Dr. Kali Barrett, MD, MSc, FRCPC (2020)

Dr. Kali Barrett, MD, MSc, FRCPC, is a critical care physician at Toronto Western Hospital, at the University Health Network, and her research is focused on value-based delivery of critical care programs, and evidence-based policy development.


After attending Canada’s National Ballet School, Dr. Barrett pursued a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Art History with a minor in Health Studies from Queen’s University. She went on to receive her medical degree from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario, and a Master’s of Science in Health Policy, Planning & Financing from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics. For her dissertation and course work, Dr. Barrett received the Brian Abel Smith Award.

Dr. Barrett currently serves on the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee, which reviews the economic and clinical evidence for health technologies and makes funding recommendations to the Ontario Ministry of Health. Recently, she has also worked on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, working in the intensive care unit caring for COVID-19 patients. She is also a member of the COVID-19 Modelling Collaborative--a group of clinicians and scientists using health system modelling to identify potential pandemic-associated capacity restraints in healthcare resources. Their work has informed Ontario health-policy development during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Reflecting on her time at NBS:

“The education I received at NBS is fundamental to who I am today, both in its content and its quality,” shares Dr. Barrett. “I distinctly remember the teachers who sparked my love of science and art history, and who conveyed how important it was that we took our academic education seriously. The path I took after graduation didn’t include a career in dance, and it wasn’t a straight line to medicine, but it was full of opportunities that I attribute to my NBS education, and it has been enriched by many extraordinary life-long friendships that started at NBS. I was able to build on the many transferable skills that I gained at the School, and have ultimately landed in a career that is meaningful to me, and incredibly rewarding.”