Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a likely precursor to dementia. With no known cure for dementia, and a rapidly aging world population, there is great need for research that targets reducing risk. Our team has developed and pilot-tested an mHealth-app-based psychoeducation intervention targeting cognitive health promotion for older adults; the results of this pilot study reflected a highly feasible intervention, but that many participants wanted an “extra challenge” in learning and applying their new knowledge. The proposed project will work with knowledge users (e.g., people with SCD or lived experience of dementia and related disorders, family members, caregivers, clinicians, and advocates) to develop a plan for enhancing engagement through gamification. We will achieve this goal by consulting with knowledge users through a working group of persons with lived experience (PWLE), researchers, developers, and a clinician. This working group will identify the priorities of knowledge users for the enhancement of the intervention and how to move forward. This project will also disseminate knowledge gained from the working group consultations to research users via a public forum, an academic paper, and a series of infographics.
Year: 2024
Advancing sexual health equity in BC through intersectoral collaboration across education and healthcare
Schools are a critical site for ensuring Sexual Health Education (SHE) in BC; however, recent increases in anti-SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) organizing threaten youth’s access to 2S;LGBTQ+ affirming SHE. This project brings together an intersectoral advisory group which includes a range of partners working in SHE, health promotion, service delivery, and related areas. We will establish an advisory group to identify research priorities for working across the otherwise siloed sectors of education and sexual healthcare. Together, we will co-create a research agenda that aims to strengthen and support access to 2S;LGBTQ+ affirming sexual health education. Throughout the project we will leverage opportunities for intersectoral learning and lay the groundwork to subsequently develop a range of KTE materials to support sexual health education policy and practice. This project brings experts together to facilitate knowledge sharing across sectors, identify research-informed strategies to improve sexual health education, and co-create future applied research opportunities to ultimately generate resources to support professionals in delivering 2S;LGBTQ+ affirming SHE.
Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare: Global, multidisciplinary mobilization toward low-carbon, sustainable, and resilient health systems transformation
The Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare (LCSH) is an expert collaborative of academics, ministries of health, and sustainable healthcare program leaders tackling issues of appropriate consumption and environmental emissions from healthcare activities to define best practices for low-carbon, sustainable, and resilient care. The LCSH works to develop evidence-based guidance and standardized indicators, informing implementation policies across diverse resource settings and engaging diverse stakeholders, including policy makers, industry leaders, healthcare administrators, health professionals, educators, and the population at large. Following the 2025 launch of our original work in the Lancet, the LCSH will disseminate report outputs through a social media campaign, at major global events, and via a speaking tour, with a focus on strategically-designed toolkits adapting our empirical evidence to guide implementation in real-world healthcare environments. Our work will form the basis of a new division of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, allowing annual monitoring and reporting of relevant metrics toward sustainable health systems transformation.
Cannabis Substitution of Alcohol as a Component of Managed Alcohol Programs: Co-Developing and Disseminating Research Evidence from a Recent Pilot Project.
We propose to come together with MAP site partners and people with lived and living experience of substance use to discuss findings from a recent pilot evaluation of cannabis substitution in MAPs, with the aim of contributing evidence to the well-established knowledge base for MAP. During this gathering, attendees will co-develop a KT strategy to package evidence for different audiences and plan to disseminate this evidence. Developing a KT strategy, including opportunities for knowledge mobilization, will support partners to review robust data related to cannabis as a harm reduction alternative to alcohol and other drugs, improve and sustain their current programs, and create evidence-based recommendations for other harm reduction organizations that want to implement cannabis substitution.
Our ultimate goal is to contribute to the development, implementation, and improvement of cannabis programs in harm reduction organizations, providing a safer alternative to alcohol and positively influencing the health of people with alcohol disorders. Dissemination of evidence will also grow the body of knowledge around cannabis substitution for other drugs, including opioids, to influence advocacy efforts and policy change.
Beyond Pills: Exploring Pharmacists’ Role in Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Services
Access to the most effective contraceptive methods (intrauterine devices or subdermal implants) is inequitable in BC. Many people are unable to reach a health professional able to insert them. Regulatory changes allowing BC pharmacists to prescribe contraception presents an opportunity to expand the role pharmacists could play to better meet BC’s needs.
BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre and our research team will host a one-day meeting of BC stakeholders and leaders to discuss any potential to expand the role of pharmacists to insert subdermal contraceptive implants. Participants will identify perspectives and provide insights on both the opportunities and facilitators as well as anticipated barriers and challenges associated with this potential expansion of pharmacy practice. A pre-meeting survey and series of stakeholder interviews (separately funded) will provide information to guide our discussion during the meeting.
Key sessions during the meeting will include interactive discussions and panels involving a diverse range of stakeholders, including health policy, regulatory and care leaders, patient groups, and health professionals. Conclusions from this meeting will inform potential next-steps to expand service access.
Developing Educational Tools for Neonatal Intensive Care Staff Regarding Rapid Genome-wide Sequencing
The Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) at BC Women’s Hospital and Victoria General Hospital care for >2000 critically ill babies each year. Many of these babies are sick because they have genetic conditions which can be very difficult to diagnose (the disorders are rare and many of these babies are premature). There is a new test called genomic sequencing (GS) that looks at a baby’s entire genetic code and can detect a change that may be responsible for the baby’s medical problems. This test has revolutionized the ability to diagnose babies with genetic disorders and is ordered for many babies in the NICU. The results can be difficult to interpret for the doctors who order the test (often it is not clearcut as to whether the change is causing the disorder and sometimes medical problems can be discovered that are not part of the baby’s condition (e.g., risk for cancer). The NICU team is composed of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers (but not genetic counsellors). We conducted a study of the NICU staff that showed they are not comfortable ordering GS, interpreting the results and want more education about GS. In this project, we will develop educational tools to help the NICU staff look after babies who have had GS.
Embedding research knowledge to prevent seclusion in a young adult inpatient mental health setting in British Columbia
Young people living with mental health challenges are often hospitalized as a part of their journey in engaging with supports and services to improve their mental health. These experiences of hospitalization can be traumatizing, however, especially if young people experience seclusion: confinement of a person in an isolated, locked room to minimize harm and promote safety. There is a growing need to prevent the use of seclusion among young people in inpatient mental health settings. Our project will build on knowledge gained from a previous research study exploring the perspectives of healthcare providers and young people with mental health challenges to better integrate seclusion prevention strategies in inpatient mental health settings. To achieve this, we will host a one-day session that will bring together healthcare providers, young people, and researchers to identify seclusion prevention strategies. These strategies will then be directly embedded within a new Young Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit within Island Health, in Victoria. They will also be shared with healthcare providers and students nationally and globally through a webinar, educational module, and an academic publication and conference presentation.
Women’s Insights Shared and Empowered (WISE): Amplifying the Voices of Asian Women with Endometriosis
Endometriosis affects approximately 2 million people in Canada. Despite the high prevalence of this condition, a lack of awareness, normalization of painful and debilitating symptoms, and ongoing medical discrimination remain. Racialized communities, including Asian populations, face additional barriers to diagnosis and care. Asian individuals, compared to their White counterparts are more likely to have their endometriosis-related pain dismissed by healthcare providers and have a higher burden of disease before referral. We aim to share findings from our EndoPhoto research, utilizing images, text, and narratives from East, South, and Southeast Asian individuals to depict their experiences with endometriosis before, during, and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. Our research highlights mental health challenges, the complex symptom burden, healthcare access barriers, and coping strategies employed for self-care and seeking support. We plan to (1) develop an interactive website to showcase the EndoPhoto study findings, and (2) share the website via a social media campaign. Sharing this research will address a significant gap in knowledge around endometriosis experiences generally, and for Asian individuals specifically.
Connecting with Chinese-speaking communities: Critical conversations about supervised consumption services
The unregulated drug crisis in BC is a catastrophic public health emergency. Over 6 people die each day from unregulated drugs, many clustered in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). Safe consumption sites (SCS) are an evidence-based intervention that have generated relatively widespread public support; however, support for SCS is comparatively low in the neighborhood that borders the DTES – historic Chinatown. Older residents of Chinatown have been systematically overlooked by decision makers during consultations about SCS implementation and most information resources are only available in English.
This project aims to address these gaps in partnership with Yarrow Intergenerational Society. Drawing from key literature on SCS, including a 2023 systematic review of qualitative studies on SCS co-authored by the project researcher, we will deliver Chinese-language in-person workshops and take-home-factsheets to engage with older Chinatown residents about their attitudes and beliefs related to SCS. We aim to: provide culturally appropriate public health education; promote knowledge of the evidence-based benefits of SCS; and, foster mutual understanding and solidarity between Chinatown residents and people who use drugs in the DTES.
Collaborating with community organizations to mobilize knowledge on healthy(ier) aging to older adults across B.C.
Improving the health and wellbeing of older adults in British Columbia (B.C.), whether living free of, or with, chronic disease, is a major public health priority. This is because declines in health and well-being have significant individual, family, social, and economic impacts. There is evidence from research studies that certain environmental, social, and life style factors may promote health as we age. Yet, there remains a wide gap in sharing this information with older adults and their care partners, especially those who are geographically or socially harder to reach. Our goal is to use multiple strategies to share research evidence related to healthy aging with all older adults in B.C., and it starts with collaborating with organizations that serve them. Through these collaborations, we will co-create an online web resource to broadly share information. We will also host healthy aging public presentation sessions and start a podcast series to enable more in-depth sharing of information and direct interaction between older adults and researchers. By sharing information on healthy aging, we aim to promote health and well-being among older British Columbians, and bridge the gap between healthspan and lifespan.