Andrea M. Knight

Associate Scientist
Neurosciences & Mental Health

Dr. Andrea Knight is a Clinician-Investigator in the Division of Rheumatology and Associate Scientist in the Neurosciences and Mental Health program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She obtained her medical degree from the Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York. She then completed her paediatric residency and paediatric rheumatology fellowship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.  

Her clinical research program focuses on childhood-onset lupus, and mental health for youth with rheumatologic conditions. She has investigated the burden of psychiatric morbidity as well as strategies to improve comprehensive care for children with lupus and other rheumatologic disease. She is also investigating the impact of inflammatory diseases such as lupus on brain structure, function and development.

Research

Dr. Knight’s clinical research program seeks to improve mental health and overall outcomes for paediatric patients with paediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) and other rheumatologic disease. 

She is utilizing cognitive and psychiatric measures along with advanced neuroimaging techniques to examine the impact of pSLE on neurocognitive health and brain development, and to identify mechanisms of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in pSLE. Understanding the underlying mechanisms will enable development of approaches for early detection and targeted treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in pSLE.

Dr. Knight’s work also focuses on psychiatric comorbidity for patients with pSLE and other rheumatologic disease. She is using administrative data, survey and mixed methods approaches to understand the effect of psychiatric comorbidity on outcomes, and to develop and test mental health interventions for these patients.   

Education

• 2014: Master of Science, Clinical Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• 2004: Medical Doctorate, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
• 2000: Bachelor of Science, Human Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Employment

• 2018–Present: Associate Scientist, Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2018–Present: Staff Physician, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2013–2018: Attending Physician, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• 2007–2010: Hospitalist Physician, Division of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Achievements

• 2015–Present: Leader, Workgroup for Lupus Mental Health, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance, USA
• 2018–Present: Elected Vice-Chair, Section for Lupus Research, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance, USA
• 2011: American College of Rheumatology/REF Amgen Fellowship Training Award, USA
• 2017: Investigator Award, Rheumatology Research Foundation, USA
• 2017: Novel Research Program Award, Lupus Research Alliance, USA

1. Rubinstein T, Ogbu E, Rodriguez M, Wagar L, Woo J, Davis AM, Lapin WB, Ng L, Treemarcki E, von Scheven E, Knight AM, and for the CARRA Mental Health Workgroup.  Prioritized Agenda for Mental Health Research in Pediatric Rheumatology from the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Mental Health Workgroup.  Journal of Rheumatology. Jan 2020. [Epub ahead of print]. SRA
2. Knight A, Vickery M, Faust L, Muscal E, Davis A, Harris J, Hersh AO, Rodriguez M, Onel K, Rubinstein T, Washington N, Weitzman ER, Conlon H, Woo JMP, Gerstbacher D, von Scheven E; CARRA Investigators. Gaps in Mental Health Care for Youth with Rheumatologic Conditions: A Mixed Methods Study of Perspectives from Behavioral Health Providers. Arthritis Care & Research.  2019 May;71(5)591-601.  PA
3. Knight A, Katz P, Trupin L, Yelin E, Lawson E. Depression Risk in Young Adults with Juvenile- and Adult-Onset Lupus. Arthritis Care & Research. 2018 Mar; 70(3): 475-80. PMCID: PMC5700870. PA
4. Knight A, Vickery M, Muscal E, Davis A, Harris JG, Soybilgic A, Onel K, Schanberg LE, Rubinstein T, Gottlieb BS, Mandell DS, von Scheven E and for the CARRA Investigators: Identifying Targets for Improving Mental Health Care of Adolescents with Lupus: Perspectives from Pediatric Rheumatology Clinicians in the United States and Canada. The Journal of Rheumatology. 2016 Jun;43(6): 1136-45. PA
5. Chang J, Mandell DS, Knight A. High Health Care Utilization Preceding Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Youth. Arthritis Care & Research. 2018 Sep; 70(9):1301-1311. PMCID: PMC5984118 SRA