Deciding which patients to treat and when were among the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With limited resources and staff available to care for patients, health care decision-makers were faced with an unprecedented situation in which patients and health-care resources needed to be allocated based on ever-evolving rules and guidelines. 

Through collaborative efforts and meaningful partnerships, new ideas move from bench to bedside, improving health care practices and patient outcomes. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute is proud to support research through Team Grant mentorships, which facilitate Vancouver Coastal Health staff and clinicians to work with experienced investigators to share knowledge and build connections. These grants enhance health care delivery by supporting cooperative practice-based research projects aimed at addressing current health care challenges.

Harm caused by the use or misuse of prescription medications leads to around two million visits to emergency departments, 700,000 hospital admissions and $1 billion in health care expenditures in Canada each year. Known as adverse drug events (ADEs), they rank between the fourth and sixth leading causes of death in Canada. 

While repeat ADEs are preventable, they have resulted in around 1,500 deaths in B.C. alone each year.

This June, Canadians celebrate Men’s Health Month in recognition of the unique health needs and conditions that affect people of the male sex locally and around the world. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Wellam Yu Ko is at the forefront of trailblazing research and insights into how men can steer the clearest path to health and long-term vitality. 

At the age of 16, John Chernesky lost the use of his legs following a car crash that damaged his cervical spine. Now in his mid-40s, the tetraplegic with moderate to good hand function has made it part of his life’s mission to help find new treatments for spinal cord injury (SCI) as an active participant in research and the consumer engagement program manager with Praxis Spinal Cord Institute.

The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards is a nationally recognized event that celebrates extraordinary women leaders and businesses in Metro Vancouver. Congratulations to the VCHRI award recipients for their groundbreaking work in health care sustainability, substance use education and environmental infection control. 

Taking innovative research from concept to application is critical for improving health care systems and the well-being of patients. VCHRI is proud to support investigators and their groundbreaking health research with the Innovation and Translational Research Awards. This year’s recipients are putting new knowledge into practice, implementing research outcomes and turning discoveries into commercial opportunities.

The 2022 Innovation and Translational Research Award recipients are: