Dr Susan M Tarlo

Biographical Sketch

Dr Susan M Tarlo MB BS FRCP(C) is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She is a respiratory physician at the University Health Network, Toronto Western Hospital, and at the Gage Occupational and Environmental Health Unit of St Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Her main areas of clinical practice and research are in occupational and environmental lung diseases and allergic responses, especially occupational asthma. She initially graduated from medical school at London University, England, and underwent postgraduate training in England for 4 years before coming to Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario for a year as a fellow in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, followed by Respiratory Medicine residency for 2 years at McMaster University, Hamilton. She has been in Toronto as a staff physician at the Toronto General Hospital and then at Toronto Western Hospital as well as at the Gage Occupational and Environmental Health Unit since 1976 as well as holding academic positions at University of Toronto since that time.

University Appointments

Professor, Dept. of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

Hospital Appointments

Staff Physician, Dept. of Medicine, (Occ Med. Clin Immunol, Respirology)
University Health Network, Toronto Western Hospital, Respiratory Division.
Courtesy staff, St Michael's Hospital, Occupational Medicine Department

Clinical Activities

Staff Physician, Respiratory Division UHN, Toronto Western Hospital Asthma Centre, and St Michael's Hospital, Occupational Disease Specialty Program

Educational Activities

Ambulatory clinic teaching, clinical clerks and residents, TWH, teaching rounds to general medicine and subspecialty residents

Current Local, Provincial, National and International Activities

Member of Planning Committee, American Thoracic Society, Environmental and Occupational Health Assembly.
Panel member and co-chair American Thoracic Society project on spirometry in the occupational setting.
Panel member, American Thoracic Society projects, on work-exacerbated asthma and respiratory impairment and disability.
Member of American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Clinical Immunology Occupational Disease Committee and Air Pollution Committee.

Research Interests

Occupational and Environmental airway disease

Current Grant Support

Research Area: Asthmatic knowledge and careers.
Role: PI
Granting Agency : BC WorkSafe
Funding: $49,460
Start: 2009/End 2010

Research Area: Occupational exposures and co-occurrence of skin and respiratory diseases
Role: Co-Investigator
Granting Agency: Manitoba Workers' Compensation Board.
Funding: $163,670
Start: 2008 / End 2011

Research Area: Work-related asthma and allergy prevention and early detection research program (WRAPPED).
Role: Co-PI
Granting Agency: AllerGen, NCE
Funding: $600,000
Start: 2009 End: 2012

Granting Agency: IMS summer student funding for student, Joshua Rosenblatt
Funding: $2,000
Start: 2009

Granting Agency: ST Michael's Hospital summer student funding for student, Joshua Rosenblatt
Funding: $2,000
Start: 2009

Research Area: Centre of Research Expertise - Occupational Disease
Role:Co-investigator
Granting Agency: Ontario Worplace Safety and Insurance Board
Funding: $392,000 per year
2003- 2010

Selected Recent Publications

Click here for search results from PubMed

Bernstein JA, Alexis N, Bacchus H, Bernstein IL, Fritz P, Horner E, Li N, Mason S, Nel A, Oulette J, Rejula K, Reponen T, Seltzer J, Smith A, Tarlo SM, The Health Effects of Non-Industrial Indoor Air Pollution. Rostrum. JACI 2008; 121(3):585-91.

Aldel-Qadir H, Ribeiro M, Geerts W, Wisnewski A, Tarlo SM. Horse play and the Lung" - a possible cobalt effect. ATS Website Case of the month - May 2008 http://www.thoracic.org/sections/clinical-information/ats-clinical-cases/pages/horse-play-and-the-lung--a-possible-cobalt-effect.html.

Tarlo SM, Balmes J, Balkissoon R, Beach J, BeckettW, Bernstein D, Blanc PD, Brooks SM, Cowl CT, Daroowalla F, Harber P, Lemiere C, Liss GM, Pacheco KA, Redlich CA, Rowe B, Heitzer J. American College of Chest Physicians Consensus Statement: Diagnosis and Management of Work-related Asthma. Chest 2008; 134(suppl):1S-41S.

Tarlo SM, Rowe B, Liss GM, Lemiere C, Beach J. Commentary: Consensus on Work-related asthma. Occupational Medicine, 2009:59: 213-215.

Tarlo SM, Cartier A, Lemiere C. Work-related asthma, a case-based guide. Can Resp J, in press.

Hoy R, Tarlo SM. Occupational Asthma Monograph. BMJ Point-of-Care. https://online.epocrates.com/. 2009

Lynde C, Obadia M, Liss GM, Ribeiro M, Holness DL, Tarlo SM. Cutaneous and respiratory symptoms among professional cleaners. Occupational Medicine 2009; 59(4):249-54.

Banks DE, Shi R, McLarty J, Cowl C, Smith D, Tarlo SM, Daroowalla F, Balmes J, Baumann M. Consensus Statement on The Health Effects of Asbestos, Results of a Delphi Study. Chest, 2009;135:1619-27.

Tarlo SM, Malo J-L. An official ATS document: Asthma in the Workplace. Proceedings of the 3rd Jack Pepys Work-related Asthma Workshop. Proceedings of The American Thoracic Society 2009, in press.

Bhinder S, Cicutto, L, Abdel-Qadir HM, Tarlo SM. Perception of Asthma as a Factor in Career Choice among Young Adults with Asthma. Canadian Respiratory Journal, 2009, in press.

M. Obadia, G.M. Liss, W.Y. Lou, J. Purdham, S.M. Tarlo. Work Related Asthma Symptoms among Professional Cleaners. AJIM, 2009 July 16 e-pub ahead of print (in press).

Al-Ahmad M, Manno M, Ng V, Ribeiro M, Liss GM, Tarlo SM. Symptoms after mould exposure including Stachybotrys chartarum, and comparison with darkroom disease. Allergy, 2009, in press.

Seth, R, Romaschin AD, Ribeiro M, Tarlo SM. CR3 (CD11b/CD18) Activation on Nasal Neutrophils, a Measure of Upper Airway Endotoxin Exposure. Biomarkers, 2009, in press.

Chapters and Monographs

Vandenplas O, Beezold D, Tarlo SM. Latex Allergy. In Asthma in the Workplace, Ed: Bernstein L, Chan Yeung M, Malo J-L, Bernstein D., 3rd edition, Marcel-Dekker Press, 2006.

Bernstein D, Liss GM, Tarlo SM, Nordman H. Prevention of occupational asthma. In Asthma in the Workplace, Ed: Bernstein L, Chan Yeung M, Malo J-L, Bernstein D., 3rd edition, Marcel-Dekker Press, 2006

Tarlo SM, Redlich C. Irritant induced asthma. In Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine, Ed Laurent GJ, Shapiro SD. Elsevier Publishers 2006, pages 614-8.

Tarlo SM, Liss GM. Occupational respiratory disease in Canada. In, Life and Breath, Respiratory Disease in Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada -2007 http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/2007/lbrdc-vsmrc/index-eng.php or http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/new_e.html

National Research Council of the National Academies (USA). Health Effects of Beryllium Exposure: A literature Review (panel member) August 2007. www.nationalacademies.org

Managing Health Effects of Beryllium Exposure, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C. 2008.

Tarlo SM. Occupational exposures and adult asthma: Environmental Factors and Asthma; What We Learned from Epidemiological Studies. Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America editor Dr Mark Eisner. 2008;28:563-78.