Connecting the dots between research and the real world

Annual Report 2022–2023

2022:

A New Era of Advancing Health

When the doors of the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS) first opened in 1998, our mission was to support clinicians who lacked the expertise or capacity to conduct their own research. Since then, the centre has expanded significantly and is now home to 12 research programs, 82 scientists, 140+ staff, and 400+ annual publications.

We are not the same centre we were 20 years ago. Our growth means it is time to rebrand and reconfirm our place in the health research landscape. It is time for a new chapter with a name and identity that recognizes our growth now, and into the future.

We needed a name that was memorable and matched our aspirational vision of transforming the health system and improving health outcomes for all; a place where collaboration lives, and where new and established researchers are supported as they change the world.

We are the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, conducting and supporting research that transforms care, policy, practice, and lives.

Thank you for being part of the last 20 years of CHÉOS. Now, we look forward to Advancing Health with you, in every way.

About the Centre

What we do

The Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, formerly known as 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 Research Institute University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine and is housed in a teaching and research hospital in the heart of Vancouver, Canada. We are committed to creating an inclusive, dynamic, and cooperative work environment in which younger researchers are mentored, established researchers are supported, and all participants are encouraged to pursue personal and professional challenges. In addition to providing specialized outcomes and health research services to clinical units, we offer clinical trials support for those currently conducting or seeking to conduct clinical trials.

The researchers and staff at Advancing Health investigate a diverse range of health-related problems, spanning the health care, housing, and education systems, among others. Though each area and approach are unique, our work is united by a common thread: Looking at the big picture from a population-level perspective that aims to provide evidence-based answers to questions with real-world impact.

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.

Advancing Health at a Glance

Services Snapshot

Our expert staff help researchers from around the world turn good ideas into great research.

Proportion of support by service type in 2022/23

140+

staff members

217

new or existing projects supported in 2022/23

Research Snapshot

Our investigators are at the forefront of major areas of health research; many have clinical appointments and include Canada Research Chairs, Health Research BC Scholars, and CIHR Investigators.

$28M+

in total funding held by Advancing Health Scientists in 2022/23*

*From UBC RiSE, includes only Advancing Health Scientists at UBC, as well as those appointed after March 31, 2023

$54M+

in new CIHR, Health Canada, NIH, and other grant funds awarded to Advancing Health Scientists as lead applicants in 2022/23

82

scientists

12

research programs

Our People

This year, we welcomed several new scientists to diversify our expertise, and said goodbye to two long-time Centre members.

NEW SCIENTIST:
Dr. Angela Russolillo

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NEW SCIENTIST:
Dr. Logan Trenaman

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NEW SCIENTIST:
Dr. Srinivas Murthy

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Scientists honoured by UBC

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Dr. Palepu appointed CAHS fellow

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RETIREMENT:
Dr. Huiying Sun

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RETIREMENT:
Dr. Karin Humphries

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Care for Everyone in Need

Our scientists work to identify who is in most need of care, who may be falling through the cracks, and new ways to connect people to lifesaving care.

Home is where the health is: Supporting the wellbeing of new Canadians

Advancing Health researchers are at the forefront of work to answer some big questions and shape a healthier collective future.

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Through hell or high water: Keeping youth services accessible in times of unprecedented disasters

Dr. Skye Barbic and Amanda Kwan discuss their publication on the amazing work of Foundry Penticton.

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Going beyond Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to engage patients in a more meaningful way

Dr. Beth Snow highlights the role of power in undermining efforts to enable inclusive, accessible, and appropriate experiences for people interacting with health care systems and welcoming those who may have previously avoided them.

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How data can improve the health system for people who use drugs

“It’s one of those numbers where you’re almost in disbelief.” Dr. Bohdan Nosyk and team are using 25 years’ worth of data to empower change in BC.

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Incremental improvements in the quality of service delivery will most certainly be counted in lives saved.

Alcohol withdrawal and the emergency department: A recipe for revisits

Why do people discharged from hospital after alcohol withdrawal often return within a week? Dr. Frank Scheuermeyer aims to find out.

Read more >

The importance of supporting the mental health of transgender and/or gender diverse youth

Transgender and non-binary youth experience significantly higher levels of mental health distress than their peers, Dr. Skye Barbic is working to improve access to mental health care.

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People with mental illness are more likely to have a cardiac arrest and die as a result. Dr. Carlo Barcella wants to know why

Postdoc Dr. Carlo Barcella is working to understand more about cardiac arrest risk, prevention, and treatment in people with mental illness, and what can be done to address any disparities.

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What is the optimal approach to determine prices of generic drugs?

Advancing Health researchers provide guidance to policymakers on setting pricing tiers to improve access to drugs and overall societal welfare.

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In the news

“It was my heart”: Women with heart disease face barriers to care in Canada, report says.

Drug decriminalization takes effect in B.C. this week—here’s what you need to know.

B.C.’s new payment model for family doctors could lure out-of-province physicians.

How virtual reality technology is being used to combat loneliness among long term care home residents.

Opinion: Surgery wait times may find governments using public funds to pay for private care.

Improving Care and Prevention

Advancing Health researchers and staff study a diverse range of health-related problems, aiming to find effective methods of treating disease, and innovative ways to prevent them.

Thrombosis is a common complication in the cancer journey

One in 200 cancer patients may develop a potentially fatal blood clot. Dr. Aggie Lee’s research program is dedicated to understanding, preventing, and treating this serious complication.

Read more >

Keeping you on your toes: Improving patient outcomes following foot and ankle surgery

Dr. Alastair Younger uses knowledge gained from following patients after foot and ankle surgery to improve healing and patient outcomes from bone fractures.

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Creating synergy to combat nursing shortages in long-term care

Dr. Farinaz Havaei is implementing a staffing tool in long-term care settings to improve nurses’ workload management.

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Clinical trials at the speed of COVID-19

Lessons learned, challenges faced, and potential opportunities to mobilize a rapid response for the next global health crisis.

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Lessons learned, challenges faced, and potential opportunities to mobilize a rapid response for the next global health crisis.

Addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the operating room to improve patient care

For anesthesiologist Dr. Alana Flexman, EDI initiatives among health care workers in the operating room leads not only to a positive work environment for the operating team, but also to better care for the patients.

Read more >

Family Matters: Building resilient relationships to reduce the risk of overdose

Associate Director Dr. Amy Salmon is co-leading a project to build relationship resilience between people who use drugs and their loved ones in the Fraser East region.

Read more >

Time is Money: The Valuation of Lost Productivity Questionnaire

How people with lived experience can ensure that the Valuation of Lost Productivity.

Read more >

Tired teens and sugary drinks: Researchers find some links

Dr. Annalijn Conklin’s research shows sleep–life misalignment is associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, particularly among adolescent girls.

Read more >

In the news

We know there will be another pandemic. Here’s what four leading Canadian scientists are doing about it.

More outdoor defibrillator stations needed if lives are to be saved: experts.

Fitness: When life is a pain in the knees, keep moving.

B.C. study finds low but increased risk of myocarditis after 2nd Moderna COVID shot.

Advocates say the federal government can do more to address opioid use stigma.

Research Highlights

Each year, our scientists publish over 400 peer-reviewed papers. Below is a small selection from The Evidence Speaks, a monthly series that summarizes some of the latest in Advancing Health research.

Llorian ER, Dragojlovic N, Campbell TM, Friedman JM, Osiovich H, Elliott AM, Lynd LD. The effect of rapid exome sequencing on downstream health care utilization for infants with suspected genetic disorders in an intensive care unit. Genet Med. 2022 Aug;24(8):1675–83.

Genome-wide sequencing (GWS), including exome sequencing (ES; sequences the part of the genome responsible for building proteins), can be useful for identifying causes of genetic diseases. While previous studies have analyzed the cost-effectiveness of GWS with regard to testing and diagnostics, there is a lack of information on downstream costs and outcomes. To help fill this gap, Advancing Health Scientist Dr. Larry Lynd and team recently studied the downstream use of medical services among critically ill infants with suspected genetic disorders who were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) and received rapid ES. Comparing 47 infants who received rapid ES with 211 who did not, the researchers determined that there was no significant difference in outpatient visits, hospitalizations, ICU or total length of stay, or length of stay-associated costs between the two groups. Through collecting and comparing data on utilization, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes, we could generate a robust guide on the most efficient use of resources going forward.

Advancing Health Scientist: Larry Lynd

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Canney M, Gunning HM, Zheng Y, Rose C, Jauhal A, Hur SA, Sahota A, Reich HN, Barbour SJ. The risk of cardiovascular events in individuals with primary glomerular diseases. Am J Kidney Dis. 2022 Dec;80(6):740–50.

Advancing Health Scientists Drs. Sean Barbour and Caren Rose and a cross-Canada group conducted a population-level cohort study to establish the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among patients with primary glomerular diseases compared to the general population. Using population-level data and a centralized kidney biopsy registry, the research team found that patients with primary glomerular diseases (membranous nephropathy, minimal change disease, IgA nephropathy, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis) were approximately 2.5 times more likely to experience CVD compared with the general population. This risk varies depending on the precise type of glomerular disease. The researchers concluded that additional research would help elucidate the reasons behind the increased risk of CVD to enable health care providers to intervene earlier.

Advancing Health Scientists: Sean Barbour, Caren Rose

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Wang R, Yao C, Hung SH, Meyers L, Sutherland JM, Karimuddin A, Campbell KL, Conklin AI. Preparing for colorectal surgery: a qualitative study of experiences and preferences of patients in Western Canada. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Jun;22(1):730.

Helping patients physically prepare for colorectal surgery could improve their postoperative recovery. Speaking with 19 patients scheduled for surgery, Advancing Health Program Head of Health Services and Outcomes Dr. Jason Sutherland, Scientist Dr. Annalijn Conklin, and colleagues from UBC determined that patients experienced inadequate preoperative support and felt that more attention needs to be paid to mental and emotional health and wellbeing. In addition, patients highlighted the need for reliable, personalized information that clarified how lifestyle modifications, such as exercise and diet, before surgery could improve outcomes so they can make informed decisions about their care. The knowledge gathered from this study could help inform future research and delivery of personalized preoperative care to patients waiting for colorectal surgery.

Advancing Health Scientists: Jason Sutherland, Annalijn Conklin

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Park J, Heilman KJ, Sullivan M, Surage J, Levine H, Hung L, Ortega M, Wiese LAK, Ahn H. Remotely supervised home-based online chair yoga intervention for older adults with dementia: Feasibility study. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2022 Aug;48:101617.

Chair yoga is a safe, low-impact intervention that can help manage physical and psychological symptoms in older adults with dementia, but some of these adults may be unable to travel outside of their homes to access it. Advancing Health Scientist Dr. Lillian Hung and team assessed the feasibility of remotely supervised, home-based, online chair yoga for older adults with dementia and investigated whether chair yoga was associated with clinical outcomes, such as mobility and loneliness. Delivering the hour-long online chair yoga intervention to ten older adults with dementia twice weekly for eight weeks, the investigators found that both retention and adherence to the intervention were high, at 70 and 87.5 per cent, respectively. Subsequently, they determined that the intervention was a feasible approach for managing physical and psychological symptoms in socially isolated older adults with dementia. Looking ahead, remotely collecting cardiac and psychosocial data will likely provide additional pertinent information around the impacts of home-based, online chair yoga.

Advancing Health Scientist: Lilian Hung

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Coelho JS, Suen J, Marshall S, Zaid-Alkailani H, Geller J, Lam PY. Treatment experiences of male and female youths with eating disorders. Br J Clin Psychol. 2022 Nov;61(4):1119–33.

Advancing Health Scientist Dr. Josie Geller and a team from BC Children’s Hospital and UBC conducted a prospective mixed methods study to further understand how male and female young people with eating disorders access services and receive treatment. Speaking with 15 male and 13 female youths, the researchers learned that the young people faced some barriers to accessing treatment, such as disagreeing with caregivers and health care providers (HCPs) about treatment plans and negative interactions with HCPs. Some participants also felt that treatment for eating disorders was tailored towards females. The research team concluded that collaborative care is vital when treating young people with eating disorders and further attention should be paid to ensure treatment is inclusive for all gender identities.

Advancing Health Scientist: Josie Geller

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Naveed Z, Li J, Wilton J, Spencer M, Naus M, García HAV, Kwong JC, Rose C, Otterstatter M, Janjua NZ; Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN), Provincial Collaborative Network (PCN) Investigators.Comparative risk of myocarditis/pericarditis following second doses of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 coronavirus vaccines.
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022 Nov;80(20):1900–8.

With the Canadian Immunization Research Network Provincial Collaborative Network Investigators, Advancing Health’s Dr. Naveed Janjua recently compared the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis following second doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccines. Myocarditis and pericarditis are inflammation of the muscles or lining of the heart. Using data from the British Columbia COVID-19 Cohort, the research team found that myocarditis and pericarditis were two-to-three times more likely following a second dose of Moderna Spikevax compared with Pfizer–BioNTech. This association was stronger among men aged 18–39; the increased odds of myocarditis with Moderna Spikevax were not present at older ages (≥40 years). While the association exists, it should be noted that overall rates of myocarditis and pericarditis were still very low for both vaccines, highlighting their favorable safety profile. Overall, this research may have policy implications when it comes to the type of vaccine offered to certain populations.

Advancing Health Scientists: Naveed Janjua

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Saleeb M, Mohtashami F, Gadermann A, Murphy R, Flexman A, Crump T, Liu G, Sutherland JM. A comparison of patient-reported outcomes among Canadian women having hysterectomies. Qual Life Res. 2022 Dec;32:759–68.

Advancing Health Scientists Drs. Anne Gadermann and Alana Flexman joined Advancing Health Program Head of Health Services & Outcomes Dr. Jason Sutherland and colleagues to measure patient-reported outcomes of 294 people who have undergone a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus). Study participants completed a survey on pelvic floor health, sexual functioning, pain, and symptoms of depression before their hysterectomy and six months after. The results highlighted that all aspects surveyed improved following a hysterectomy, apart from sexual functioning. Furthermore, lower socioeconomic status was found to be associated with higher postoperative pain. The presence of endometriosis was associated with worse symptoms of depression. These findings suggest that preoperative circumstances and symptoms could be screened in an effort to address and improve postoperative health-related quality of life for hysterectomy patients.

Advancing Health Scientists: Anne Gadermann, Alana Flexman, Jason Sutherland

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Basham CA, Karim ME, Johnston JC. Multimorbidity prevalence and chronic disease patterns among tuberculosis survivors in a high-income setting. Can J Public Health. 2022 Dec;114:264–73.

There is a lack of data regarding how prevalent multimorbidity, defined as the presence of at least two chronic health conditions, is among tuberculosis (TB) survivors who live in high-income, low-TB incidence settings. Advancing Health’s Dr. Ehsan Karim recently studied the prevalence of multimorbidity and chronic disease patterns among TB survivors who immigrated to B.C. in 1985–2015. Analyzing data from 1,962 TB survivors and 1,962 non-TB controls, the study determined that people who survived TB had a 74 per cent higher prevalence of multimorbidity and a 116 per cent higher prevalence of complex multimorbidity (at least three comorbidities) compared with those who did not have a history of TB. It was also determined that there were differences in the most frequent chronic diseases between the two populations; for example, diabetes, liver disease, depression, and hypothyroidism were found to be more prevalent among TB survivors. These findings indicate that specialized multimorbidity screening and subsequent patient-centred care could benefit people who have survived TB.

Advancing Health Scientist: Ehsan Karim

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Publications

Advancing Health research is found in some of the world’s top journals and covers a wide breadth of specialties, areas, and populations.

404

original research publications

78

reviews

62

editorials & commentaries

Top 10 areas of publication in 2022/23

Cardiology & Cardiovascular Disease: 92 COVID-19: 85 Public Health: 71 Mental Health: 67 Nephrology: 61 Substance Use & Addictions: 59 Drugs & Pharmaceuticals: 56 Surgery & Procedures: 54 Modelling & Risk Prediction: 49 Infectious Disease & STBBIs: 44