The Centre for Clinical Epidemiology (C2E2) – one of the major research centres under Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) – officially launches its revamped website in January 2014. The new site offers better communication with the larger research community and highlights C2E2’s dedication to research, training, and knowledge translation that delivers the most effective health care to British Columbians.
Although managing chronic disease can be done best by adjusting daily habits, making those adjustments without proper supports often proves challenging. A study at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) demonstrates the positive effects of providing such supports in the form of a cook book, cooking classes, and fitness instruction to patients with chronic kidney disease.
A patient interview revealing many difficult years of trial-and-error in self-managing bipolar disorder piqued Dr. Erin Michalak’s interest in the notion of lived experience as knowledge. Dr. Michalak is one of the lead investigators for a current study at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) that explores personal experiences coping with bipolar disorder. The study aims to use lived experiences to develop a catalogue of effective self-management strategies.
According to a study by the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility (CHHM), foreign-born visible minority older adults in South Vancouver are meeting their daily physical recommendations despite multiple health challenges, including arthritis, osteoporosis, and visual impairments.
While the goal of a clinical trial is ultimately to unlock the potential of new therapies and treatments that will result in improved quality of lives and lives saved, the additional economic benefits of such programs are substantial and shouldn’t be overlooked.
As 2013 wraps up, the promise of a new year brings with it the possibility of more research audits. Fortunately, a variety of programs and resources are offered through VCHRI to better prepare VCHRI researchers.
“Making educational resources accessible – for example, they’re free of charge or available online – is an essential way in which we support our research community,” says Kerri Abramson, VCHRI coordinator of research education and internal awards. “We’re here to help staff prepare for audits and answer any questions they may have before, during, or after the process.”
In addition to hockey playoffs, Canadian men now have another reason to grow and show off their facial hair: Movember. The month of November is being dubbed “Movember” in more countries around the world every year to raise money for prostate cancer research and raise awareness about the disease and other men’s health issues.
Although the intensity or size of magnetic resonance waves that an MRI scanner collects to create an image has typically been considered the most valuable part of a scan, the frequency of the magnetic resonance (MR) signal has proven even more telling in a study of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
