People

Brett Wolfson-Stofko
Brett Wolfson-Stofko, PhD
University Health Network - Scientific Associate
Education
PhD, Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
MSc, Biomedical Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
BA, Neuroscience, University of Delaware
Research Interests
Supervised injection facilities, Public injection, Overdose, Opioids, Naloxone, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, HIV, Harm reduction, Risk environment, Injection drug use, Drug policy, Occupational safety
BIO
Brett Wolfson-Stofko received his PhD in biochemistry from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his bachelor’s in neuroscience from the University of Delaware – Newark during which he conducted in vitro and in vivo pharmacology research. He began volunteering with New York Harm Reduction Educators’ mobile syringe exchange in the Bronx in 2010. He later worked at BOOM!Health, a syringe exchange and health service provider in the South Bronx, coordinating a clinical trial that evaluated a 3-in-1 HIV/HCV/HBV rapid diagnostic test. He then received a post-doctoral fellowship (T32) through National Development & Research Institutes (NDRI)/New York University to study drug use occurring in public bathrooms, and designed an overdose response and naloxone administration training program for service industry employees who encounter overdoses in their place of business. He also collaborated on a prospective study of military veteran’s overdose risks and subsequent prevention efforts (R01DA036754).

Following his fellowship, he moved to Toronto, Canada where he worked at Street Health’s overdose prevention site (synonymous to supervised injection facilities, drug consumption room, etc.) and responded to opioid, cocaine, benzodiazepine, and methamphetamine overdoses. He now conducts research out of the Viral Hepatitis Care Network (VIRCAN) at Toronto General Hospital (University Health Network). His current research focuses on strategies to increase hepatitis C screening and linkages to care, focusing on people who use drugs, those with psychiatric disorders, and immigrant populations. He is also a steering committee member of the Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance (THRA) and advocates for the expansion of overdose prevention sites, safe supply, and affordable housing.
Projects
Principal Investigator, Risk Reduction Intervention to Address Injection Drug Use in Public Bathrooms. Completed
Publications

Recent

Hamzat B, Leece P, McCormack D, Holton A, Dodd Z, Firestone M, Wolfson-Stofko B, et al. (2024).
Opioid-related toxicity deaths within Ontario shelters: Circumstances of death and prior medication and healthcare use.
Toronto, ON: Ontario Drug Policy Research Network.

Wolfson-Stofko B, Hirode G, Vanderhoff A, Karkada J, Capraru C, Biondi MJ, Hansen B, Shah H, Janssen HLA, Feld JJ (2024).
Real-world hepatitis C prevalence and treatment uptake at opioid agonist therapy clinics in Ontario, Canada
Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 31 (5), 240-247. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13931.

Mandel E, Biondi MJ, Mendlowitz A, Maheandiran M, Hollingdrake E, Vanderhoff A, Wolfson-Stofko B, Capraru C, Feld JJ, Logan R (2023).
Evaluation of hepatitis C screening and treatment among psychiatry inpatients
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 84 (5), 22m14623. doi: 10.4088/JCP.22m14623.

Vanderhoff A, Smookler D, Biondi MJ, Enman S, Fuliang T, Mahmood S, Crespi A, Marquez M, Van Uum R, You L, Wolfson-Stofko B, Logan R, LeDrew E, Shah H, Janssen H, Capraru C, Venier E, Feld JJ (2023).
Leveraging corona virus disease 2019 vaccination to promote hepatitis C screening
Hepatology Communications, 7 (1), e2101. doi: 10.1002/hep4.2101. PMCID: PMC9827963.

Catlett B, Hajarizadeh B, Cunningham E, Wolfson-Stofko B, Wheeler A, Khandaker-Hussain B, Feld JJ, Martro E, Chevaliez S, Pawlotsky JM, Bharat C, Cunningham PH, Dore GJ, Applegate T, Grebely J (2022).
Diagnostic accuracy of assays using point-of-care testing or dried blood spot samples for the determination of HCV RNA: A systematic review
Journal of Infectious Diseases, 226 (6), 1005-1021. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac049.

Dr. Wolfson-Stofko's Google Scholar Profile
Selected Press