With the rising popularity of vitamins and supplements in the health product market, it’s important to be aware of their effects. Vancouver Coastal Health pathologists Drs. Morris Pudek and Sophia Wong, who recently published a paper describing the impact of biotin on laboratory test results, emphasize that caution is needed when taking any supplement.

For Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Heather McKay, it is all about scalability. McKay studies ways to improve senior’s health, mobility and social connectedness through physical activity. But it is one thing to study a small group in a controlled setting; it is quite another to scale-up those results more broadly in the real world. McKay says scalability is a crucial factor in successful research, especially when it comes to changing unhealthy behaviors into healthier ones at the population level.

Around 500 patients across Canada require reconstructive jaw surgery every year, mostly due to oral cancer. The surgery requires a high degree of precision, and in-house software and 3D printing technology could not only improve patient care but save health care dollars, according to research led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute physician Dr. Eitan Prisman. 

Cancer researcher Dr. Mads Daugaard knows first-hand how out-of-the-box thinking can lead to major discoveries. The Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute senior scientist was recognized with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award to support his investigations into childhood cancer treatments.

Dr. Patricia Mills, a Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute clinician-researcher, specializes in treating a condition that affects approximately 1 in 3 people who experience a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The condition, called problematic spasticity, is experienced as persistent muscle spasms that can result in a dramatic reduction in quality of life.

“For people with a spinal cord injury, problematic spasticity can be the biggest health challenge that they face.”

A new study co-authored by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Helen Tremlett finds people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an elevated risk of acute myocardial infarction, or AMI. AMI is the medical term for heart attack, caused when blood flow to the heart is blocked. The study, recently published in the journal Neurology, reviewed large population data sets from BC and Manitoba. It compared rates of AMI among people with MS to those in a larger general population.

On March 1, 2019, Dr. David Granville was appointed to the position of Associate Director of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI). In this role, he will oversee innovation and research activities within the VCH research community, including the internal awards program, medical animal facilities, Legacy Research Program, Centre for Heart and Lung Health and the Immunity and Infection Research Centre.

Aspiring health care professionals often hear that if you want a career in medicine, you can’t be squeamish about blood. But what about bad smells? For those who work in operating rooms (ORs) the odours that accompany surgeries can be more than a little off-putting. People use a variety of remedies to combat the bad smells, but there is little scientific evidence as to what is the most effective. A team of medical students, under the leadership of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist and plastic surgeon Dr.

From blogs to news sites to WebMD, health information is everywhere on the internet. And while it is easy to believe there is conflicting information about diets or exercise routines, one would think information on serious conditions, such as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis—a type of lung disease that can affect one’s ability to take in oxygen—would be accurate. Unfortunately, Dr. Chris Ryerson—along with co-authors Drs. Jolene Fisher, Darra O’Connor, Alana Flexman and Shane Shapera—found that’s not the case.

Hearing loss is a condition often associated with aging. In fact, it is estimated that 65 per cent of people over age 70 have significant hearing loss, which can cause difficulties socializing and going about daily activities. Hearing aids are currently the best solution for most hearing loss, but their cost may be deterring some patients from following through with recommendations to wear them.