The connection between snoring and risks to public health and safety may not come to mind immediately, but Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Najib Ayas’s research looking at some of the consequences of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)—the most common type of snoring—illustrate how one person’s poor sleep can be harmful to others.

Q: I understand that we should all stay home to help flatten the curve on COVID-19. Is it safe to take my children outside?
A: It’s important to consult and abide by the Provincial Health Officer’s recommendations before going outside. At the moment, these recommendations include: keeping at least two metres away from others, not using playground equipment or closed parks facilities, and washing your hands thoroughly. These guidelines are quickly changing so be sure to keep up to date on local requirements as the situation develops.

Adults over 85 years old make up the fastest growing population segment in Canada. With frailty being prevalent among older Canadians, it’s vital to be able to accurately measure muscle loss–a major contributor to frailty–and intervene if necessary to improve health outcomes and quality of life, says Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) scientist Dr. Graydon Meneilly. 

“Reduced muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia, has a lot of negative health implications for older adults such as reduced daily function and increased risk of falls and fractures,” says Meneilly.

Hobbies and other everyday activities add to our enjoyment of life, and a first-of-its-kind research study is examining whether they could also have positive health effects for the approximately one in five Canadians ages 15 and older with inflammatory arthritis. 

From study design to presenting research findings, patients can play a vital role throughout the research process. The Excellence in Patient-Oriented Research Awards support clinician scientists to conduct patient-oriented research and involve patients as research partners. The award is a joint initiative of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the BC SUPPORT Unit, and promotes the further development of research capacity in British Columbia.

The 2020 Excellence in Patient-Oriented Research Award winners are:

Digital communication, and aging into our 80s on average, has opened the door to new ways of life for many Canadians, including leading more sedentary lifestyles. 

“We know that older adults tend to have higher levels of sedentary behaviour and lower levels of physical activity, both of which have negative consequences for health,” says Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Maureen Ashe. 

Living with a cardiometabolic condition such as heart disease, stroke or diabetes is hard enough, but having two or all three of these conditions--known as cardiometabolic multimorbidity--comes with an exponential increase in the risk of premature death. Knowing this and wanting to address the lack of medical literature around multimorbidity, researcher Dr. Brodie Sakakibara, who is affiliated with the Rehabilitation Research Program at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, sought to discover possible connections between lifestyle and the development of cardiometabolic multimorbidity.

Living with a cancer diagnosis can be frightening and anxiety-inducing, but at the same time there exists a hopeful phenomenon called the "teachable moment". The teachable moment describes cancer patients’ increased likelihood of accepting and acting on their health care provider’s lifestyle change recommendations because of their diagnosis. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr.

When a patient walks into an emergency room with chest pain, every minute counts. A protocol aimed at cutting down patient wait times for an essential heart condition diagnostic test was implemented at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), and research conducted through Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) reveals how well the protocol has performed, along with areas that could benefit from additional attention.

A care intervention that connects people with dementia to loved ones via pre-recorded videos is being expanded to a global audience. The online toolkit for the iPad Simulated Presence Therapy—developed by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr.