VCHRI Research Challenge 2026 Recipients

The Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) Research Challenge supports Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) point-of-care staff new to research in creating a project to improve practice areas. Recipients receive mentorship from an experienced VCHRI investigator in addition to funding to help them learn to successfully conduct a clinical research project.

The 2026 VCHRI Research Challenge recipients are:

• Michelle Danda, clinical nurse specialist, acute mental health and substance use
• Galen Taylor Jones, community liaison worker
• Fiona Roome, clinical resource educator (OT), mental health and substance use
• Allison Audrey Guia, registered nurse, orthopaedics and trauma

Examining use of PRN psychotropic medications in inpatient mental health care

PRN (“as needed”) psychotropic medications are commonly used in inpatient mental health and substance use settings to manage agitation, distress, insomnia and behavioural escalation. However, prescribing and administration practices can vary widely and may be associated with oversedation, falls, restraint use and other adverse events.

Led by clinical nurse specialist Dr. Michelle Danda and mentor Dr. Angela Russolillo, this two-phase mixed-methods study will examine how PRN psychotropic medications are prescribed, administered and experienced within adult acute inpatient mental health and substance use units at Vancouver General Hospital.

The first phase of the project will involve a retrospective review of electronic health records and safety incident reports to better understand prescribing patterns, administration practices, use of non-pharmacologic de-escalation strategies and medication-related adverse events. The second phase will include interviews and focus groups with patients and staff to explore perceptions of benefit and harm, ethical tensions and organizational factors influencing PRN medication use.

Patient partners will help inform the project and co-develop recommendations. Findings will support efforts to improve prescribing practices, assessment and documentation standards and patient-centred approaches to care while promoting safer, more recovery-oriented mental health services across VCH.

“I felt there was a need for research because nurses, prescribers and patients have important questions about when PRNs help, when they may contribute to issues like oversedation or falls, and when they may be used in a coercive way,” says Danda. “Our goal as health care teams is to find ways to strengthen non-pharmacologic and recovery-oriented approaches alongside safe medication use.”

“As a mentor, I hope this project generates evidence to inform safer, more person-centred approaches to PRN psychotropic medication use,” says Russolillo. “By combining clinical expertise with patient perspectives, I hope these findings will contribute to meaningful improvements in the quality and delivery of mental health care.”

Developing a Deaf cultural competency curriculum for primary care

Deaf and hard of hearing patients can face barriers to equitable health care, including limited access to interpreters, communication challenges, gaps in provider understanding of Deaf culture and the ongoing impacts of historical harms.

This participatory action research project, led by Galen Taylor Jones and mentor Dr. Sabrina Wong, will leverage the lived experience and input of Deaf and hard of hearing patients to co-develop a culturally informed curriculum for primary care providers. 

Through engagement sessions with patients from Downtown Eastside primary care clinics, researchers will identify strategies to support safer, more inclusive and culturally responsive care. The curriculum will address topics such as Deaf culture, communication approaches, health inequities and the legacy of institutions such as Jericho Hill School.

The researchers also aim to develop practical recommendations for providers, including basic American Sign Language (ASL) skills and approaches for creating more welcoming clinical environments. By centering the perspectives and expertise of Deaf and hard of hearing community members, the study aims to support more equitable and trauma-informed care across VCH.

“As a hearing person, I identified this need for research through first-hand experience supporting Deaf and hard of hearing clients navigating our health care system,” says Taylor Jones. “Gaps in care included interpreter misbookings, miscommunications with clients and providers unfamiliar with Deaf cultural norms and language. The recurring, practical inequities make it clear that there is ongoing need for training for primary health care providers.”

“My aspirations as a mentor are to have people ‘see’ and gain confidence in their own expertise and talents that they bring to this project,” says Wong. “I’m excited to be a resource, provide support and guidance as the team carries out this very important project.”

Investigating the impacts of disability income change in tertiary mental health settings

Patients receiving provincial disability benefits who are admitted to tertiary mental health and substance use facilities experience a substantial change in their monthly income, from a disability support allowance of $983.50 per month to a much smaller comforts allowance of $222 per month.

Led by OT regional clinical resource educator Fiona Roome and mentor Dr. Iva Cheung, this project will examine how this policy affects people receiving care in tertiary mental health settings. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the research team will study outcomes such as length of stay, rehospitalization and rates of self-harm among patients impacted by the policy compared with those whose benefits do not change.

The study will also include interviews with people with lived experience, family care partners and clinicians involved in implementing the policy to better understand how this change in disability income may affect recovery, daily functioning and patient well-being. Findings from the project could help inform advocacy efforts, guide more trauma-informed approaches to care and support future policy discussions around financial supports for people in tertiary mental health settings.

"A case at a previous workplace drew my awareness to the issues and injustices related to the problem of disability income change," says Roome. "When I met Dr. Cheung, she inspired the idea of exploring a solution through research."

“This project has been in development for over a year, and addresses an issue the team cares deeply about,” says Cheung. “I look forward to learning from people with lived experience of this income change and hope that their stories will help policy makers understand how to more effectively meet their needs.”

Examining workplace violence at Vancouver General Hospital

Health care workers face significantly higher rates of workplace violence than workers in many other sectors, yet many incidents — including verbal threats and lower-level aggression — are never formally reported. In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC recorded more than 1,100 violence-related injury claims in 2024 requiring time away from work, though the true extent of workplace violence is likely much higher.

Led by registered nurse Allison Audrey Guia and mentored by Dr. James Byrne, this study will examine workplace violence within the Trauma Unit at Vancouver General Hospital, a high-risk inpatient environment caring for patients with traumatic brain injuries, delirium and substance use disorders. Invaluable logistic support for the study will be provided by Dr. Leah Rosenkrantz, research manager for Trauma Services at VGH.

Over 15 months, researchers will conduct a retrospective review using nursing documentation, security records, incident reports and unit tracking logs. The study will examine the prevalence, severity and nature of violent incidents, along with patient and situational risk factors and gaps between what occurs and what is formally reported.

The findings will help inform improvements to incident reporting systems, support targeted prevention strategies for high-risk clinical situations and strengthen proactive safety planning between nursing and provider teams. By generating a more comprehensive picture of workplace violence in acute care, the project aims to support safer working environments for frontline health-care workers across VCH.

“As a bedside nurse, I have personally navigated and continues to navigate the lasting effects of workplace violence and the associated challenges,” says Guia. “The team and I have designed this project to transform our shared experiences into a rigorous, three-year baseline with the ultimate goal of enhancing safety for all staff, patients and visitors of VCH through data-driven, proactive prevention.”

“Members of the nursing team are on the frontlines of caring for trauma patients. In this role, they frequently endure violence of various forms, often doing so quietly in the name of good patient care,” says Byrne. “This study will characterize these events in a way that I hope will allow for system-level changes to protect the safety and well-being of trauma nurses.”

Research Challenge Awards are made possible with the generous support of VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, Richmond Hospital Foundation, Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, in partnership with VCHRI.