CENTRE FOR HEALTH EVALUATION & OUTCOME SCIENCES
Connecting the dots between research and the real world
Annual Report 2020–2021
2020:
The Year of Adaptation
This year was unlike any other. It demanded flexibility, humility and resilience from everyone around the world. As a group of research professionals, not only did we have to adapt to the daily changes necessitated by the realities of the pandemic, we also needed to quickly respond to the shifting research landscape as it was both constrained and accelerated by COVID-19. We are proud of our achievements this year, most notably how our researchers and staff met these monumental challenges with creativity and innovation.
About the Centre
WHAT WE DO
The Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS) conducts high-quality research to inform changes to the health care system. As a collaboration between cross-disciplinary scientists, clinicians, and expert research staff, we bridge the gap between data, research, and care to evaluate the effectiveness of health interventions at the population level to improve health outcomes for all.
Established in 1998, the Centre is jointly affiliated with the Providence Health Care Research Institute (PHCRI) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine, and is housed in a teaching and research hospital in the heart of Vancouver, Canada.
WHO WE ARE
Our Vision
Bridging evidence and care to transform the health system and improve health outcomes for all.
Our Mission
Through interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship of emerging health researchers, we produce and translate high-quality evidence that informs health care from the individual to the system level.
Our Values
COLLABORATION: We forge meaningful partnerships with researchers, health care professionals, people with lived experience, community-based organizations, and system-level decision-makers.
ORGANIZATIONAL INTEGRITY: We strive to uphold the highest principles for the conduct of research that is designed to improve the well-being of all people.
SCIENTIFIC RIGOR: We identify and address relevant and meaningful research questions from many perspectives through the rigorous application of appropriate and innovative scientific methods at all stages of research.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION: We are dedicated to the promotion and practice of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace and in the research that we conduct.
RESEARCH SNAPSHOT
Our investigators are at the forefront of major areas of health research; many have clinical appointments and include Canada Research Chairs, MSFHR Scholars, and CIHR Investigators.
$21M+
in total funding held by CHÉOS Scientists in 2020/21*
*From UBC RISe, includes only CHÉOS Scientists at UBC and those appointed after March 31, 2021
$9M+
in new CIHR, SSHRC, MSFHR, PHAC and NIH grant funds awarded to CHÉOS Scientists as principal applicants in 2020/21
Our People
This year, we celebrated career appointments, new CHÉOS members, and a decades-long career in health research.
Responding to COVID-19
Our scientists rose to the challenge of COVID-19, adapting their existing programs and exploring new research questions to meet the most urgent needs of patients, decision-makers, and care providers.
Study examines COVID-19 impact on paramedics in B.C.
The CORSIP study is identifying workplace factors that increase or decrease the risk of COVID-19 infection to inform guidelines to protect paramedics’ health.
What a scientist learned from getting COVID-19
As Dr. Amy Salmon continues to navigate the long-lasting effects of the virus, she is appreciative of the unique perspective it has brought to her work.
This would be fascinating… if it wasn’t happening to me.
At-home resources to support mental wellness in times of isolation
Dr. Joseph Puyat leads a team investigating ways to improve and maintain mental wellness in times of mass quarantine and isolation.
CHÉOS experts support BC study on new COVID-19 drug
A clinical trial for a new COVID-19 treatment developed by Vancouver biotech company AbCellera was launched in B.C., thanks to the expertise of CHÉOS staff.
Maintaining health and well-being while we ‘flatten the curve’
Daily lives were turned upside down by COVID-19. Dr. Skye Barbic shares key lessons from occupational therapy to help deal with the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Pregnancy and labour in the time of COVID-19
A new CHÉOS-supported study looks to document people’s pregnancy experiences during the pandemic.
There is a lot of uncertainty right now in the midst of the pandemic. This study will help to provide some guidance in this area, for patients, care providers, and decision-makers.
The race to find effective COVID-19 treatments is a team effort
As scientists around the world race to find an effective treatment for COVID-19, CHÉOS project managers are proud to be a small part of this global effort.
CHÉOS researcher joins the fight against COVID-19
CHÉOS Program Head for Clinical Trials Dr. Joel Singer is part of an international team that received federal funding to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The impact of school disruptions: Lessons from the pandemic
New study led by CHÉOS Scientist Dr. Anne Gadermann explores the impact COVID-related school disruptions have had on student and teacher wellbeing.
This study could help to identify ways, at the community and policy levels, for improving the wellbeing of students and teachers.
IN THE NEWS
Staying the Course
Despite the pressures of the pandemic, our researchers continued to answer critical questions related to a wide range of health outcomes, populations, and people.
Taking ACTION to address cultural barriers to living donor kidney transplant
CHÉOS Scientist Dr. Jag Gill is working to reduce cultural inequities to living kidney donation and transplantation.
I still can’t believe science makes it possible to take out my organ and have it continue to function and thrive in my sister. It’s remarkable.
– Garcha Johal, ACTION Study Advisory Committee
A new approach to an age-old barrier to care
CHÉOS Research Associate Dr. Beena Parappilly discusses how the unique Managed Alcohol Program at St. Paul’s improves patient care.
PHC and VCH researchers collaborate on a novel toolkit for the antipsychotic drug clozapine
CHÉOS Scientist Dr. Joseph Puyat helped design the evaluation of the toolkit, in collaboration with colleagues at St. Paul’s and VCH.
Obesity linked to social ties in older women, more so than in men
Research led by Drs. Annalijn Conklin and Nadia Khan indicates women who lack social ties have a greater likelihood of being obese.
One quarter of prescription drugs in Canada may be in short supply
Research led by Dr. Wei Zhang finds that market factors and pricing policies may be to blame.
How do Canadians living with chronic conditions use at-home care?
CHÉOS researchers address unanswered questions to guide policy and resource allocation for chronic disease management.
Using health economics to find a better way to screen for prostate cancer
CHÉOS Scientists are examining the cost-effectiveness of a new blood test that aims to avoid the unnecessary health complications and costs of current methods.
Nearly 20 per cent of Canadian men screened for prostate cancer may undergo unnecessary surgical biopsy.
IN THE NEWS
RESEARCH IN ACTION
“A rare disease is rare, but having a rare disease is not”
– Dr. Larry Lynd
Research Highlights
Each year, our Scientists publish over 300 peer-reviewed papers. Below is a small selection from The Evidence Speaks, a monthly series that summarizes some of the latest in CHÉOS research.
CHÉOS Personnel: Nadia Khan, Annalijn Conklin
CHÉOS Personnel: Brian Grunau, Jim Christenson
CHÉOS Personnel: Larry Lynd
CHÉOS Personnel: Ehsan Karim
CHÉOS Personnel: Anne Gadermann, Kimberly Thompson, Chris Richardson
CHÉOS Personnel: Roxana Geoffrion, Terry Lee
