Jill Hamilton

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Other Academic and Clinical Appointments

Head, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto (2018 - present)

Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto (2015 - present)

Director/Chair, Centre for Healthy Active Kids (CHAK), The Hospital for Sick Children (2013 - present)

Senior Associate Scientist, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children (2011 - present)

Professor, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto (2011 - present)

Director, SickKids Team Obesity Management Program (STOMP), The Hospital for Sick Children (2010 - present)

Staff Physician, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children (2000 - present)

At a Glance

• Dr. Hamilton's research focuses on the metabolic complications of obesity in childhood, biologic and psychosocial determinants of obesity, mechanisms of weight regulation in hypothalamic obesity, and obesity treatment outcomes and interventions.

About Dr. Jill Hamilton

Dr. Jill Hamilton received her medical degree at the University of Ottawa, Ontario, and Paediatric specialty degree at the University of Toronto. She trained in Paediatric Endocrinology at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto. She is currently Head of the Division of Endocrinology, Department of Paediatrics, Professor at the University of Toronto, and Senior Associate Scientist at the Research Institute at SickKids. Dr. Hamilton is the medical director of the SickKids Team Obesity Management Program (STOMP), and director of the Centre for Healthy Active Kids at SickKids.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Hamilton's research and clinical interests focus on children and adolescents at risk for the development of type 2 diabetes and weight-related health issues. This includes children and adolescents with complex obesity due to hypothalamic tumors or genetic causes of hypothalamic dysregulation. Dr. Hamilton's main areas of research include (i) evaluation of the determinants of metabolic risk and mechanisms for weight gain (ii) food intake and appetite hormone regulation, and (iii) treatment of complex obesity and type 2 diabetes. She has over 150 peer-reviewed publications and has received research funding from agencies, including Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), National Institute of Health (NIH), Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Diabetes Association. 

Recent Publications

1. Lohkamp LN, Kulkarni AV, Drake JM, Rutka JT, Dirks PB, Taylor M, Ibrahim GM, Hamilton J, Bartels UK. Preservation of endocrine function after Ommaya reservoir insertion in children with cystic craniopharyngioma. J Neurooncol. 2022 Aug 4. doi: 10.1007/s11060-022-04099-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35925530.
2. Ryan PM, Hamilton JK. What do I need to know about liraglutide (Saxenda), the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist for weight management in children with obesity? Paediatr Child Health. 2022 Apr 25;27(4):201-202. doi: 10.1093/pch/pxac026. PMID: 35859679; PMCID: PMC9291360.
3. De-Jongh González O, Tugault-Lafleur CN, Buckler EJ, Hamilton J, Ho J, Buchholz A, Morrison KM, Ball GD, Mâsse LC. The Aim2Be mHealth Intervention for Children With Overweight or Obesity and Their Parents: Person-Centered Analyses to Uncover Digital Phenotypes. J Med Internet Res. 2022 Jun 22;24(6):e35285. doi: 10.2196/35285. PMID: 35731547.
4. Patel BP, Sathiyamoorthy T, Giruparajah M, Toulany A, Hamilton JK. Weighing in on COVID-19: The impact of the pandemic on children and adolescents with obesity participating in a weight management program. Pediatr Obes. 2022 Jun 10:e12948. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12948. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35686545; PMCID: PMC9347911.
5. Gehring ND, Johnston BC, Birken C, Buchholz A, Cooper J, Erdstein J, Fitzpatrick-Lewis D, Hadjiyannakis S, Hamilton J, Hatanaka D, Henderson M, Lebel T, Moore SA, Morrison KM, Page S, Pearce N, Sebastianski M, Sherifali D, St-Pierre J, Zenlea I, Ball GDC. A survey of stakeholders' perceived importance of health indicators and subgroup analyses to inform the Canadian clinical practice guideline for managing paediatric obesity. Pediatr Obes. 2022 Jun 3:e12949. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12949. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35666072.
6. Albaghdadi M, Dossi M, Grewal P, Hamilton J, Pope E, Lara-Corrales I. Skin manifestations in pediatric obesity: A prospective cohort study. Pediatr Dermatol. 2022 May 29. doi: 10.1111/pde.15048. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35644875.
7. Massara P, Spiegel-Feld C, Hamilton J, Maguire JL, Birken C, Bandsma R, Comelli EM. Association between gut MIcrobiota, GROWth and Diet in peripubertal children from the TARGet Kids! cohort (The MiGrowD) study: protocol for studying gut microbiota at a community-based primary healthcare setting. BMJ Open. 2022 May 9;12(5):e057989. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057989. PMID: 35534076; PMCID: PMC9086606.
8. Carino M, Quill Z, Gabbs M, Sellers E, Hamilton J, Pinto T, Jetha M, Ho J, Alecio OG, Dart A, Wicklow B. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents and Young Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes. Can J Diabetes. 2022 Jan 31:S1499-2671(22)00002-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2022.01.002. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35484051; PMCID: PMC8801385.
9. Norris SA, Draper CE, Prioreschi A, Smuts CM, Ware LJ, Dennis C, Awadalla P, Bassani D, Bhutta Z, Briollais L, Cameron DW, Chirwa T, Fallon B, Gray CM, Hamilton J, Jamison J, Jaspan H, Jenkins J, Kahn K, Kengne AP, Lambert EV, Levitt N, Martin MC, Ramsay M, Roth D, Scherer S, Sellen D, Slemming W, Sloboda D, Szyf M, Tollman S, Tomlinson M, Tough S, Matthews SG, Richter L, Lye S. Building knowledge, optimising physical and mental health and setting up healthier life trajectories in South African women (Bukhali): a preconception randomised control trial part of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI). BMJ Open. 2022 Apr 21;12(4):e059914. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059914. PMID: 35450913; PMCID: PMC9024255.
10. Li MK, Patel BP, Chu L, Strom M, Hamilton JK. Investigating resilience and its association with stress, anthropometrics, and metabolic health in adolescents with obesity: a pilot study. Psychol Health Med. 2022 Apr 3:1-10. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2022.2059094. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35373663.