Ethical guidelines play a critical role in ensuring health research with Indigenous peoples is conducted in a culturally safe and respectful manner. While Chapter Nine of Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 outlines provisions for the ethical conduct of research involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada, there is a need to further develop ethical protocols that are distinctions-based (recognizing the specific rights and interests of distinct groups). In British Columbia (BC), there are over 270,000 Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) and 203 distinct First Nations and 39 Métis Chartered communities. Taking a distinctions-based approach ensures that research with Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations (ICCOs) aligns with their specific needs and interests. A previous environmental scan found many BC research ethics boards (REBs) lack the confidence and capacity to review Indigenous health applications. While improvements are being made, Indigenous health researchers (IHRs) and ICCOs remain hesitant to engage with REBs. Also, many ICCOs have their own Nation-based research ethics guidelines, yet many REBs are unaware of such guidelines. This study aims to improve and advance Indigenous health research ethics practices and protocols in BC to be more culturally safe and grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and distinctions-based guidelines. Nominated Principal Investigator Dr. Krista Stelkia will lead this study in partnership with BC Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research, First Nations Health Authority, Research Ethics BC, BC SUPPORT Unit, BC Provincial Health Officer, Indigenous organizations, and partnered universities. The results will contribute to improving the health of Indigenous peoples by transforming health research ethics to be more culturally safe. Health Research BC is providing match funds for this study, funded by a Canadian Institutes for Health Research Project Grant.
Year: 2024
CANTRAIN & Michael Smith Health Research BC Internship/Practicum for Clinical Research Professionals Program 2023-24
Sherry Sandhu is a research assistant in the Department of Addiction Medicine and Substance Use Services at the Fraser Health Authority. She supports a research program called ‘Rahi’, which means ‘a companion along a path’ in Panjabi and Hindi. The principal investigator leading the project is Dr. Nitasha Puri, an addiction medicine physician and medical lead at the Roshni Clinic which is an addictions clinic tailored for the South Asian population in the Fraser Health region. Rahi aims to develop and test the feasibility of a culturally resonant intervention to treat substance use disorder among Panjabi men in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. The first phase of this BC-based project was to design an intervention and was co-led and co-created with people who have lived and living experience using substances (PWLLE). As the team prepares for the next phase of testing the intervention, Sherry was awarded with a unique opportunity to gain clinical research that she can bring back to her team. Sherry was one of two recipients in BC to win the CANTRAIN & Michael Smith Health Research BC Internship/Practicum for Clinical Research Professionals Program 2023-24. The clinical research internship program is an initiative of the Canadian Consortium of Clinical Trial Training (CANTRAIN), a national platform funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Michael Smith Health Research BC is a proud partner of CANTRAIN’s clinical research internship program. Sherry will use the important clinical research skills she gains through this award, to guide her team as they go on to test this community-led intervention. This research will be vital in changing the landscape of culturally tailored health care for South Asians across BC.
Strengthening the Healthcare Workforce: Enhancing Genetic Counselling Access and Efficiency
With the advent of precision health, there has been a rapid increase in the utilization of genetic and genomic testing across all medical specialties and a consequent increased demand for genetic counselling services. This has resulted in unacceptably long (>year) wait times. Strengthening the healthcare workforce by integrating genetic counsellors where they do not currently practice and providing genetic counselling supports through innovative methods will contribute to cost efficiencies and improve access to genetic counselling services. We will take a multi-stream, multi-partner, and multi-site approach to deploy and deliver optimal clinical genetic healthcare to Canadians.
Capacity Building in the Pediatric Eating Disorders Workforce: System Transformation to Improve the Continuum of Care
New eating disorders presentations surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, intensified by challenges with clinician availability and training in eating disorders. To address the workforce challenge, our team will study the roll-out of a Provincial Training Hub, which will build capacity in clinicians treating children and youth with eating disorders in BC and the Yukon. We will demonstrate the impact of training and consultation in evidence-based approaches for pediatric eating disorders, improve cultural responsiveness in training, and develop a strategy for national training. Our goal is to improve clinician well-being, and availability of quality evidence-based care for pediatric eating disorders.
Building capacity for a sustainable and equitable healthcare workforce in rural, remote and Indigenous communities by implementing innovative team-based hybrid care
Healthcare provider shortages in rural, remote, and Indigenous (RRI) communities are an important problem. In British Columbia, ‘hybrid care’ programs link health professionals through technology to treat patients (virtual care) alongside local providers (in-person care), bridging service gaps when providers are unavailable and supporting local providers. However, not all RRI communities have embraced such programs. We seek to understand the complexities of implementing ‘hybrid care’, how to make this approach culturally safe and adaptable to unique community needs, while improving healthcare workforce sustainability. Our learnings will be applied to developing service delivery guidelines and ‘hybrid care’ policy scalable across Canada.
Multi-Provincial Surveillance Systems for Post-COVID-19 Condition and Outcomes (MSPCo)
Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) or Long COVID is a characterized by the presence of ongoing,
relapsing or occurrence of new symptoms which persist for 30 days or more after acute infection.
There is an urgent need to characterize the burden of long COVID; understand the healthcare needs
of people living with long COVID; and inform optimal models to deliver care, assess and address
disparities, and assess health outcomes. However, addressing these knowledge gaps is hampered
by the lack of standard definitions and methods to accurately identify people living with long COVID
in population-based administrative health data.
This project will address these gaps by developing a surveillance system to track burden of PCC,
identify factors contributing to development of long COVID, identify healthcare gaps, and long-term
outcomes related to COVID-19. We will conduct survey to learn about experience of people who had
COVID-19. In addition, we will analyze healthcare administrative data to answer critical questions to
inform optimal care for long COVID.
This initiative, while centered in British Columbia, will contribute to development and application of
algorithm across Canada. The grant will play a critical role in advancing research on long COVID,
informing care strategies, and contributing to public health eorts in managing post-COVID-19
health challenges.
The project is supported through funding from The Michael Smith Health Research BC and the Public
Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Enhanced Surveillance for Chronic Disease Program (ESCDP). This
project is being led by Dr. Naveed Janjua. Dr. Janjua is an epidemiologist, the Executive Director of
Data and Analytic Services at the BC Centre for Disease Control, and a Clinical Professor at the
School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia.
Foundations of Academic Success in Indigenous Children
This research aims to understand Indigenous children’s academic attitudes during the pivotal transition to off-reserve schooling after grade six. It uniquely acknowledges educators’ vital role as unconventional mental health providers within Indigenous communities. By exploring stereotypes and attitudes, it bridges the gap between academia and community mental health providers, recognizing education’s potential in addressing mental health traumas stemming from systems like the Canadian residential schools. This project will investigate the impact of forced transitions on Indigenous youth, addressing educational and mental health dynamics to enhance support for Indigenous communities in Canada.