Bio

Bio

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqua was a MacART trainee during her doctoral studies at McMaster University. She completed her PhD in the Health Research Methodology Program in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI). For her PhD thesis, Dr. Siddiqua conducted a pan-Canadian study examining the association between neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage and developmental outcomes of children with autism at neighbourhood and provincial/territorial levels using diverse analysis methods, including multilevel modeling. Her research interests include big data analysis, modifiable determinants of health, health services evaluation, health economics, and health policy development. Dr. Siddiqua is a Senior Epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada and an Assistant Professor (Part-Time) in HEI at McMaster University.

Current Focus Areas

Current Focus Areas

• Dr. Siddiqua is currently focusing on population level surveillance of health outcomes of Autistic children and their access to a wide range of early development services.

Career Highlights

Career Highlights

• In the past, Dr. Siddiqua’s autism research focused on the relationship between social determinants of health and health outcomes of children with this diagnosis, as well as service delivery challenges that impact these children. Below are some of her notable publications:
  • Siddiqua, A., Janus, M., Mesterman, R., Duku, E., Georgiades, K., Saxena, F., et al (2022). Primary care provider and child characteristics associated with age of diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A population-based cohort study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(7), 2896–2910.
  • Siddiqua, A., Duku, E., Georgiades, K., Mesterman, R., & Janus, M. (2020) Association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and developmental vulnerability of kindergarten children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A population level study. SSM – Population Health, 12, 100662.
  • Siddiqua, A., Duku, E., Georgiades, K., Mesterman, R., & Janus, M. (2019). Neighbourhood-level prevalence of teacher-reported Autism Spectrum Disorder among kindergarten children in Canada: A population level study. SSM – Population Health, 10, 100520.
  • Policy brief prepared for the Canadian National Autism Strategy: https://www.casda.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CASDA-KBHN-Briefs-Compendium-_28102020-.docx.pdf