Perhaps most important, we have made significant progress in our work with government. Earlier this month the MSFHR Board approved a suite of open and targeted competitions and initiatives we propose to undertake from 2011-2017. This suite, in addition to specific research projects supporting health system reforms such as integrated primary and community care, form the basis of the case we have prepared in partnership with the Ministry of Health Services for funding consideration. As a whole, these activities comprise the next stage in our Strategic Direction, whose priorities are to build and sustain research capacity, to address health and health system priorities, and to partner on a BC health research plan. We look forward to engaging with the research and health sector communities on next steps in the coming months.
Read the Strategic Direction (PDF)
Latest MSFHR News
Inaugural Aubrey J. Tingle Prize Awarded
Dr. Julio Montaner, clinical director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and President of the International AIDS Society, was awarded the Aubrey J. Tingle Prize on June 16th. The $10,000 prize was created last year, in honour of MSFHR founding President & CEO Dr. Aubrey Tingle, to recognize a BC clinician, scientist or scholar practitioner whose work is provincially and globally significant. Dr. Montaner has received recent media coverage for work he presented in Vienna at the 18th International AIDS Society Conference. His research team learned that increasing the number of HIV patients who receive HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) leads to a dramatic decline in the spread of the virus that causes AIDS. Learn more about Dr. Montaner here, and read about his research in the news here.
From left: Dr. Aubrey Tingle, Dr. Julio Montaner, and Dr. John Challis
MSFHR Celebrates Trainees
More than 100 members of BC’s research community gathered to congratulate MSFHR’s 2009 trainees at an event held at the BC Cancer Research Centre in June. Guests heard research presentations from four trainees: Jennifer Hutcheon (MSFHR post-doctoral fellow at UBC’s department of obstetrics and gynecology) is studying optimal delivery times for mothers-to-be with pre-existing high blood pressure. Jesse Popov (MSFHR senior graduate student, UBC department of interdisciplinary oncology) is studying a cancer therapy that leaves healthy cells unaffected. SFU department of psychology’s Kaitlyn McLachlan (MSFHR senior graduate student) is working on the first major Canadian study to examine the risks and needs of young adults who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Lastly, Olav Krigolson (MSFHR post-doctoral fellow, UBC department of psychology) is studying the system in the brain that evaluates movement and how it’s affected by aging. Listen to audio recordings of the presentations.
From left: Jesse Popov, Dr. Olav Krigolson, Kaitlyn McLachlan, and Dr. Jennifer Hutcheon
BCNRI to commission research
Two proposals for Best Practices: Integration of New Graduate Nurses in the Workplace are under review for the BC Nursing Research Initiative Commissioning Program. The objective of the project is to examine best practices and barriers/enablers for their application to improve retention of new nursing graduates in various health care settings in BC. View the RFP (PDF).
Board approves revised BC Ethics Harmonization Initiative proposal
MSFHR facilitated a BC-wide process in 2007 to explore stakeholder interest in developing a more effective, coordinated provincial approach to ethics approval of research involving human subjects. Phase 2 of the BC Ethics Harmonization Initiative began in January 2010 with MSFHR issuing a request for a proposal to take this work to the next stage. The proposal – submitted as requested by a consortium of BC universities – was reviewed by an external panel which recommended revisions involving a phased approach with the initial emphasis on streamlining review processes for multi-site clinical and population health research. Earlier this month the MSFHR Board approved funding subject to the consortium providing an addendum to their proposal addressing the panel recommendations. Further details on the scope of the project will be available in September. For more information on the RFP or the BC Ethics Harmonization Initiative, click here.
MSFHR Activities
MSFHR supports special needs protocol evaluation
MSFHR is facilitating the development and implementation of an evaluation framework for the Children and Youth with Special Needs (CYSN) Transition Planning Protocol. The protocol was developed by multiple government ministries and community service organizations. It aims to address the need for better cooperation and coordination across all service sectors and to ensure coordinated planning starting at age 14 to help youth with special needs (and their families) prepare for the transition to adulthood. As a first step, MSFHR has convened meetings of stakeholders with evaluators to clarify the scope of the evaluation and to identify appropriate process and outcome measures. Read more about the Transition Planning Protocol.
LOI applications for BCNRI research projects move forward
Fifteen letters of intent (LOIs) to BC Nursing Research Initiative funding competitions were recommended to move to the full proposal stage by an external review panel last month. The competitions are Research Projects (up to 10 projects will be funded for a maximum of two years at up to $100,000 per year) and Investigative Teams (one team will be funded at $200,000 per year for four years, with potential for one four-year renewal subject to satisfactory progress and the availability of funding). Full proposals are due by September 21, 2010 for review by the panel on November 2. Successful applicants will receive their first quarterly installment starting December 1, 2010.
Health Services and Policy Research Support Network (HSPRSN) recommendations out
Among recommendations from the recent strategic planning retreat for the HSPRSN Steering Council was embedding permanent research/evaluation infrastructure in the health system as a shared resource to support system change. The retreat focused on three areas: a review of current HSPRSN programs, a look ahead to potential challenges and opportunities, and next steps to strengthen the impact of health services policy research. Outcomes from the retreat were presented to the MSFHR Board of Directors earlier this month and are helping to inform MSFHR discussions with government about supporting health system reform.
CIHR President visits MSFHR
Dr. Alain Beaudet, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) President, met with MSFHR staff last month to discuss potential collaboration on his organization’s Strategy for Patient Oriented Research – a program to translate research results into improved health outcomes for Canadians – and a new partnership program to improve the availability of funding partnership opportunities at CIHR. Read more about the patient oriented research strategy.
Going Gold for cardiovascular health
MSFHR was a Gold level sponsor of the Canada India Network Society’s Canada-India Cardiovascular Health Conference 2010, jointly hosted by SFU and Fraser Health in June. The event was aimed at developing global solutions for cardiovascular disease, as well as forming new partnerships to implement those solutions. Additional Gold level sponsors included the Canadian Cardiovascular Research Network (CCRN) and BCIT’s School of Health Sciences. Learn more about the conference.
MSFHR People
2010 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards for Scholar & Board member
MSFHR Board member Karimah Es Sabar received a YWCA Women of Distinction award in the category of Technology, Science & Industry. Ms. Es Sabar is formerly the President of LifeSciences BC and in April moved into a new role as Senior Vice-President, Business and Strategic Affairs for The Centre for Drug Research and Development.
Dr. Janice Eng, a 2007 MSFHR Senior Scholar, also received an award in the category of Health and Active Living. Dr. Eng, a professor at UBC, is a researcher in the ICORD program at VGH and the Brain Research Centre at UBC Hospital.
MSFHR Scholar wins award from American Society of Transplantation
Dr. John Gill, a 2005 MSFHR Scholar, won the Clinical Science Investigator Award from the American Society of Transplantation. Dr. Gill is Associate Professor, UBC Division of Nephrology and a research scientist at the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences.
MSFHR at Clinical Trials in Canada conference
Dr. John Challis was keynote speaker at the Clinical Trials in Canada conference in Vancouver last month. The conference brought together stakeholders with a common interest and vision in seeing Canada become a leader in clinical research.
CFRI awards for MSFHR trainees
Two MSFHR trainees received awards from the Child and Family Research Institute recently. The Outstanding Achievement by a Doctoral Student was awarded to Ms. Arezoo Astanehe, in the Department of Experimental Medicine at UBC. Outstanding Achievement by a Post-doctoral Fellow was awarded to Dr. Sam Doesburg, in the Department of Pediatrics at UBC.
In the News
Foreign homestay students exposed to major health risks; need better safety net
2005 MSFHR Scholar Dr. Sabrina Wong, along with 2004 MSFHR Scholar Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, co-authored a new study published in the May/June issue of Canadian Journal of Public Health. The study was recently featured in e! Science News and The Korea Times. The first of its kind, the UBC study looked at foreign homestay students who come to Canada to attend high school without their parents. Among other things, the study found that Eastern Asian homestay students are more likely to smoke and use cocaine when compared to immigrant teens who live with their parents. Read more about this story.
Big Animals, Slower Reflexes
Dr. Max Donelan, 2006 MSFHR Scholar, was recently quoted in the New York Times for his work on nervous system message speed. The SFU biomedical physiology and kinesiology professor and his team discovered that the maximum speed at which nerves can conduct information in land mammals is constant regardless of the animal’s size. The study helps explain why large animals are slow and lumbering, while tiny creatures are quick and agile. Read more about this story.
Affairs of the Heart
July’s issue of Hospital News Online features an article about the work of Dr. Scott Lear, 2003 MSFHR Scholar, whose study is testing the effectiveness of a home-based Internet alternative to cardiac rehabilitation programs that are commonly offered at urban hospitals, but are not available to rural patients. This work is part of his HSPRSN Investigative Team project. Dr. Lear is also the inaugural holder of the Pfizer/Heart and Stroke Foundation chair in cardiovascular prevention research at St. Paul’s Hospital. Read more about this story.
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