisory Committee, Dalhousie University, 2020- present
• Director, Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada Council (AMMI), 2018- present
• Chair, Training and Education Committee, Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN), 2017- present
• External Expert, National Advisory Committee on Immunization Vaccine Safety Working Group, 2016- present