NEWS & UPDATES
Family relationships sustain us
Produced by the SK LTC Network in partnership with SPA-LTC, 2021
The SK LTC Network is a group of family members, researchers, clinicians, and trainees that contribute evidence- and experience- informed strategies to support long-term care stakeholders.
Strengthening a Palliative Approach in Long-Term Care (https://spaltc.ca) is an approach that emphasizes quality of life for people with life-limiting illnesses living in long-term care. This approach emphasizes strong resident, family, and staff communication about the needs of the whole person.
SK LTC Network and SPA-LTC worked in partnership to produce this video as a reminder of the significance of family relationships to health and wellbeing. We share the belief that fostering strong resident, family, staff, and decision-maker relationships is integral to the pandemic response and recovery process.
Picker Gold Challenge Grants for Residency Training
The Picker Gold Graduate Medical Education (GME) Challenge Grant Program provides 18-month grants to support the research and development of innovative projects within the graduate medical education setting, designed to facilitate successful patient-centered care initiatives. Our goal is to help physicians incorporate practices that bring patient needs and wishes into the center of all healthcare interactions.
Click here to learn more. Application Deadline: May 12, 2020
SCPOR and University of Regina Call for Trainee Funding
The University of Regina and SCPOR are pleased to announce an opportunity to apply for matching trainee funding. The purpose of these awards are to provide support to Undergraduate, Masters and PhD students, and to faculty supervisors from the University of Regina who demonstrate a passion for patient-oriented research.
Application Deadline: April 24, 2021. Click to learn more and apply.
KT Canada Virtual Scientific Meeting
The 2021 KT Canada Virtual Scientific Meeting is less than three weeks away!
Theme: Developing and evaluating KT interventions for a complex health system
Date: May 5-7, 2021
You can find registration info, program at a glance and the current meeting agenda here.
The link to register is here.
Highlights:
Plenary talks from Drs France Légaré (Université Laval), Carl May (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) & Michael Strong (Canadian Institutes for Health Research)
Panel discussions on:
Ethics considerations in KT science & practice
SGBA+ considerations in KT science & practice
Workshop comparing IKT with engaged scholarship, mode 2 research, co-production, and participatory research
Access to some of the latest KT research happening nationally and internationally
SCPOR Newsletter: April 2021
Click here to learn about news, events and stories taking place at SCPOR and within patient-oriented research.
SCPOR Newsletter: March 2021
Learn about SCPOR supports, services and upcoming events throughout the POR network! Click here for the March 2021 SCPOR Newsletter.
Research Innovation & Scholarship in Education (RISE)
The University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine Faculty Development is pleased to invite you to submit abstracts for their annual Research Innovation and Scholarship in Education (RISE) event on June 11, 2021. RISE will be held virtually. Submission Deadline: March 21, 2021. Click here to learn more!
SCPOR 2019/20 Annual Report
SCPOR had a lot going on in 2019/20! Learn more about who we are and what we do as you browse through the highlights of our past fiscal year! Click here to view the full report.
SCPOR Newsletter: February 2021
Learn what’s new and coming up at SCPOR! This month, we take a look at the past fiscal year, share some upcoming training opportunities and feature great work taking place in patient-oriented research! Click here to read the newsletter
Helping health research advance in a good way
Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan and across Canada play an important role in health research. With the support and direction of SCPOR’s Indigenous Health Advisory Council, a new training course: Realizing Indigenous Rights and Responsibilities in Research (RIRRR), was developed to support this research by educating and promoting self-determination of Indigenous communities when engaging in health research. SCPOR, along with the Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre recently hosted its first session and is now offering online sessions for communities, researchers, patients and more. Initial feedback has been positive, with one participant stating that RIRRR “helped to enforce the importance of building partnerships and benefits to the community.” SCPOR encourages continued respectful research relationships with Indigenous communities through courses like RIRRR.
University of Saskatchewan: Respiratory Research Centre Presentations
Fall Sleep Apnea Series: A Patient's Journey
Join on Thursday, November 19th from 2 - 3:15 pm for the first workshop of our fall series to address obstructive sleep apnea. This session will take a look at the sleep disorder from the patient perspective. Q&A will follow the presentaion from Dave Parkalub, OSA patient and Community Engagement Manager for the Saskatchewan Lung Association.
Fall Sleep Apnea Series: Your Questions Answered Part 1
The second fall sleep apnea session to be held on Thursday, November 26th from 2:00 - 3:15 pm will include a presentation from Dr. Robert Skomro, MD, FRCPC, Professor, and Respirologist in the Department of Respirology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. Dr. Skomro will address questions submitted from more than 800 patients, caregivers and clinicians that were submitted during our spring survey on sleep apnea in Saskatchewan.
This is the first of a two-part session to answer some of the common questions patients had about the sleep disorder and proper management and treatment. Q&A will be held following the presentation.
TUTOR-PHC: Call for Applications from Primary Healthcare Research Trainees
TUTOR-PHC is a one-year, pan-Canadian interdisciplinary research capacity building program that has been training primary and integrated health care researchers and decision-makers from family medicine, nursing, psychology, epidemiology, occupational therapy, social work, education, policy and many other disciplines since 2003.
This innovative one-year certificate program (May 2021 –April 2022) in primary health care research skills and interdisciplinary theory and processes includes:
An on-site Symposium in the Spring of 2021 (*Virtual if COVID-19 protocols still in effect)
Two 3-week online research skill development workshops
Two 8-week online interdisciplinary discussion groups
Deadline for Applications: November 30, 2020For more information, updates, and to apply to TUTOR-PHC 2021-2022, go to: www.uwo.ca/fammed/csfm/tutor-phc
Summer News from SCPOR
Want to learn more about patient-oriented research? Take a look at what we've been up to this summer and what events we have coming up! Check out our newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/6091dc1eb155/scpor-newsletter-august
Best Practices for Virtual Patient Engagement
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted many patient engagement activities in health research online. The following practices offer strategies for research teams to uphold the values and principles set out in Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research while patient partners #stayhome.
The SPOR Evidence Alliance 2020 Seed Grant Competition
The SPOR Evidence Alliance has launched the 2020 Seed Grant opportunity. Application will remain open until October 4th: https://bit.ly/30zTCX8
Life Beyond Trauma
Research Program for Parents of Neurodiverse Children
SCPOR is pleased to share this opportunity from a SPOR-funded research team based out of Centre for Research in Family Health in Halifax.
To participate in the survey, visit: https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=FRTCNX7FTR.
To learn more about the trauma-focused e-health program, visit www.lifebeyondtrauma.ca
Patient-Oriented Research in the Time of COVID-19
Patient-Oriented Research in the Time of COVID-19
A new reality exists for all of us involved in POR—patients, researchers, clinicians, communities and policy makers. COVID-19 has challenged us personally and professionally and a deliberate response is needed to acknowledge the strategies we require to address the new POR landscape in Saskatchewan. SCPOR’s statement below on the current situation indicates we are dedicated to ensuring patients remained engaged as always in the research they identify as necessary in the province.
SCPOR Statement:______________________________________________________
SCPOR has responded with a summer COVID-19 traineeship call, which will specifically engage students in COVID-19 research over the university summer break. Four traineeships are available and will be awarded May 22, 2020.
We also would like to share the considerable work done by our fellow SPOR units across the country. Several of the units of have generated invaluable resources particular to POR and COVID-19, which the BC SPOR unit has compiled. The BC SPOR Unit link below includes information on virtual tools for PE, virtual tools for collaboration, a list of relevant resources and links to training opportunities.
https://bcsupportunit.ca/virtual-tools-por-during-covid-19
Similarly, the MB SPOR Unit has produced a webinar on Methods for Engaging Remotely Asynchronously and our partner the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council has produced several useful webinars on virtual engagement as well.
https://hqc.sk.ca/news-events/qi-power-hour-webinars
Across the pond, Simon Denegri Executive Director of the Academy of Medical Sciences, has written an extensive blog entry highlighting not only the need for PE in COVID-19 but several useful links to furthering POR during this time.
We hope these opportunities and links are useful, and provide helpful resources for continued POR during the COVID-19 pandemic as we strive to ensure POR remains a vital part of the Saskatchewan COVID-19 response.
The SCPOR Team
COVID-19 Update
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide-spread impact on the patient partners, researchers, trainees, and decision makers, which SCPOR supports.
SCPOR's priority during this challenging time is the health and wellbeing of the individuals that SCPOR supports and interacts with. We recognize the urgent need to keep patient partners, researchers, trainees, students, decision makers and SCPOR staff safe. As such, we want to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 by limiting close contact with others at this time. Due to current conditions and risks associated with the COVID-19 outbreak all physical SCPOR offices are closed until further notice; however, we will continue to provide support remotely.
With the support and input of SCPOR’s Patient Partner Advisory Council, SCPOR has drafted further information for our various partners and stakeholders.
Message to Patient Partners
Patient Partners are encouraged to consider their personal circumstances and reflect on the extent that they would like to be involved in research projects. SCPOR understands that everyone will respond differently to the current circumstances and supports an individual’s decision to focus on their wellbeing during these uncertain times. We understand that some patient partners may need to take a step back from research activities during the pandemic, while others may have more time to be involved. Our main concern is your health. Please be led by your own needs at this time knowing that you have the full support of the SCPOR team.
If you are interested in being involved in COVID-19 research we will be posting opportunities that we come across to our Patient and Researcher Connection Site (P&RCS).
Message to Research Teams
In order to protect members of research teams, as well as the public, we recommend that all research teams follow the guidelines developed by their host organizations and adhere to the provincial and federal governments’ public health measures. Links to the Provincial and Federal public health measures are listed below:
Throughout this time, we expect that a substantial amount of research will continue to be conducted remotely. We request that research teams do not meet with patient partners in-person and limit all communications and collaborations with patient partners to remote correspondence.
Researchers are also asked to acknowledge that some patient partners may need to step back from research projects in order to focus on their own health and wellness while others may wish to continue with current engagement or increase their involvement from what was originally planned. We ask that researchers please take the time to check in with patient partners.
Message to Trainees
We understand that the current circumstances may complicate trainee projects. SCPOR will continue to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our trainees and patient partners. We are committed to working with you to adapt your project understanding that modes of patient engagement and research methodologies may change at this time. If your project is impacted by COVID-19, please contact SCPOR at the e-mail at the bottom of this message to discuss how we may mitigate any disruptions.
Support
We remain committed to providing services for all those that SCPOR supports. You can still contact the SCPOR team members via email, but they will all be working from home. We look forward to maintaining our usual level of support for the research community and finding ways to adapt to the needs of research teams. We will continue to share training opportunities through our usual channels, such as the SCPOR website and Twitter.
Project Timelines
SCPOR understands and appreciates the challenges being posed by COVID-19 and the implications for project timelines. We want to ensure the research teams we support have the opportunity to deliver impact through the full and successful completion of projects. As such, we will strive to be as flexible as possible, and we will communicate as soon as further information is received from the funding organizations which we work with, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF).
Data Platform
If you are a research team currently receiving support from the Data Platform and have concerns regarding the impact COVID-19 may have on your project, please contact SCPOR via the email address listed below to discuss how we can help.
In the meantime, be safe and stay healthy.
SCPOR
SCPOR Contact Information:
E-mail: SCPOR@usask.ca
Phone: 306-966-2550
Please contact by e-mail when possible as staff are working remotely.
Dr. Linzi Williamson is awarded a CIHR POR Transition to Leadership Award!
SCPOR is delighted to celebrate the success of Dr. Linzi Williamson, Post-Doctoral Trainee, on her Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Patient-Oriented Research Transition to Leadership award! SCPOR has supported Dr. Williamson in two research endeavors; her doctoral degree project “Examining the Stigma and Stereotypes Related to Involuntarily Childless Women Using the Stereotype Content Model and Weiner’s Attribution Affect Action Model”, and a second on-going post-doctoral project “Assessing the Effects of Therapy and Service Dogs in Individual Well-Being”.
Linzi’s research exemplifies patient engaged research as she empowers patients to take an active role in the research process. An excellent example of this is the Knowledge Translation event she cohosted with a patient partner at the Saskatchewan Research Day in 2019. Linzi and her patient partner presented their team’s preliminary results on “A pilot test of the effect of psychiatric service dogs on PTSD symptoms and problematic substance use among a sample of Canadian Veterans” to health researchers across the province. As part of her SCPOR traineeship, Linzi has demonstrated her ability to successfully prioritize patient engagement while maintaining scientific rigour in her studies. We believe that Linzi will serve as an excellent patient-oriented research mentor as she pursues her CIHR award and furthers her patient-oriented research career.
On behalf of SCPOR, congratulations Linzi!