In health care crises, researchers can avoid waiting for clinical trial results by using data from health care systems to analyze the effectiveness of treatments for COVID-19 and other illnesses.
Researchers are key to Canada’s capacity to create a high-tech economy, build the biomedical sector and seed entrepreneurial activity, but they can’t do it without research funding.
Women are often under-diagnosed and under-treated for heart disease and may be unaware of their specific risk factors. Clinical and research practices need to reflect the diversity of women in Canada.
Gender bias in health research is an ongoing issue, but health interventions that target women or men ignore gender-diverse people and create new areas of discrimination.
Sex is not gender but research continues to treat these as the same concept, with potentially damaging consequences for health studies, health policies and health programs.
One criticism of traditional mentoring is that it teaches people how to succeed by playing by existing rules, thus reinforcing the status quo. But mentoring can also be a force for change.
Nicola Gaston, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The government’s 10-year target is to increase research and development funding to 2% of GDP. Investment in science in the latest budget is out of step with that goal.
Many researchers may lack resources to guide them in conducting research that is equitable, inclusive and respectful of diverse Indigenous knowledge, ethics, practice and research sovereignty.
To continue the fast-paced collaborative research and innovation we have seen during the pandemic, here are five ways universities can support health research that responds to societal needs.
Using ‘base editing’, researchers have cured progeria in mice. This genetic syndrome causes premature ageing in humans – those with the disease usually don’t live past the age of 13.
The use of artificial intelligence in health care is on the rise, and the concerns of the public need to be considered in developing policy that regulates its application.
Immunosenescence — the decline of immune system function with age — means that vaccines are not as effective in older adults, the demographic most susceptible to many diseases, including COVID-19.
There’s no guarantee a coronavirus vaccine will arrive, so we need research to understand the best ways to use facemasks, hand hygiene, and other interventions to control the spread of the disease
Most Canadian children spend too much time on screens and don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. Fathers can help by modelling healthy behaviours and getting involved in research.
The proposal is very different to schemes in the US where BMI report cards are sent to parents. Instead, the data would feed into obesity research and prevention programs.
Professor (adjunct) and Senior Fellow, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto