A head trauma is often a physically and mentally debilitating event that can take people away from their daily routines, including work. Around one in four mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBIs) in adults occur in the workplace, yet little was known about how workplace MTBIs differ from non-workplace MTBIs. Research led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Noah Silverberg is shedding new light on treatment gaps in the care of injured workers.
For years many clinicians and researchers theorized that statins—a cholesterol lowering medication that can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by between 25-35 per cent—were toxic to tendons and could increase the risk of tendon rupture. But new findings from a pioneering study led by Dr. Alex Scott, a Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute investigator, prove otherwise.
“Our study reassures patients with high cholesterol that taking statins should not have a negative impact on their Achilles tendons.”
British Columbia is in the midst of an overdose epidemic with more than 100 people dying each month. In an effort to save lives, community groups and health providers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside now operate several overdose prevention sites (OPS)—places where users can consume drugs safely, under supervision. And while opioid overdoses have been disproportionately impacting men, those spaces need to be welcoming for women as well in order to address the unique harms they experience as a result of their substance use.
When people think of spinal cord injury (SCI) they tend to focus on paralysis and body movement. But post-injury, the biggest health risk is actually cardiovascular disease— it’s the number one cause of disability and death in people with SCI. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientists at ICORD (The International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries) are focusing on cardiovascular problems in SCI patients, in particular their inability to regulate blood pressure (BP). They’re especially interested in how BP dysregulation is linked to cognitive impairment.
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. Click here for more information.
It has been a decade since I stepped into my leadership role with VCHRI, and not a day has gone by during this time that I was not immensely proud and impressed with the dedication, tenacity and innovative spirit of our team of researchers, clinicians and staff. Since 2008, I have witnessed monumental growth in research capacity across Vancouver Coastal Health, as well as countless impactful discoveries that are changing the face of health care not only here in BC, but across the globe.
Given the hectic and often distraction-heavy lives many of us lead, it is no surprise that mindfulness practices are increasing in popularity. Mindfulness is now practiced in schools, in workplaces and by countless people around the world. To learn why, we got in touch with Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute clinician-scientist Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez.
