Research

Sharing is caring – app aims to fill gaps in health-data infrastructure

Vaccination records in Canada have long been fragmented and decentralized, dragging the country's pandemic response capabilities with it. The digital immunization records sharing app, CANImmunize, takes a stab at filling these vital gaps in Canada's health data infrastructure.

Overdiagnosis: Good intentions gone bad

Overdiagnosis is a problem that's been recognized for decades, but in the last 10 years research has proven that early detection does not always mean better outcomes. Overdiagnosis can sometimes cause physical, psychological or financial harm. But there are things that both physicians and patients can do to help prevent it.

Medical benefits from cannabis? Still waiting for proof

Today may be April 20, a renowned cannabis counterculture holiday, but four years into legalization we still don't have reliable data about the medical benefits of marijuana.

‘Transformation’ in health care depends on leaders’ people skills

The true challenge of transformation is the need for leaders to see it not as simply a cumulation of changes, reforms or innovations but as a process of collective people change, regardless of the role one plays in health care.

Fear of the unknown: Parents want information and transparency when deciding to vaccinate their children

Through interviews and focus groups held with parents of kids 5 to 11 years old, Health Commons Solutions Lab learned about their motivations, beliefs and questions when it comes to vaccinating their kids – and what resources they need.

A shortcut to immunity: St. Joe’s clinic saving lives through early-stage COVID-19 treatment

Could monoclonal antibody therapy help shore up health-care system capacity by stopping COVID-19 in its tracks among the unvaccinated and immunocompromised? A pilot program is hoping to do just that.

Study debunks ‘women choose to work less’ myth behind health-care pay gap

A recent Ontario Medical Association reaffirmed that male doctors in Ontario are paid 13.5 per cent more per day than women, and it highlights where the issue is most acute: for example, in the supposedly gender-blind fee-for-service payment system.

How scientific evidence evolves: A case study on COVID-19 in pregnancy

Pregnant people are at higher risk of severe COVID-19. This is a well-established fact. But it hasn’t always been. Earlier on, experts did not believe this group was at higher risk. This change in perspective is normal: in fact, it's how science works.

​​Professor’s NOVID app turns contact tracing into a safety game

If you get contact-traced because you've been near someone infected with a contagious disease, it’s too late to protect yourself. You isolate to protect others. But a new app aims to fight outbreaks using our desire to protect ourselves. Here's how.

Smart bras, molecular imaging and genome sequencing: Innovations take on breast cancer

What if a bra, taking images like an MRI, could detect breast cancer? With recent technological innovations, there may soon be cheap, non-invasive ways to screen people for breast cancer in their own homes.

It’s time to transition to an era of genomic medicine

It’s time we make genome sequencing a standard-of-care clinical test to usher in the next era of health care and help us tackle the unknown.

Are pharmacists really the most accessible health-care providers?

Pharmacists claim to be the most accessible health-care providers – but recent research has found that pharmacies in Alberta are often not very accessible to people with disabilities or mobility issues.

In Case You Missed It: Episode 27 – Rapid Fire Cardiovascular Disease!

Health Canada’s controversial ‘regulatory sandbox’: Enabling innovation or lowering the bar for safety?

Health Canada has a controversial plan for regulating new, complex health tech. Instead of the old vetting and approval process, a company and the agency would decide the standards as they go. Does this enable innovation or put patient safety at risk?

To eliminate food insecurity, we must dismantle anti-Black racism

A recent study broke down how race is connected to factors that lead to food insecurity. The findings point to anti-Black racism as the underlying reason for the disparity in food insecurity between Black and white Canadians.

‘We are not that great’: Gain-of-function research highlights our hubris

Gain-of-function research entails modifying pathogens in ways that can make them more dangerous. The pandemic shows us what the fallout of such research could look like.

Episode 27 – Rapid Fire Cardiovascular Disease!

Episode 26 – Rapid Fire Metabolic Syndrome!

Recent stem cell transplant raises hope for sickle cell cure

A recent stem cell transplant has cured a man of sickle cell disease, raising hopes among patient advocates. However, they emphasize that, for now, improving care for most patients requires removing racist barriers in health care.

The learning health system: An R and D department for local solutions

Health-care organizations don’t usually have R&D departments; instead, researchers typically apply for grants for one-off studies. That’s a problem—but one that could be changing.