From emergency room intake to home health, VCH staff are conducting practice-based research with the support of experienced research mentors.

Every year, the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) Research Challenge gives front-line staff and clinicians the tools, funding and mentorship to lead research projects. By pairing point-of-care Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) health care providers with experienced VCHRI researchers, the program helps transform real-world questions into evidence-based answers to improve patient care.

The 2025 Research Challenge recipients show how curiosity, collaboration and mentorship can spark meaningful change while inspiring others to take their first steps into research.

Enhancing support for emergency nurses
Bahar Ahmadi, a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Lions Gate Hospital, saw her colleagues overwhelmed by the pace of intake. With her mentor, Dr. Nassim Adhami from the UBC School of Nursing, Bahar is doing a study to improve urgent care training and strengthen new nurse mentorship.

“As an emergency nurse working in patient intake, I noticed firsthand that newly trained emergency nurses often struggle to adapt to the unique demands of this fast-paced environment,” shares Ahmadi. “Through conversations with colleagues and an informal department survey, I recognized a critical gap that needed to be addressed through research to improve both staff support and patient care outcomes.” 

“I hope this project will help inform evidence-based improvements to new nurse training and mentorship models within emergency departments, encouraging future clinical nurses to pursue research as a tool for driving positive, patient-centered change in their practice environments,” says Adhami.

Reducing anxiety in MRI reporting
At Richmond Hospital, surgeon Dr. Fay Leung regularly sees patients distressed by confusing MRI results. Together with mentor Dr. Bonita Sawatzky from the Department of Orthopaedics at UBC, she is exploring how medical language impacts patients — and the importance of clear communication when sharing medical information.

“While patients wait to access specialist care to review their MRI reports, they are left grappling with unfamiliar, technical language that can be distressing,” says Leung. “The aim of this study is to better understand how the language used in MRI reporting affects patients psychologically, with the ultimate goal of promoting more accessible, patient-centered terminology that minimizes unnecessary distress.”

“Clinicians have the opportunity to build strong, trusting relationships with patients — relationships that can serve as a foundation for integrating the patient voice into research,” Sawatzy says. “When clinicians involve patients as co-creators, they elevate the relevance, impact and equity of research, driving improvements that are not only evidence-based, but deeply human-centered.” 

Breath-tracking protocols for patients who use opioids 
At Vancouver General Hospital, clinical mentor Claire Meggs noticed that staff were not consistently using breath-tracking technology, called end-tidal capnography, to monitor patients who use opioids. With mentor and emergency medicine researcher Dr. Jessica Moe, Meggs is investigating approaches to consistently integrate end-tidal capnography into emergency care that will save lives. 

“While supporting nurses in the emergency department, I realized that there was a gap in understanding the appropriate use of end-tidal capnography, particularly when caring for people who use opioids,” states Meggs. “Despite being an important tool and readily available, its use was inconsistent, and many staff were unclear about when it should be applied. This led to a conversation about developing policies or guidelines for the integration of this tool into emergency care for people using opioids.” 

“Some of the best ideas for improving clinical practice come from clinicians, and I am committed to supporting research that is directly driven by and impactful to clinical care,” says Moe. “I look forward to helping the team navigate the scientific process and connecting them with decision-makers and networks of people with lived experience of substance use to translate our findings into meaningful clinical protocols and policies.”

Enhancing physiotherapy access at home for older adults
Physiotherapy program leader Angela White wondered how physiotherapy assistants could better support home health care. With mentor, Dr. Débora Petry-Moecke, White is examining how to optimize team-based care for older adults.

“My background in community care prompted a deeper curiosity about the utilization of physiotherapy assistants in home health, particularly given the unique challenges of unregulated providers working in clients’ homes under indirect supervision,” notes White. “Given the growing demands on the home health sector, this research is timely and relevant, and is designed to help inform strategies to strengthen team-based care.”

“By identifying barriers and facilitators to effective collaboration, I see this project as an opportunity to inform system-level change,” Petry-Moecke says. “It aims to align front-line experiences with broader health care priorities, such as workforce optimization and improved access to community-based rehabilitation.”

Submit your idea to the 2026 Research Challenge

The VCHRI Research Challenge is open to health care professionals, staff and clinicians who are new to research. The program fosters curiosity and collaboration, and champions projects designed to make a tangible difference in patient care.

Apply to the 2026 Research Challenge by 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Monday, November 10, 2025.
 

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