Martha Spencer

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Vision Statement

Dr.

Martha Spencer

MD, FRCPC

Position

Internist and geriatrician, Clinical Instructor, Associate Program Director of Assessment and Remediation

Division

Internal Medicine

Phone

Email

Overview
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Research Interests

  • Frail older adults
  • agism
  • medical education
  • urinary incontinence
  • fecal incontinence

Research Summary

Dr. Spencer is a clinician at SPH who practices acute internal medicine and geriatric medicine. She is completing a masters of education with an interest in assessment and competency by design. She is currently leading quantitive and qualitative research about the diagnosis of “failure to thrive” given to older patients on acute hospital admissions. She also runs a multidisciplinary continence clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital and has also done some quality improvement research in this area.

Research Highlights

Personal

Education and Affiliations
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Education

Western University , BSc (Medical Sciences),

University of Toronto, MD,

University of British Columbia, Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine residencies,

McMaster University , Masters of Health Science Education,

Affiliations

Publications and Awards
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Recent Publications

1. Lapierre DM, Tanabe N, Pereverzev A, Spencer M, Shugg RP, Dixon SJ, Sims SM.
Lysophosphatodic acid signals through multiple receptors in osteoclasts to elevate cystolic calcium concentration, and promote cell survival. J Biol Chem 2010. 285(33): 25792-801.

2. Novak G, LeBlanc M, Clement Z, Shaikh S, Renou J, DeLuca V, Bulgin N, Kennedy JL, Le Foll B. Association study of multiple variants of the BDNF, DRD1 and DRD3 genes with tobacco
smoking in a Caucasian schizophrenic population. Ann Hum Genet. 2010. 74(4): 291-8.

3. Spencer MM, Alexander L, Kaufman M. Geriatric MyHealth Passport: A pilot study for a portable health summary in a elderly population”. J Am Geriatr Soc 2011. 59(11): 2186-8.

4. Spencer M, Wong R. The Role of Vitamin D in Bone Metabolism and Beyond. CGS
Journal of CME 2014. 4(1): 13-17.

5. Ho A, Spencer M, McGuire M. When Frail Patients or Their Families Request Non-Indicated Interventions: The Usefulness of the 4-Box Ethical Approach. J Am Geriatr Soc 2015. 63 (8): 1674-1678.

6. Hainsworth AJ, Igalada-Martinez P, Koch M, Spencer M, Slovak M, Alloussi S, Hillary C, Couri BM, Osman NI, Cartwright R, Chapple CR. What was hot at the ICS meeting 2015? Neurorol Urodyn 2016. 35(2): 169-173.

7. Spencer M, MacManus K, Sabourin J. Incontinence in older adults: the role of the geriatric multidisciplinary team. BCMJ 2017. 59 (2): 99-105.

8. Yoo, R., & Spencer, M. (2018). Continence Promotion and Successful Aging: The Role of the Multidisciplinary Continence Clinic. Geriatrics, 3(4), 91.

9. Spencer, M (2019). Fecal Incontinence in Older Adults; A Practical Approach. Pending publication- accepted by the Canadian Geriatrics Journal June 16, 2019.

Awards & Recognition

Grants
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Grants

Teaching/Students
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Dr. Spencer does clinical teaching with medical students and residents on the Internal Medicine Clinical Teaching Unit and on the inpatient and consult geriatric medicine services at at St. Paul’s Hospital. She is a tutor for Geriatric Clinical Skills (INDE 420). She is the Education Lead for the geriatric medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital and is the Associate Program Director for Assessment and Remediation for Internal Medicine.