COVID-19 Research Response Fund

The COVID-19 Research Response funding call was developed in the context of a large number of rapidly deployed, global and national research funds covering the full array of pandemic research. It focused on high-quality research to evaluate BC’s response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and inform ongoing response, especially strategies for avoiding or mitigating subsequent waves of transmission.

Each successful project addresses one or more of the following research focus areas:

  1. Rapid evaluation and/or modelling of public health countermeasures to support the timing of levels of their withdrawn and potential future redeployments in BC.
  2. BC population-specific epidemiologic support for decision-makers, including the identification of strategies to prevent high burdens of illness among key/vulnerable groups (e.g. residents of long-term care facilities, inner city populations, Indigenous people, health-care workers, etc).
  3. Human geographic considerations in BC, including rurality, community, culture and population movement, with a view to prevent transmission and mitigating effects.
  4. The identification and mitigation of the impacts of the pandemic and pandemic response, including the secondary effects on the health of the population of BC.
  5. The impacts of rapid health service redesign and redeployment on health outcomes in BC.

 

Recipients

Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Measuring the Impact of Physical Distancing Measures and Creating Paths for Monitoring during the Relaxation Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Evaluation of rapid redesign and resource deployment in Long-Term Care during COVID-19

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Study of early Health Outcomes in Neonates Exposed to COVID-19 in British Columbia (SHiNE-BC)

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Risk and outcomes of COVID-19 patients exposed to immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory agents in British Columbia. A population-based study.

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Respiratory outcomes following COVID-19 infection in British Columbia: A prospective patient registry

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Host Institution

BC Cancer

Project title

The Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Diagnosis and Outcomes in British Columbia (BC)

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

COVID-19 in children and young adults in BC – evaluation of public health measures and epidemiologic support for decision-makers

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

All-cause and cause-specific mortality and acute morbidity attributable to COVID-19 and medical history associated with severe COVID-19 infection in BC.

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Host Institution

Simon Fraser University

Project title

A Spatial Approach to Exploring Vulnerability in the Context of COVID-19 in British Columbia

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Real time phylodynamic monitoring of COVID-19

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Quantitative Isotype Profiling And Dynamics Of SARS-CoV-2 Infections: Next-Generation Serology

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Host Institution

Simon Fraser University

Project title

Real-time Combined Genomic and Epidemiological Monitoring of COVID-19 in British Columbia

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Host Institution

Thompson Rivers University

Project title

Mapping Social Epidemiology of British Columbia: COVID19 Pandemic and Psycho Social and Occupational Well-being of Frontline Health-care Workers in BC

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Host Institution

Simon Fraser University

Project title

Preventing and Mitigating the Impacts of COVID-19 Among Im/migrants in British Columbia: Rapid Mixed-Methods Data to Inform Policy and Programmes.

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Host Institution

University of Victoria

Project title

Managing the risks of future BC COVID-19 outbreaks using mathematical and statistical modelling

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

The Cedar Project: Preparing for Culturally-Safe, Trauma Informed COVID-19 Response Among Urban Indigenous People Who Use Drugs in BC

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Population-based Study of Coronavirus Antibody Cross-Reactivity to Inform SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Surveys, Severity Profiles, and Vaccine Strategies

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Host Institution

Simon Fraser University

Project title

“Blind Spots”: People in Prison and Precarious Housing During COVID-19

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Host Institution

Vancouver Coastal Health

Project title

Informing the COVID-19 Response for Vancouver’s Urban Indigenous Population Using Community-driven Methods and Big Data Analytics

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Host Institution

University of British Columbia

Project title

Accelerating SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Surveys through Dried Blood Spots (ASSESS-DBS)

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Read more about the work of our COVID-19 Research Response Fund award recipients:

awardee

Making a real difference: People who are incarcerated help peers get immunized for COVID-19

November 10, 2022

During the pandemic, only 60 percent of people in custody wanted to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers Sofia Bartlett and Pam Young worked with people who are incarcerated to change that.

awardee

COVID-19 research journeys: Outcomes and impacts one year later

June 15, 2021

We caught up with five of the COVID-19 Research Response Fund award recipients to gain insight on where their research programs are at, one year later.

awardee

A 20-year journey of health research in BC: Tackling emerging disease threats through rapid response research

June 9, 2021

Dr. Danuta Skowronski’s research, funded by MSFHR, directly informed the COVID-19 vaccine dosage recommendation that likely prevented thousands of hospitalizations across Canada during the third wave.

awardee

Precarious housing, prisons, and our COVID-19 vulnerabilities

January 27, 2021

With an MSFHR COVID-19 Research Response Fund award, Dr. Julian Somers is investigating practices to support some of BC’s most vulnerable citizens during the pandemic.

awardee

Mapping the Social Epidemiology of front-line health-care workers

January 7, 2021

With MSFHR funding, Dr. Bala Nikku and his team are mapping the experiences of health-care workers in home-care and long-term care facilities across British Columbia during the pandemic.

awardee

Partnering with COVID-19 patients to track future health

December 1, 2020

Launched by Dr. Chris Carlsten, a new patient registry will track the health of people who recovered from COVID-19.

awardee

Charting the COVID-19 experience for young people who use drugs

November 12, 2020

Led by Dr. Patricia Spittal, her team of Indigenous and allied researchers focus on how Indigenous people have been impacted by the pandemic.

awardee

Searching for COVID-19 antibodies in children

October 13, 2020

British Columbian researcher Dr. Manish Sadarangani hopes to provide further clues with funding from the MSFHR COVID-19 Research Response Fund.

awardee

MSFHR and Victoria Hospitals Foundation partner on funding research to detect future COVID-19 outbreaks on Vancouver Island

August 13, 2020

Dr. Laura Cowen at the University of Victoria, is leading a team in developing a model that estimates rates of unreported COVID-19 cases.

awardee

MSFHR funds COVID-19 research to mitigate effects on BC’s vulnerable populations

June 29, 2020

Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on newcomers to BC, urban Indigenous people, frontline health-care workers, and those in prisons or precarious housing is the focus of many of the funded researchers from the COVID-19 Research Response Fund.

awardee

BC’s COVID-19 “infodemic” tackled by MSFHR-funded research project

May 28, 2020

Stress levels, youth mental health and stigma toward racialized British Columbians are just some of the topics covered by a COVID-19 rapid response research project funded by MSFHR.

awardee

MSFHR launches COVID-19 research response fund & first call for proposals

April 6, 2020

The $2 million MSFHR COVID-19 Research Response Fund will focus on high-quality research that evaluates BC’s response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.