Three Queen’s Health Sciences research projects that are making a difference in areas ranging from primary care availability to cancer research to the treatment of sexually transmitted infections have received a total of $3.3 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Selected from thousands of funding applications, these prestigious project grants align with the federal agency’s mission to support discoveries and innovations that improve health and strengthen health systems.
Understanding the impact of team-based primary care
Canada is facing a growing primary care crisis, with more than 6.5 million Canadians without a family doctor. There is growing recognition that part of the solution to this crisis is the creation of primary care teams that include diverse team members such as social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, dietitians, and pharmacists. Although the number of primary care teams is increasing in Canada, there is a lack of evidence about how they are implemented and how to support their implementation. Doctors. jordan miller and katherine donnelly are leading a four-year project studying the implementation of 15 interprofessional primary care teams across six Canadian provinces. They will gather practical evidence to answer questions about how these care teams are developed, how they operate in specific settings, and how policymakers can continue to support improvements that lead to better and more equitable access to primary care.
Improving syphilis testing and treatment through public support
Syphilis has re-emerged as a serious public health concern in Canada, particularly in rural, remote and small urban communities. Although syphilis can be cured, delays in testing and treatment can cause serious health problems and spread the infection further.
Dr. sahar saeed works with partners across the country to provide direct care to those who need it most. Their five-year project combines rapid syphilis testing with public health support. Instead of asking people to visit a clinic and wait for results, public health nurses visit community settings, provide testing on-site, and provide immediate treatment if needed. In the past two years, nearly 1,500 rapid tests have been provided to people who have difficulty accessing treatment, allowing more people to access treatment quickly. The next phase of the project will examine how the model can be grown to reach more people and places most in need by integrating it into routine public health programs, and will determine whether the benefits of stopping new infections outweigh the costs.
Understanding hypoxia may lead to better breast cancer treatment
Low oxygen levels (hypoxia) occur in breast tumors and have been shown to make breast cancer cells more likely to spread and resist treatment. Dr. Lynn-Marie Postvitt is leading a five-year study focused on understanding how hypoxia causes these phenomena in order to one day prevent their spread. And then it happened again. Her team plans to investigate how genes can start from different locations so that their proteins can be produced more efficiently. Thanks to these proteins, cancer cells are able to survive and subsequently progress under hypoxic conditions. By understanding this critical process, this study may reveal new therapeutic targets designed to prevent breast cancer spread and recurrence.
Some of these successful research projects include faculty members who have cross-appointments with universities. Kingston Health Sciences Center It will be carried out in collaboration with Canadian partners and other universities and research facilities across Canada.
Learn more about CIHR funding here. Funding Decision Database – CIHR.