13 Mar 2026

The new university-based centre will build capacity in using real-world evidence to better inform decisions about drugs and health technologies

A new research centre focused on real-world evidence for drugs and health technologies has launched at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

The Toronto Centre for Real-World Evidence (T-RWE) brings together academics, industry experts, policymakers and trainees to build capacity in the field and advance the use of real-world evidence to inform policy and practice.

While large clinical trials remain the gold standard for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of medications, their strictly controlled conditions do not always reflect real-world settings where patients may take multiple medications or live with other health conditions. Clinical trials also often exclude certain patient populations and can be difficult to conduct for rare diseases or highly tailored drugs. 

“The Toronto Centre for Real-World Evidence is an opportunity to move science and impact forward by training the next generation of researchers and bringing together clinicians, policymakers, industry and patients,” says Mina Tadrous, associate professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and director of the T-RWE. “Real-world evidence helps answer the questions conventional clinical trials can’t – like how drugs perform in routine care, who benefits most and where harms or inequities emerge.

“Through this centre, we will address pressing questions that matter to people like drug safety, access and effectiveness.”

Regulators and other decision-makers are increasingly relying on real-world evidence, or RWE – data collected outside of controlled research settings, such as electronic health records and health-care databases – to inform decisions, including when to approve a drug for public insurance coverage. Because it reflects actual clinical practice, real-world evidence can provide more comprehensive insights into the safety and effectiveness of medications and health-care technologies.

“As the RWE research ecosystem becomes more internationally competitive, we want to put Canada on the global map and have an independent centre where interested parties can exchange information, build capacity, share the best science and enable the research that will advance and improve access to innovative therapies for a range of diseases and health conditions,” says Tadrous, who is also the Canada Research Chair in real-world evidence and pharmaceutical policy.

As demand for real-world evidence grows, the new centre aims to address knowledge and capacity gaps in the research landscape. Members will work toward the mission of advancing methodology, fostering open and responsible data use and training the next generation of researchers and policy partners to produce robust evidence that informs decision-making and improves health outcomes. Establishing the centre also promises to create jobs in an industry estimated by Fortune Business Insights to be worth more than $30 billion by 2030.

U of T’s expertise in the field, proximity to research hospitals and strengths in drug development, public policy and artificial intelligence make the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy an ideal home for the new centre.

“Having the T-RWE based at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and U of T means that we can leverage our strengths, expertise and partnerships to bridge public and private sectors to share insights and accelerate the impact of RWE,” says Lisa Dolovich, professor and dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “This centre will position the University of Toronto, Ontario and Canada as global leaders in RWE.”

Researchers, trainees, policymakers and members of the public who use or are interested in real-world evidence can join the centre at no cost. The centre will offer in-person events, speaker series, tools and resources, networking opportunities and learning opportunities to help expand the community and advance the field.

Tadrous says that the centre’s leadership is committed to understanding what researchers need to build capacity in real-world evidence – and he encourages anyone who is interested in joining the centre to reach out.

“We’re looking forward to connecting the leaders, researchers and knowledge users in this space, building momentum and sharing best practices so we can move the entire ecosystem forward,” he says. “When we make these connections, this centre will be a node for exciting collaborations that can happen within Ontario, within Canada and across the world.”