As research tools improve, scientists are uncovering new genetic links to disease. Vancouver Coastal Health research scientist Dr. Kurt Haas and his team are trying to find the genetic origins of autism. Together with a larger group of scientists at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, they are designing new technologies to tackle this problem. But they have a long road ahead of them—Haas says it is hard to imagine a more difficult research challenge.
It’s being called the future of health care. Precision, or personalized, medicine based on a patient’s individual genetic profile, is revolutionizing treatment and diagnosis of disease. VCHRI Research Scientist Dr. Paul Keown and his colleagues have big plans to play a pivotal role in this genetic revolution. Their focus is on immune disease and transplantation.
Canada’s Food Guide is being updated for the first time in over a decade, and evidence-based research is taking centre stage. Kathy Romses, a public health dietitian with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), is one of the experts who provided input into the revised guidelines. In honour of World Food Day on October 16 and the new guide, which will be released in 2018/2019, we asked Romses about how technology, new research on healthy eating and awareness about environmental sustainability are playing a bigger role in our modern eating habits.
When a disease is very rare, it’s hard for researchers to find enough patients to conduct meaningful studies. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) research scientist Dr. Bonita Sawatzky is all too familiar with this challenge. Dr. Sawatzky studies people with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), a rare condition that affects the development of nerves and muscles very early before these children are born, resulting in conditions such as clubfoot, stiff knee or hips and/or weakened arms. People with AMC often require multiple surgeries and therapy interventions.
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) supports health improvements and innovation through its Knowledge Translation Challenge. This competition challenges health practitioners to translate research discoveries and evidence into everyday practice to improve patient care. The challenge brings together practitioners who do not have knowledge translation experience with researchers who provide knowledge translation mentorship and resources. The Knowledge Translation Challenge facilitates innovative research projects with direct application to advances in patient care.
A stunning 30 per cent of health care spending in Canada may be wasted on services that are either ineffective or harmful. That’s the conclusion of many health care analysts. The solution? A better understanding of human psychology. This unique approach is at the core of the upcoming annual public lecture at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation (C2E2). The feature speaker is Steven Lewis, a health policy analyst and consultant.
Can keeping up with your walking regimen protect your brain from the effects of aging? Dr. John Best, a researcher with Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, and his colleagues found good evidence that maintaining a walking routine can have protective effects on the physical structures and functionality of the brain.
Wearable fitness trackers are great motivators to meet fitness goals—but they don’t work the same for everyone. The people most in need of motivation—patients with chronic disease that can be improved with exercise—have different needs from fitness devices than healthy people. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) research scientist Dr. Linda Li is figuring out how to reap the benefits of fitness trackers while overcoming their limitations. She tested the Fitbit wearable with a variety of arthritis patients and conducted focus groups on their experience.
While campfires have been banned across BC this summer, many are unaware of the significant risk of burns from BBQs and other sources. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) research scientist and plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Papp wants people to become more aware of a dangerous type of burn called accelerant burns. These burns are caused when using products like gasoline, propane, or butane to start BBQs and bonfires, burn garbage and even manufacture drugs.
Needle phobia is very real for many people, and the thought of immunizations, or having blood drawn, can send them into a panic. But for transgender (trans) males, that is, individuals who were born considered female but self-identify on the male spectrum, regular injections of testosterone deep into muscle are a necessary pain as part of gender affirming therapy.
