Hats off to our three new Michael Smith Health Research BC (MSHRBC) Scholars at the School of Nursing, and our newest Michael Smith Health Professional Investigator (HPI).
September 17, 2024
With new funding from the 2024 competition, MSHRBC Scholars Dr. Drew Clark, Dr. Rubee Dev, and Dr. Leah Lambert will employ their research to break down barriers and address oversights and inequities, particularly in accessing innovative cancer care, among equity deserving groups, and regarding heart health for postpartum women.
Dr. Scott Ramsay will also employ his HPI funding to address equity issues and is focusing his research on children and youth in BC with neurological conditions.
We are excited to extend the School’s research scope in these areas, detailed below.
Congratulations to all, we could not be prouder!
Michael Smith Scholar Dr. Drew Clark Breaks Down Barriers to Care
“Healthcare ethics and health equity: Improving access to care through equity-focused ethical reasoning and participatory ethics."
Uncertainty about how to provide healthcare services ethically can create barriers to care, as access to care is slowed or stopped while ethical concerns are addressed. These barriers to care can affect the health of members of equity-deserving groups, such as people who use drugs and Two-Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary people. This research focuses on gaps in knowledge about unresolved ethical issues affecting equity-deserving groups in British Columbia. Ethical issues will be addressed by: designing and testing strategies to enhance ethical reasoning skills among health professionals; working with members of equity-deserving groups and health professionals to resolve ethical dilemmas; developing a new method for ethical analysis; and openly sharing resources and resolutions. It is anticipated that the ability of health professionals to respond to ethical dilemmas will be enhanced and access to care will improve for members of equity-deserving groups. Enhanced ethical reasoning and expanded access to ethical resolutions will change practice through reducing barriers to care and support evidence-based policy, while developing a participatory empirical ethical analysis method will support future research in healthcare ethics.
Michael Smith Scholar Dr. Rubee Dev Champions Cardiovascular Health in Women
“Optimization of cardiovascular health in postpartum women with reproductive and pregnancy-related risk factors”
Heart disease is the number one killer of women worldwide and the leading cause of premature death in Canada. In recent years, heart disease related death and illness has increased in women after childbirth. Besides well-known risk factors, women after childbirth face an additional burden of pregnancy-related risk such as high blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy, however, the risk often gets unrecognized in primary care. Though there are many risk prediction models, they are designed to predict risk in general population and do not take into account the reproductive risk factors that limits their use in women after childbirth. My program of research on Women’s Heart Health, aims to answer the following questions:
- What are the contribution of reproductive and pregnancy-related risk factors in predicting the heart disease risk in women after childbirth?
- What is the feasibility and acceptability of using risk prediction tool in primary care?
- What is the effectiveness of risk prediction tool in screening heart disease risk in women after childbirth?
The proposed local research in BC will aid in solving a problem in Canada by recommending a heart disease risk assessment and risk management of women after childbirth.
Michael Smith Scholar Dr. Leah Lambert Teams Up to Transform Cancer Care
“Advancing Equitable Cancer Care: An Innovative Approach to Transformative Action in BC”
In BC, some groups face unfair barriers in receiving adequate cancer care due to factors like racism, stigma, discrimination, poverty, mental health and substance use challenges, and/or disabilities. Over the next five years, my research aims to tackle these disparities. First, we will team up with people who know these issues firsthand to form a community-engaged research team. Together we will identify what research is most needed and lead innovative studies to address cancer-related inequities. Our primary focus involves developing a new approach to caring for cancer patients. We will create an equity model of care based on principles of equity-oriented healthcare, integrating trauma-informed care, cultural sensitivity, and strategies for addressing substance use health. Additionally, we will gather patient feedback to continually improve care quality. These new approaches will be piloted in specific cancer clinics to assess their effectiveness. Success means more equitable and improved cancer care for the diverse communities we serve in BC.
Michael Smith HPI Dr. Scott Ramsay Explores How Children Access Health Care
Using an equity-informed approach to enhance care for children and youth with a neurological condition in British Columbia
Neurological conditions are a major concern for children and youth, with the potential to affect both physical and mental health. These conditions occur as a result of injury, genetics, and exposures which disrupt the normal functions regulated by the nervous system. Despite the reported rates of neurological conditions in Canada, there are no current estimates of children and youth in British Columbia (BC) living with these conditions. Further, there is a lack of understanding on how this population accesses health care. Therefore, we want to quantify the rate of neurological conditions by exploring the current prevalence of in the BC pediatric population. Second, we will identify the barriers to accessing neurological care, focusing on the social determinants of health. Lastly, we seek to address inequities by investigating the implementation of nursing-led care (i.e., assessment, education, and intervention) for children waiting to access neurological care. This work is equity-oriented, with a focus on underserved groups. Research will be performed at UBC and BC Children’s Hospital with input from key stakeholders across BC to enact knowledge translation, seeking to inform practice and create system level interventions.
