Margaret Hahn
Research Coordinator: Laurie Hamel (laurie.hamel@camh.ca)
Research Synopsis
-Honours BSc Biochemistry, McGill University (2001)
-MD, University of Calgary (2004)
-FRCPC, Psychiatry, Dalhouise University (2009)
-PhD, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto (2013)
-Fellowship in Schizophrenia Division, Center for Addiction and Mental Health (2013)
-Co-Director, Mental Health and Metabolic Clinic, CAMH
-Staff Psychiatrist and Senior Scientist, Complex Mental Illness, Division of Schizophrenia, CAMH
-Professor, University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry
-Affiliate Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr. Hahn's research interests lie in translational work focused on the complex interplay between mental illness, antipsychotic treatments, and cardiometabolic risk, with a special interest in diabetes. Given the early accrual of metabolic risk leading to a 20% reduction in life expectancy for patients with schizophrenia, she has an interest in early episode individuals and prevention strategies. She currently is the principal investigator on a variety of clinical research projects investigating; blood brain barrier alterations present in first episode psychosis; the use of semaglutide to mitigate antipsychotic induce weight gain; changes to the gut-microbiome following antipsychotic medication initiation; and the mechanisms driving dysregulation of brain insulin action and glucose metabolism in severe mental illness. From a translational perspective, Dr. Hahn oversees a basic science laboratory that studies underlying mechanisms of antipsychotic-related metabolic disturbances and their attenuation.
She currently co-directs the Mental Health and Metabolic Clinic at the CAMH, which specializes in metabolic monitoring, and interventions for metabolic risk factors in individuals with serious mental illness. This clinic is one of the first of its kind worldwide; specializing in simultaneously tackling mental health and the metabolic alterations that accompany the use of antipsychotic medications. Recognizing the need for more clinics with this niche focus, she has been working since 2021 to establish a second clinic which follows the same model in Denmark, where she was a visiting professor through the Danish Diabetes Academy. The observations made within the clinic provide directed inspiration for future research projects.
Dr. Hahn’s lab will be accepting students (PhD, MSc) for Fall 2025.
Some of Dr. Hahn’s notable publications include:
1. Castellani L*, Pereira S* (*shared first),, Kowalchuk C, Asgariroozbehani R, Singh R, Wu S, Hamel L, Alganem K, Ryan W, Zhang Z, Au E, Chintoh C, Remington G, Agarwal SM, Giacca A, McCullumsmith RE, Hahn MK. Antipsychotics inhibit central glucose sensing resulting in dysregulated hepatic glucose production. Molecular Psychiatry. 2022 Nov;27(11):4741-4753.
2. Stogios N, Smith E, Bowden S, Tran V, Asgariroozbehani R, McIntyre WB, Remington G, Siskind D, Agarwal SM, Hahn MK. Metabolic adverse effects of off-label use of second-generation antipsychotics in the adult population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022 Feb;47(3):664-672. 10.1038/s41386-021-01163-7.
3. Agarwal SM*, Stogios N* (*shared first), Ahsan ZA, Lockwood JT, Duncan MJ, Takeuchi H, Cohn T, Taylor VH, Remington G, Faulkner GEJ, Hahn M. Pharmacological Interventions for Prevention of Weight Gain in People with Schizophrenia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2022.10.1002/14651858.CD013337.pub2.