Please join us in welcoming investigator Dr. Natasha Lane to the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging.
Natasha Lane, MSc MD PhD FRCPC, is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, Geriatric Medicine and Internal Medicine Physician at Providence Health, and a Research Fellow at ICES. She completed her PhD in Health Services Research at the University of Toronto, as a part of the combined MD/PhD program, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at ICES. She completed her medical residency training in internal medicine at the University of British Columbia, and subspeciality training in geriatrics at the University of Toronto. She holds a Master’s in Health Studies and Gerontology at the University of Waterloo.
Dr. Lane’s research focuses on older adults with depression, delirium, and dementia, and uses clinical and health administrative data to seek to improve quality of life and explore best practices in care, in both community and hospital settings. Her current projects focus on access to specialist care in long-term care settings, minimization of the use of physical restraints for hospitalized older adults, treatment of insomnia in older adults, and management of the behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia.
When asked about her passion for working with older adults, Dr. Lane spoke to the unique and valued roles that older adults play in our society: “they are knowledge keepers, family leaders, and guardians of tradition. Each person’s life experiences shape them differently, making every older adult’s journey distinct, even when facing common challenges of older age, such as insomnia, falls, or dementia. As a geriatrician and scientist, my goal is to honour older adults’ dignity and personhood by delivering effective, person-centred care—whether at home, in the hospital, or in long-term care.”
The Centre’s holistic approach to aging science sparked Dr. Lane’s interest in joining as an investigator. She looks forward to collaborating with the Centre’s experts in geroscience and translational research, adding that “science is best when it incorporates diverse perspectives from across clinical and research disciplines, and this collaborative spirit is clearly embedded in the Centre for Healthy Aging’s mission and structure.”
Dr. Lane has been recognized for her professional excellence with several awards, including the prestigious Vanier Scholarship, Waterloo Faculty of Health Alumni Achievement Award, and, recently, the Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award from the University of Toronto Department of Medicine. She is an Associate Editor at the Canadian Geriatrics Journal.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Lane to the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging and look forward to her involvement in the Centre!
To read more about Dr. Lane’s work related to healthy aging, view select publications below:
- Treatment of Inappropriate Sexual Behavior in Persons With Dementia: A Systematic Review (2025)
- Hyponatremia-associated hospital visits are not reduced by early electrolyte testing in older adults starting antidepressants (2024)
- Primary care physician volume and quality of care for older adults with dementia: a retrospective cohort study. (2021)