Each year, about 3,000 people in Canada are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. With symptoms that are vague and easily mistaken for less serious health issues, it can be difficult to detect in its early stages. As a result, many people receive their diagnosis when the disease is already advanced. 

A new implantable tissue monitoring technology could be a gamechanger for complex head and neck reconstructive surgery, as well as other surgeries. Developed by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) researchers Drs. Babak Shadgan and Donald Anderson, the microvascular free tissue transfer Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (FTT-NIRS) sensor system could reduce the number of revision surgeries needed for invasive skin flap transplants.

Now retired from working as a project manager in the tech industry, Margaret Hanson’s active lifestyle is intimidating. The 68-year-old rock climbs, mountain climbs, hikes, skis, goes on backpacking trips — mainly with her husband of 18 years, Tony — and still seems to have energy to spare. However, in December 2016, just nine months after celebrating her retirement, Hanson received news that no one ever wants to hear.

Kidney stone disease has been on the rise in Canada over the past 25 years and researchers believe that the gut microbiome is at least partly to blame. The condition affects between six to 12 per cent of Canadian adults, with around 50 per cent of these individuals experiencing recurrent kidney stones. 

A new Coastal Program for Rare Inflammatory Diseases (Coastal Program) at Vancouver Coastal Health is establishing a network of experts to help patients in desperate need of an effective medication to treat their conditions. Led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr.

A new study led by Dr. Helen Tremlett, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher and professor in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, sheds light on the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). Published in JAMA Network Open and with funding from the National MS Society and MS Canada, the research team found that the disease process may begin up to 15 years before characteristic symptoms used to make a diagnosis appear. 

It is a moment that Virginia Chiu will never forget. A passenger in a car-totalling accident, Chiu was rushed to the nearby Richmond Hospital emergency department. 

“I remember waiting on the hospital bed, hooked up to so many machines and not feeling well,” recalls Chiu, who has lived in Richmond, B.C., her entire life. The injury, which occurred in the mid-2000s, ended up being non-life-threatening, although Chiu was left with a lingering knee injury.

As Canada’s aging population continues to grow, so does the demand for innovative solutions to enhance the care and quality of life for older adults. At the forefront of this technological shift is Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Lillian Hung, whose new study explored the potential of social robots to support well-being among residents of long-term care homes.