Skip to content
GOLTC | Globe Icon
Globe Icon
GOLTC

GLOBAL
OBSERVATORY
OF LONG-TERM
CARE

Part of the International Long-Term Care Policy Network (ILPN)

 

Amit Arya

Division of Palliative Care, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Toronto

Amit Arya

Dr. Amit Arya is a Palliative Care Physician who works in long-term care. He currently serves as the Medical Lead of NY CAST (the North York Congregate Access and Support Team), an innovative initiative aimed at improving health outcomes for residents of long-term care by enhancing access to specialized supports and building capacity. Additionally, he is the Medical Director of the Specialist Palliative Care in Long-Term Care Outreach Team at Kensington Health, providing specialized palliative care services at Kensington Gardens in Toronto and other long-term care homes.

Dr. Arya is a Lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. He is a previous board member of Canadian Doctors for Medicare and a former board member of the Canadian Society of Palliative Medicine.

A passionate advocate for health justice, Dr. Arya has been recognized with multiple accolades, including the 2024 Award of Excellence in Creative Professional Activity from the University of Toronto, the 2020 Award of Excellence in Social Responsibility from the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, and the 2022 Award of Excellence from the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The Toronto Star has also named him a “Change Maker.”

Dr. Arya has made significant contributions to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in long-term care. He co-developed All-In: Practicing Cultural Humility in Palliative Care, an educational e-module for direct care staff in collaboration with Ontario CLRI, as well as the From Awareness to Action: Create a Culture of Belonging workshop. Additionally, he collaborated with Pallium Canada to create the QUIC (Quality and Essential Conversations) Toolkit to enhance essential conversations in long-term care settings. These initiatives aim to foster cultural safety, health equity, and effective communication in care delivery.

Dr. Arya’s expertise has been sought at the national level in Canada. He was invited to advise the federal government on the development of the Safe Long-Term Care Act and contributed to the creation of National Long-Term Care Standards. His advocacy work spans education, research, and policy, with his contributions often featured in print and broadcast media. He regularly presents to medical students, physicians, interprofessional colleagues, and the public on topics related to palliative care, health equity, and culturally safe care.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Countries Canada; Canada (Ontario);
Topics Culturally appropriate LTC; End-of-life care and LTC; Pain assessment and management; Pain management in care homes; Relationship between LTC use and hospital use;
Methods Analysis of administrative data; Comparative policy analysis; Data science and LTC research; Expert consultations; Interviews; Literature reviews and synthesis; Pilot study; Qualitative studies; Quantitative data analysis; Surveys; Theory and frameworks; Training materials; Vignettes and narratives;
Role Research;
Interest Groups Climate Change and LTC; Integrated Long-Term Care; Pain in Care Homes; Technology and Long-Term Care;
X (Twitter)https://x.com/AmitAryaMD
LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-arya-56b7228a/
Research interests

My research focuses on improving the quality and equity of long-term care through palliative and end-of-life care models, physician engagement, and health system integration. I am particularly interested in the use of administrative data, mixed methods, and qualitative research to examine care outcomes, prescribing practices, and access to culturally safe and trauma-informed care. I explore barriers to equitable care for structurally vulnerable populations and have contributed to policy development and knowledge translation. I am also involved in the development and evaluation of educational interventions to build capacity among long-term care staff and physicians.
Key publications
  1. Tam-Tham H, Persaud H, Arya A. Palliative care consultation teams in long-term care: a descriptive retrospective cohort study.  BMC Palliat Care 2025 Mar; 24(79): doi: 10.1186/s12904-025-01716-3. This study evaluates a palliative care consultation team as a health systems intervention in long-term care, demonstrating its role in improving advance care planning and reducing hospital transfers. The findings highlight a scalable, innovative model that reinforces palliative care as an approach to care throughout a resident’s stay in long-term care—not just at the end of life.
  2. Arya A.; Flanagan, A., Fleming, M.; Lopez K. Creating a Culture of Belonging: From Awareness to Action.  Workshop,    Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care.  Co-led the creation a 4-hour virtual workshop series designed to equip long-term care staff and leaders with practical tools to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Through interactive sessions, participants can explore cultural humility, allyship, and inclusive practices to create affirming environments for residents, caregivers, and colleagues. The workshop, funded by the Ontario government, also highlights EDI resources developed by the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation to support ongoing learning and organizational change.
  3. Tanuseputro P, Roberts RL, Milani C, Clarke AE, Webber C, Isenberg SR, Kobewka D, Turcotte L, Bush SH, Boese K, Arya A, Robert B, Sinnarajah A, Simon JE, Howard M, Lau J, Qureshi D, Fremont D, Downar J. Palliative End-of-Life Medication Prescribing Rates in Long-Term Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2024 Mar;25(3):532-538.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.11.026. Epub 2024 Jan 17. PMID: 38242534. This retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada, examines prescribing practices of subcutaneous end-of-life symptom management medications among decedents in long-term care (LTC) homes from January 2017 to March 2020. The study found considerable variation in prescribing rates across LTC homes, with an average of 64.7% of decedents receiving at least one medication in their last 14 days of life, predominantly opioids. LTC homes in the lowest prescribing quintile had 37.3% of decedents receiving medications compared to 82.5% in the highest quintile. Interestingly, homes with lower prescribing rates also showed higher rates of residents being transferred out in their last days. These findings suggest that prescribing rates of end-of-life medications could serve as an indicator of quality end-of-life care and highlight the potential for administrative data to provide insights into systemic aspects of end-of-life care delivery in LTC settings.
  4. Bulle, S.; Arya, A.; Dosani, N. From Cultural Safety to Anti-Racism: Reflections on Addressing Inequities in Palliative Care. Curr. Oncol. 2023, 30, 7920-7925. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol30090575. This commentary discusses the foundational principles and challenges of palliative care, emphasizing its goal to alleviate suffering across physical, spiritual, and psychosocial dimensions for individuals with serious illnesses. While research supports the cost-effectiveness and improved quality of life associated with palliative care, structural barriers prevent equitable access, particularly for vulnerable populations affected by systemic racism, cultural differences, and language barriers. Despite Canada’s national palliative care framework, disparities persist among racially marginalized, immigrant, and low-income communities. The commentary calls for interventions that prioritize culturally safe and anti-racist approaches within palliative care, advocating for practices grounded in equity, justice, and human rights to address ongoing gaps in care delivery.