Melinda Solomon

Medical Director
Lung Transplant Program
Division of Respiratory Medicine    

Director
Cystic Fibrosis Clinic
Division of Respiratory Medicine  

Director
Training Program 
Division of Respiratory Medicine  

Co-Chair
Education and Clinical Commitee
Transplant and Regenerative Medicine

Dr. Melinda Solomon is a Staff Respirologist in the Division of Respiratory Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. She completed medical school at the University of Toronto and her paediatric residency training and Respiratory Medicine Fellowship at SickKids and then completed Lung Transplant Training at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and Toronto General Hospital. She then joined the faculty at SickKids. Subsequently she completed a Master’s of Science in Community Health - Health Professionals Teacher Education.

She has been the Medical Director of the Paediatric Lung Transplant Program since 2003 and the Director of Cystic Fibrosis clinic at SickKids since 2005.

In her role as an educator, she has been the Training Program Director for Respiratory Medicine since 2000; teaching and mentoring students and health care professionals at all levels of training. Currently, she is Vice-Chair of the Respiratory Medicine Subspecialty Committee at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, as well as the President-Elect of the Canadian Thoracic Society.

Research

Dr. Solomon’s research endeavors have been aligned with her clinical expertise, focusing on paediatric lung transplantation and Cystic Fibrosis (CF). As Director of the CF clinic, she is actively involved in several CF clinical trials evaluating new therapeutic strategies. In addition, she collaborates on various studies and guideline documents pertaining to CF and lung transplantation to advance clinical care

Education and experience

• 2010–Present: Associate Staff Physician, Department of Paediatrics, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada (Cystic Fibrosis Satellite Clinic)
• 2008–2011: Masters of Science in Community Health - Health Professionals Teacher Education; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2006–2008: Education Scholars Program University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2000: Paediatric Lung Transplantation training Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• 1999–Present: Staff Physician, Division of Respiratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Jul 1998 – Nov 1999: Chief Fellow- Paediatric Respirology. University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Jul 1997 – Nov 1999: Paediatric Respirology Program Director: Dr. J Reisman. University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Jul 1996 – Jun 1997: Associate Chief Resident in Paediatrics University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Jul 1993 – Jun 1997: Paediatric Residency University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Jun 1991 – Jun 1992: Student Internship. University of Toronto, Hugh MacMillan Rehabilitation Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 1989–1993: Doctor of Medicine, MD, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Achievements

• 2021: POWER Teacher Award, Department of Paediatrics. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2012: Harry Bain Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2011: POWER Teacher Award, Department of Paediatrics. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2005: R.H.A. Haslam Award for Excellence in Pre-clerkship Teaching (runner up). The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2005: PERLS (Paediatric Education Resident Lecture Series) Teaching Award. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.

1. (Coll) Perrem L, Stanojevic S, Solomon M, Grasemann H, Sweezey N, Waters V, Sanders DB, Davis SD, Ratjen F. Evaluation of clinically relevant changes in the lung clearance index in children with cystic fibrosis and healthy controls. Thorax. 2022 Apr 15:thoraxjnl-2021-218347. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-218347. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35428702.
2. (Coll) Jacobi E, Solomon M, Avolio J, Shaw M, Gonska T, Ratjen F, Grasemann H. Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms in cystic fibrosis patients treated with ivacaftor. J Cyst Fibros. 2022 Mar;21(2):e102-e105. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2022.01.005. Epub 2022 Jan 19. PMID: 35063397.
3. (Coll) Leard LE, Holm AM, Valapour M, Glanville AR, Attawar S, Aversa M, Campos S V, Christon L M, Cypel M, Dellgren G, M G, Kapnadak S G, Kolaitis N A, Kotloff R M, Patterson C M, Shlobin OA, Smith P J, A, Solomon M, Weill D, Wijsenbeek M S, Willemse B W M, Arcasoy S M, Ramos K J. Consensus document for the selection of lung transplant candidates: An update from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021 Nov;40(11):1349-1379. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2021.07.005. Epub 2021 Jul 24.
4. (SRA) Grasemann H, Ratjen F, Solomon M. Aquagenic wrinkling of palms in cystic fibrosis. N Engl J Med 2013 December 12;369(24):2362-3. PMID: 24328486
5. (SRA) Grasemann H, de Perrot M, Bendiak G, Cox P, van Arsdell G, Keshavjee S, Solomon M. ABO-incompatible lung transplantation in an infant. American Journal of Transplantation. 2012 March;12(3):779-81. PMID: 2215204
6. (SRA) Kalnins D, Pencharz PB, Grasemann H, Solomon M. Energy Expenditure and Nutritional Status in in pediatric patients before and after lung transplantation. J Pediatr. 2013 Nov;163(5):1500-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.05.063. Epub 2013 Jul 17. PMID: 23870785

See a full list of Melinda Solomon's publications