Jayadeep Patra (also known as Jay Patra) (born 1977, in Cuttack, India) is a Canadian epidemiologist and academic known for his work in global health, alcohol research, tuberculosis, meta-analysis, public health, and developmental psychology. He is currently a collaborator scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto and a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
Early life and education.
Patra earned his Bachelor of Science (1996) and Master of Arts (1998) in Psychology and Statistics from Utkal University, India. He completed an additional Master of Arts in Human Development and Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto in 2001. He obtained his PhD in Developmental Psychology and Public Health from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto in 2007 under the guidance of Jurgen Rehm. He later pursued postdoctoral research with Prabhat Jha at the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, from 2012 to 2016.
Career.
Global health and alcohol research.
Patra has contributed to major international projects, including the Global Burden of Disease Study, helping quantify the health and social costs of alcohol consumption worldwide.
His research focuses on assessing the global burden of alcohol, particularly its contribution to premature mortality and chronic diseases. He evaluates how different regulatory frameworks, such as taxation, minimum drinking age, and advertising bans, influence alcohol consumption patterns worldwide. Additionally, his studies investigate alcohol as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and cancer within the broader context of non-communicable disease. Patra has also examined the risk factors associated with deaths due to renal failure and acute abdominal conditions as part of the Million Death Study. Furthermore, his work explores the impact of lifestyle factors on tuberculosis susceptibility and treatment outcomes.
Patra has worked closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), providing recommendations for alcohol control strategies.
CAMH contributions.
At CAMH, Patra has focused on alcohol addiction and public health policy within Canada. His work has supported policy recommendations for minimum unit pricing and health warning labels on alcohol products.
Editorial roles.
Patra serves as an Associate Editor for "BMC Public Health" and an Academic Editor for "PLOS One". He has collaborated on research projects for organizations such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit.
Selected publications.
Patra has authored over 100 publications, including: