News

President's Quarterly - Winter 2011

December 15, 2011

Holiday Greetings

Happy Holidays from MSFHR

Message from the President and CEO

Our 10th anniversary year has been full of changes at the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR), changes that are moving us in a positive direction. Following a board retreat in November, we reaffirmed our commitment to supporting promising individual researchers, but we also recognized the opportunity to use our expertise to help deliver health system solutions based on government priorities.

These efforts will be led by our recently-appointed President and CEO, Dr. Diane Finegood. Her combination of academic leadership experience and her orientation toward practical research will ensure that MSFHR continues to be recognized as a leader in health research in BC and beyond. My colleagues, Don Avison and Paul Terry, and I are working with her to ensure a smooth transition to her new role, which she will assume March 1, 2012.

Dr. Finegood currently holds an appointment as professor in the Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University and is the executive director of the CAPTURE project (Canadian platform to increase usage of real world evidence), which aims to improve the primary prevention of chronic disease.

Dr. Finegood will be supported by the rest of MSFHR’s executive team: Sharon Bryan, Senior Director, Corporate Services; Dr. Bev Holmes, Vice President, External Relations & Business Strategy; Nancy Mathias, Vice President, Programs & Business Planning; Dr. Martin Schechter, Chief Scientific Officer; and Gordon Schwark, Vice President, Finance & Administration.

I would like to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season and I look forward to sharing our progress with you in 2012.

Dr. Bruce Clayman
Interim President and CEO

Latest MSFHR News

Improved grant application system to launch in early 2012
Coming in early 2012, MSFHR ApplyNet will be powered by a new software engine. When fully operational, the new and improved system will provide online applications for all programs, peer-review, as well as grant monitoring and financial management functions for staff. It will also allow grant holders access to information regarding the status of their current grants. The system’s capabilities will be phased in over the next four months starting with online applications for awards.

New report shows NRF Program’s success
The Nursing Research Facilitator (NRF) Program has helped the nursing community find, evaluate and apply research evidence, according to a new MSFHR analysis report. The report and an accompanying feature story explain the program’s vital role in supporting the development of practice-relevant research in the nursing community over its first year. In November, MSFHR played host to a meeting of the six nursing research facilitators at which the facilitators shared their successes over the past year.

Dr. Michael Hayden to present to UBC Okanagan medical students
The second annual Aubrey J. Tingle Prize will be presented to Dr. Michael Hayden as prelude to a lecture he will give to the inaugural class of UBC’s Southern Medical Program, based at the university’s campus in Kelowna. The event is scheduled for February 13, 2012.

Created in honour of our founding president and CEO, the $10,000 prize is given to a BC clinician scientist or scholar practitioner whose work in health research is internationally recognized and has significant impact on advancing clinical or health services and policy research.

Dr. Hayden’s contributions to medical genetics are highly acclaimed and celebrated. He has made numerous discoveries, including the role that genes play in coronary artery disease and adverse drug reactions, as well as the development of a predictive genetic test for Huntington’s disease, where he also recently provided the first evidence of a potential cure.

MSFHR/CIHR fellowship supports development of evidence-based policy
A new Science Policy Fellowship offered by MSFHR in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research aims to bridge the gap between research and policy formulation by funding an independent researcher or trainee to be embedded for six months in the BC Ministry of Health. The successful applicant will develop evidence-based provincial policy and funding options for emergency services in BC. The program’s goal is to establish and nurture critical links between policy-makers and external researchers in support of evidence-based public policy. Applications for the fellowship closed December 5 and funding for the position will be available as of April 1, 2012.

Social media update
We’ve recently taken our first steps into the world of social media with the launch of a new Twitter feed. Follow us at @msfhr for news, events, program updates, funding announcements, job opportunities, knowledge translation workshops, and other BC health research info. We’ve already got more than 135 followers, but we’re always looking for more — check it out!

We’ve also dusted off our YouTube account, where we recently posted a four-part video series, “Knowledge Translation Stories,” produced by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto with support from MSFHR and the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research. These inspiring stories serve as excellent case studies in how to move research evidence into practice.

How to talk about science
MSFHR is pleased to be sponsoring the first “How to Talk About Science” conference, hosted by the University of Victoria. The conference, scheduled May 25-27, 2012, will bring together scientists from around the Pacific Northwest and expert panelists to give scientists the tools they need to communicate the results of their work to a broader audience. Registration opens December 15. To find out more, or to register, visit the Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria.

Moving forward our knowledge translation agenda
MSHFR has hosted three over-subscribed knowledge translation (KT) workshops on skills training this fall, with more planned for 2012. These workshops, and the positive feedback they are generating, are helping MSFHR meet its goals of building KT skills among researchers and research users and bringing synthesized evidence to bear on BC health and health system issues.

In September, we partnered with Simon Fraser University and Fraser Health to bring the Scientist Knowledge Translation Training (SKTT™) workshop to SFU’s Surrey campus. In partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI), we offered a KT workshop in November that required both researchers and their research knowledge end users to attend together in order to develop a joint KT plan for implementation of best practice evidence.

Just finishing up this week is a new KT training opportunity aimed at knowledge users that was offered in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada. The goal of the workshop is to increase participants’ capacity for sharing research knowledge with multiple audiences to improve reach, uptake and efficiency in effecting changes in behaviour, practice and policy.

In 2012, we will bring foundational KT skills training to VCHRI-affiliated researchers (January), and the University of Victoria (April). Potential partnerships are under discussion with the University of Northern British Columbia and Northern Health.

For more information on our knowledge translation activities, contact Gayle Scarrow, knowledge translation manager (604.714.6603) or Megan Schellenberg, marketing & communications coordinator, KT programs (604.714.5377).

BC Ethics Harmonization Initiative update
The BC Ethics Harmonization Initiative has continued to make headway on improving the timeliness and efficiency of ethical review processes and improving the system-effectiveness of health research ethics. The Phase II funding submission made in August was successful and a third pilot was conducted and evaluated over the summer. Agreement in principle to a partial reciprocity arrangement has been reached among the four universities, UBC, UNBC, UVic and SFU, and the related detailed agreement is currently under review.

Patricia Tait has been appointed as the director for the next phase of the initiative. She has been seconded to the initiative by Vancouver Coastal Health where she is currently manager, HR, Policy & Planning, VCHRI. Patricia brings extensive experience in project and people management to the role, particularly within the context of health research and the health authority environment.

InspireNet conference builds networks
InspireNet, an MSFHR-funded network supporting nursing health services research, hosted its annual fall conference in November. The “Connect 2011” workshop invited researchers, clinicians, policy-makers and students to learn about nursing research in BC and build partnerships across the research and practice communities. Learn more about InspireNet and Connect 2011.

MSFHR People

Kate Shannon
Dr. Kate Shannon, a 2011 MSFHR Scholar, received the Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Salary Award at the recent Canadian Health Research Awards for her research demonstrating the impact of prostitution laws on health outcomes. Dr. Shannon’s research has shown that the criminalization of prostitution is linked to increased rates of HIV infection among sex workers. The Peter Lougheed Award is a five-year career development prize to support Canada’s brightest young researchers.

Karin Humphries
MSFHR Scholar Dr. Karin Humphries has been named the first recipient of the UBC Heart and Stroke Foundation Professorship in Women’s Cardiovascular Health. The position is part of BC’s first research program on heart disease and stroke among women, an area that has been under-studied historically. Dr. Humphries intends to improve heart and stroke education for women and health-care providers while also working to improve outcomes among high-risk groups.

Sue Paish
MSFHR Board Chair Sue Paish has been named to two prestigious lists of Canada’s most influential women. Women of Influence magazine recently listed Ms. Paish among its Top 25 Women of Influence for 2011, while Women’s Executive Network named her one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Ms. Paish was appointed chair of the MSFHR Board of Directors in September for a two-year term. Read her bio on MSFHR’s website.

Nadine Caron
MSFHR Board member Dr. Nadine Caron was named one of SFU’s outstanding alumni for 2011. Each year, SFU and its Alumni Association honour the university’s most accomplished graduates with this award. Dr. Caron was recognized for her professional achievement. She was the first female First Nations student to graduate from UBC’s School of Medicine. She is internationally renowned for her advocacy work to address the special health needs and disparities of rural, remote, northern and Aboriginal communities. Through role-modeling and public speaking, she encourages First Nations youth to share her love of learning and further their education.

In the News

MSFHR in “International Innovation”
In an interview with the UK-based publication International Innovation, Interim President and CEO Dr. Bruce Clayman discusses MSFHR’s role in transforming BC’s health research landscape.

Reflecting on MSFHR’s numerous successes over the past decade, Dr. Clayman profiles for an international audience the programs and initiatives that have enhanced BC’s capacity to support world-class health research. Also highlighted is MSFHR’s evolving mandate, which aims to help address health system priorities while continuing to support outstanding researchers and teams.

International Innovation is the leading global dissemination resource for the wider scientific, technology and research communities. For more information, visit the publication's website.

BCNRI initiative featured in Kelowna media
A project funded through the BC Nursing Research Initiative that aims to improve palliative care services in BC was featured in the Kelowna Capital News on September 29. The Initiative for a Palliative Approach in Nursing: Evidence and Leadership (iPANEL) is examining ways of offering palliative services in areas such as long-term care, acute medical wards and at home. To read more about this four-year, province-wide project, visit the Kelowna Capital News website.

MSFHR Scholar leads only clinical trial of its kind in North America
2011 MSFHR Scholar Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes received national and international media attention this fall when her project, the Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness (SALOME), was launched. She is the co-principal investigator for this three-year clinical trial that will test whether hydromorphone, a powerful but legal pain medication, is as effective as diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient of heroin, at engaging the most vulnerable long-term street heroin users so they will enroll in treatment programs and end their use of illicit drugs.