A digital brain being designed by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) researchers could soon add another layer of precision to the challenging process of diagnosing and treating spinal cord injuries.

Around 60 to 70 patients with potentially life-altering spinal cord injuries visit Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) each day. Of these, 10 to 20 patients will have suspected injuries to their cervical spine (C-spine). 

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) supports innovation and improvements in health care through its Knowledge Translation Challenge, a program run in collaboration with Providence Health Care. This competition encourages health care practitioners to improve patient care by translating evidence and research findings into practice. The Knowledge Translation Challenge facilitates innovative research projects that advance patient care by partnering practitioners with researchers who provide knowledge translation mentorship and resources.

With current mortality rates ranging from 16 per cent for uterine cancer to 64 per cent for ovarian cancer, more than 3,600 women die from gynecologic cancers each year in Canada.

Meeting the health care needs of dynamic patient populations requires forward-thinking innovators. From curing disease to improving quality of life, researchers are at the forefront of medical advances that support the health and happiness of patients and their families. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is proud to contribute to visionary research with our annual Innovation and Translational Research Awards. This year’s five recipients are putting new knowledge into practice, implementing research outcomes and turning discoveries into commercial opportunities.

“People who come to us have symptoms so severe that they are not able to enjoy their life, work or relationships,” says Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute clinician-scientist Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez.

Gluten-free bakeries, restaurant menus and sections in grocery stores are becoming a more common sight across Canada. But is a gluten-free diet of any benefit to those who don’t suffer from celiac disease or gluten sensitivity? Vancouver Coastal Health registered dietitian Kiely Landrigan weighs in on the gluten-free diet trend.

Recent media coverage has raised awareness about the importance of human papilloma virus (HPV) testing and vaccination, but less attention has been paid to non-HPV forms of vulvar cancer. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) researchers have found that previous diagnostic approaches and less aggressive treatments resulted in worse, and often deadly, outcomes for women.

Vancouver, BC – Adverse drug events could be avoided by sharing patients’ medication histories and previous harmful medication exposures among various health care facilities. That’s one of the key findings of a study published July 18, 2019 in CMAJ Open. 

Led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Corinne Hohl, the study’s conclusions are a wake-up call to urgently find new approaches to better protect the health and safety of patients. 

A new study of traffic pollution and asthma shows Canada has higher rates of new childhood asthma cases than most of the world. While air pollution is generally worse in other countries like China and India, the study ranks Canada third in the world for rates of new childhood asthma cases caused by vehicle emissions.