While rare, childhood cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death among Canadian children1, and affects approximately 1,000 children under the age of 15 each year2. Translational cancer research being conducted at the Vancouver Prostate Centre is investigating a therapy for childhood solid tumours that combines a proven immune system engaging molecule and a protein derived from the malaria parasite.
Walking the halls of the emergency department as a cardiology fellow, Dr. Christopher Fordyce saw how some cardiac arrest patients waited longer than others to receive an essential cooling treatment. It occurred to Fordyce, who is now a cardiologist at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and a Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher, that the varying times before a cooling treatment was administered might impact patients’ health outcomes.
When patients are discharged from hospital, it’s hoped their recovery will continue with the help of medical providers in their communities. Unfortunately, when complications arise, some patients end up back in the emergency department. BC has one of the highest readmission rates in Canada. Now, a virtual care platform aims to reduce unnecessary readmissions by providing answers to patient’s health concerns through two-way texting.
The Vancouver Coastal Health Research Challenge for point-of-care nursing and allied health staff is designed to support point-of-care staff who do not have research experience. The Research Challenge is run in partnership with VCH Professional Practice and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.
We encourage VCH staff members to consider a practice area that might be improved and create a research project to discover how best to improve it.
One in seven Canadian men will receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer at some point during their lifetimes. A protein bioengineering core of specialists and equipment being established at the Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) could open the door to new treatment avenues for men with the deadliest forms of the disease.
Evidence-based advice is a guiding principle for researchers at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation (C2E2), a Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) research centre. The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) team at C2E2 strives to investigate and validate approaches that both help patients and optimize the use of health care resources.
It seems like an automatic gesture—fastening your seat belt before you drive off. But for many people with spinal cord injury, buckling up can be one of the most challenging parts of getting behind the wheel. Now, a new prototype device could make driving, and the independence it offers, easier. The Accessibelt device is the latest innovation coming out of the University of British Columbia’s Engineers in Scrubs program.
Social and emotional wellness has become a central focus of BC schools, and recent research shows gardening could be one of the tools in the toolbox to help support youth mental well-being.
