Dr. Sarah Henderson and her team have been awarded funds to study how exposure to forest fire impacts outcomes during pregnancy and early life.

Dr. William Hsiao and his team have been awarded funding to conduct a pilot study examining the replacement of one method of genomic sequencing of influenza samples with another, that ultimately may help inform whether seasonal influenza vaccines are being reformulated in a timely enough manner to be effective.

Dr. Inna Sekirov and her research team have been granted funds for a study to determine if a particular TB test is more effective than another currently in use, that may also be a better indicator of whether it is an active or latent infection.

Dr. Michael Otterstatter has been awarded travel funds for a team member for Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute) International User Conference.

For BCCDC Faculty interested in applying for funding, be sure to watch your email inboxes in late August for the announcement of the fall competition; the next round of applications will be reviewed in October 2018. To see some of our past research successes, click through to our main research page on our website, or you can review all posts in this blog for other successful OAP applications by clicking on the Open Awards Program category.

The post Open Awards Program: Four Successful Applications for Spring 2018 Competition appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Dr. Agatha Jassem and her team will be working on the Genomic Analysis of Influenza A Viruses by Target-Capture Sequencing project. This project will compare the performance of a novel next generation sequencing (NGS) technology for influenza subtyping to the current PCR subtyping method and Sanger sequencing that is practiced at BCCDC. NGS can be combined with a target-capture method for sequencing that produces more sensitive, accurate and comprehensive results to influenza detection and characterization. The research aims to improve assay technologies and as a result, advance influenza surveillance and diagnostics.

Dr. Mark Gilbert and his team will be working on formative research for a BC-specific STI and HIV personalized risk self-assessment (PRS) tool. The project recognizes the recent shift to online self-care in healthcare and the variety of existing PRS tools available.  Dr. Gilbert and his team will perform the groundwork research on the usability and acceptability of a PRS tool prototype designed using clinical predictive rules (CPRs) created by BCCDC and UBC researchers. The CPRs target individuals at high risk for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STIBBI).  The aim of the project is to improve the current PRS tool to maximize its acceptability and effectiveness at promoting the uptake of STIBBI prevention strategies.

Dr. Roy Purssell and his team will be working on the Opioid Prescribing Evaluation and Research Activities (OPERA) project. In response to the recent public health emergency alert that was announced in February 2016 regarding the increase in illicit drug overdose deaths, the need for an evaluation of the current prevention and treatment for illicit drug users is apparent.  Dr. Purssell and his team will evaluate the association between the “supply side” interventions to decrease adverse drug events due to prescription opioids and accidental illicit drug overdose deaths. The aim of the project is to determine if the increase in illicit drug deaths is related to physicians prescribing smaller amounts of strong pain relievers (opioids).

Dr. Mark Tyndall and his team are working on developing a mobile application for data collection targeted for young adults. This project recognizes the gaps in research and surveillance data for young adults in BC and Canada due to changing patterns of technology and environment. As young adults are at a critical period to target for disease prevention and health promotion, Dr. Tyndall and his team are developing a novel engagement and data collection tool in the form of a mobile phone application that could help address a key national and provincial gap in research and surveillance for this demographic.  The project aims to develop and test feasibility, relevance and acceptability of a multi-platform mobile application for data collection from young adults that will work towards bridging this gap in research and surveillance.

Dr. Debra Kent and her team are working on a project integrating wildlife and environmental data for public health purposes. Due to reports of high levels of toxins in BC shellfish last summer, there is a concern for populations in BC that engage in self-harvesting of wild shellfish or consume large quantities of shellfish are at high risk of serious toxic exposures.  Dr. Kent and her team are developing a way to evaluate data collected on environmental factors, wildlife mortality events or unusual findings to use as indicators for potential public health risks.  The project includes a one-day workshop that brings together marine scientists, First Nation representatives, public health, provincial and federal stakeholders to explore the available sources of data and the most effective way to identify risks using the information available.

The BCCDC Foundation is proud to help BCCDC researchers through small grants that support projects advancing Public Health in BC. It is our goal at the BCCDC Foundation to enable researchers to obtain further support from other agencies. Congratulations once again to the researchers and their teams, we are looking forward to seeing the outcomes of these innovative projects!

Stay tuned for the next BCCDC Foundation Open Awards Program, to be launched in August and with a deadline of October 1^st, 2016.

The post BCCDC Foundation Open Awards Programs Funds Five New Projects! appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Dr. Brunham, who is the former Executive and Scientific Director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, was integral in establishing the BCCDC Foundation in 2004, and in building it into a key partner of the BCCDC over the past decade. He remains an Advisory Member of the Board of Directors and we are lucky to have his expertise at our fingertips.

Dr Brunham is Head of the Vaccine Research Laboratory at the University of British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and is an international expert on infectious diseases and well known for his research on Chlamydia, SARS and HIV. He led BC’s response in the 2003 SARS crisis, as well as the avian influenza outbreak and the second wave of pandemic H1N1.

Congratulations to Dr. Brunham on this achievement!

The post Dr Robert Brunham Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.