The Ottawa Methods Centre has provided support for all of the research projects profiled below. Read on to learn more about how these projects will advance science and improve the health of people in Canada around the world.
9/16/2024
“This trial could change the way we care for premature babies. It’s my hope that these tiny patients will have a better chance to thrive, grow up, and have an impact on the world around them."
7/23/2024
“As the main prescribers of antibiotics, family doctors play a leading role in preventing the overuse and misuse of these precious medications. This trial demonstrates that feedback is an effective way to support them.”
7/5/2024
“These results will help guide ongoing efforts to combine checkpoint inhibitors with cancer-killing viruses in clinical trials."
6/13/2024
"By improving oxygen transport to the brain during the acute phase of care, it may be possible to save more nerve cells in the days following a traumatic brain injury, preventing secondary brain damage."
5/19/2024
"It's estimated that 70 per cent of people with asthma or COPD go undiagnosed. This is the first study to prove that treating those people makes a real difference to their health and quality of life."
2/23/2024
If you were thinking of becoming a living kidney donor, would you rather do all your screening appointments in one day, or spread them out over six months?
2/14/2024
“This study shows even mild forms of primary aldosteronism can hurt the heart and blood vessels, even before someone develops high blood pressure.”
1/19/2024
Emmy Cogan was the first baby treated in a world-first clinical trial of a cell therapy for bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
1/4/2024
Registering clinical trials helps increase research transparency and reduce redundancy. Most Canadian clinical trials are not meeting World Health Organization guidelines on registration and reporting of results, according to an analysis published in FACETS.
1/2/2024
“Our study shows there is room for CAR T therapy in the market. We further show that Canadian-made CAR T therapy could be cost-effective and has a much better chance of being funded than existing commercial CAR T therapies.”
12/6/2023
Adults with undiagnosed COPD or asthma have worse quality of life, greater healthcare use and are less productive at work than healthy adults.
9/13/2023
Dr. Dawn Stacey, head of TOH’s internationally renowned Patient Decision Aids Research Group, has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
8/21/2023
A study of 14 astronauts suggests that while space travel depletes red blood cells and bone, the body can eventually replenish them back on Earth with the help of fat stored in the bone marrow.
8/3/2023
More than 750,000 Canadians will have an unexplained vein blood clot, known as venous thrombosis. Guidelines suggest that these people take blood thinners for life to prevent a second clot, however, the tradeoffs between the benefits, risks and financial costs of lifelong treatment are unknown.
7/5/2023
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw recently led an innovative Cochrane meta-analysis of 553 clinical trials including more than 400,000 participants around the world to determine the best quality improvement strategies for diabetes care.
6/5/2023
Who responds better to CAR-T therapy? Men or women? What dose of the therapy works best?
5/23/2023
The number of pregnancies that required treatment for cannabis use in the emergency department (ED) or during a hospitalization in Ontario increased by 82% (from 11 to 20 per 100,000 pregnancies) following legalization.
5/16/2023
Dr. Kednapa Thavorn has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to research design and patient involvement in economic evaluations, which are taking the assessment of drugs and medical devices in new directions.
4/12/2023
A large clinical trial of more than 8,700 patients published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the sex of a donor has no effect on the survival of recipients of red blood cell transfusions.
4/4/2023
Find out why he credits a “prehab” study for his quick recovery
3/27/2023
A large observational study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that most patients do not medically benefit from consultation with a medical specialist before their surgery.
3/23/2023
Researchers have treated the first patient in an innovative clinical trial of a cell therapy that aims to prevent very premature babies from developing a chronic lung disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). This is the first trial of its kind in in the world.
3/16/2023
From looking at how we can use stem cells to treat diseases like sepsis to dealing with patients directly in the ICU and OR, Dr. Lalu is making an impact behind the scenes and beyond.
The search for the silver bullet for sepsis has been decades in the making. However, The Ottawa Hospital is taking a big step forward in the next phase of a world-first clinical trial using stem cells in patients with septic shock.
3/7/2023
A clinical decision tool used in the emergency department can improve outcomes for patients with acute heart failure, according to trial involving more than 5,000 patients, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
2/3/2023
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are playing a lead role in 15 new projects awarded more than $8.4 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
1/27/2023
Researchers are bringing patient perspectives on new health technologies into the health economic evaluation process.
New research led by Drs. Steven Hawken and Kumanan Wilson shows that a mathematical model that reads the “metabolic fingerprint” of newborn blood samples could help.
After undergoing surgery herself, Gurlie Kidd was so interested in work on a team studying “prehabilitation” for frail patients undergoing surgery, that she got involved.
1/19/2023
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are partnering with colleagues across the country to expand access to new technology that turns patients’ immune cells into super-charged cancer-killers.
The new Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium, co-led by The Ottawa Hospital, aims to transform Canada’s clinical trials landscape by removing barriers, streamlining approvals, enhancing support and facilitating the engagement and participation of patients and other stakeholders.
Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre was awarded $1.6 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Clinical Trials Fund to conduct a Phase II clinical trial of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in patients with septic shock.
1/11/2023
The early days after Gary Davis’s leukemia diagnosis were all a blur. Now cancer-free, Gary is advising our researchers on how to navigate difficult conversations about study participation with patients like himself
Camille Leahy was out of options. Here's what led her to a Canadian-first CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial at our hospital.
1/4/2023
A study led by Dr. Shawn Aaron suggests that asthma and eosinophilic bronchitis may be undiagnosed in a significant number of people who have symptoms, but have normal spirometry lung function tests.
10/24/2022
As an elementary school teacher with a rare metabolic disease, Ottawa resident Maureen Smith has inspired not only her students, but also hundreds of doctors, researchers and health policy experts.
10/20/2022
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital have made another important step forward in their quest to find innovative ways to stop cancer from coming back after surgery. While surgery often provides the best option for removing all or most of a tumour, research has shown that surgery also “stresses” the body in a way that can make it easier for any remaining cancer cells spread.
10/5/2022
A home-based prehabilitation or “prehab” program designed to help older adults with frailty recover from cancer surgery has shown promise in a randomized pilot trial, particularly for patients who had a high level of adherence to the program.
9/23/2022
An innovative mathematical model developed by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital could one day help with the prevention and early treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
8/3/2022
The Ottawa Hospital and OHRI have had unique success in facilitating and supporting patient engagement in research, with an increasing number of patient-oriented projects undertaken every year.
7/27/2022
Senior scientists Drs. Dawn Stacey and Ian Graham have both received the title of Distinguished University Professor from the University of Ottawa in recognition of their exceptional scholarly achievement, pre-eminence in their fields and solid teaching records.
Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis has assembled a world-class team to bring discoveries with game-changing potential to patients with retinal disease
6/16/2022
Drs. Jeremy Grimshaw, Kednapa Thavorn and Patrick Fafard are playing important roles in a York University-led project awarded $2.5 million from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada to pursue research into a global framework for sustainable antimicrobial drug use and preventing the proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria.
5/12/2022
Four research teams at The Ottawa Hospital have been awarded a total of $1.85 million to harness stem cells and regenerative medicine to develop new therapies for septic shock, bone and joint conditions, and newborn lung damage, while also advancing patient engagement in research.
5/4/2022
Dr. Dean Fergusson and his team are drilling down into clinical trial data, which is normally reported at an aggregate level, at the individual patient level to get more information about who benefits most from CAR T therapy and under what conditions.
3/16/2022
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital have been awarded four grants as part of CIHR’s Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities competition, which was designed to support an equitable pandemic recovery for all Canadians.
3/3/2022
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw and Dr. John Lavis recently accepted the international REWARD prize from Cochrane on behalf of the COVID-19 Evidence Network (COVID-END) for their efforts to get reliable and timely COVID-19 evidence summaries to decision makers, while reducing waste in research.
3/2/2022
Research has the power to save lives and improve our health care system, but to realize the greatest benefits from research, hospitals and other health organizations need to systematically incorporate it into their decision-making and planning.
2/28/2022
A study led by Dr. Janet Squires identified 228 clinical practices in Canada that are used inappropriately, with underuse being more common than overuse.
2/17/2022
A network meta-analysis led by Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi and neurology resident Dr. Ronda Lun found that ticagrelor is just as good as clopidogrel when combined with aspirin as a dual antiplatelet therapy.
A meta-analysis of lab studies found that tiny particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have clear potential for treating acute lung injury,
1/6/2022
People with cancer are four to seven times more likely to have a blood clot than the general population.
12/15/2021
Policy missteps will continue to overshadow the global response to Covid because policymakers are overwhelmed with rapidly shifting research evidence, according to scientists writing in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.
12/9/2021
Despite battling breast cancer, Paula Helmer found a driving ambition and raised her voice in support of clinical trials.
11/26/2021
Five scientists at The Ottawa Hospital have made it onto the prestigious list of Highly Cited ResearchersTM for 2021, with multiple papers that rank in the top one percent in their fields. Their research has been used and built upon by tens of thousands of others around the world to improve care for conditions ranging from cancer to stroke to arthritis to mental health.
11/15/2021
Meet Dr. Dean Fergusson — winner of the Grimes Career Achievement Award
11/12/2021
Dr. Dean Fergusson is receiving The Ottawa Hospital’s Grimes Career Achievement Award for trailblazing research that is saving lives and blood around the world
10/20/2021
A new systematic review and meta-analysis now provides the best data yet on the long-term risks and consequences of bleeding with different blood thinners.
9/15/2021
A team led by Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis has received $2.4 M from the Ontario Research Fund to develop treatments for retinal diseases, a leading cause of blindness.
Recent studies suggest that more than half of people with COVID-19 will continue to experience symptoms several weeks after infection.
9/8/2021
Cellulitis, a common bacterial skin infection, accounts for 3% of all ED visits. Patients with severe cases that need intravenous (IV) antibiotics are normally admitted to hospital or must return to the ED several times to receive the multiple doses required.
7/15/2021
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have been awarded more than $8 million to lead four national studies that will answer important questions about COVID-19 vaccines, including how well they work in people with cancer and immune conditions and in our aging population.
6/23/2021
Providing incentives like free movie passes or small cash rewards to motivate people with opioid use disorder to continue opioid agonist therapy (OAT) improves retention in the treatment program, according to a systematic review led by Drs. Brian Hutton, Kim Corace and Danielle Rice.
5/19/2021
A clinical trial shows that contrary to popular belief, renal hypothermia doesn’t actually improve kidney function after kidney cancer surgery.
4/13/2021
Sharon Charlebois doesn’t remember much about the 25 days she spent at The Ottawa Hospital fighting a severe case of COVID-19 in January 2021. Now that she’s recovering at home with her husband, some memories come back to her in flashes.
3/29/2021
Dr. David Moher and colleagues have published an updated PRISMA 2020 statement and explanation and elaboration to ensure these important guidelines continue to help researchers produce high-quality systematic reviews.
3/10/2021
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are playing a lead role in 17 new projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the Faculty of Medicine are providing up to $150,000 in in-kind support to help translate three laboratory research projects into clinical applications. The three projects will receive support from the Blueprint Translational Research Group’s Excelerator program, which is designed to enable efficient clinical translation through rigorous methods and approaches.
3/3/2021
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa are partnering with colleagues across the country to expand Canada’s capacity to develop new cell-based immunotherapies for cancer with a $5.2 million grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
2/17/2021
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital played a major role in a CHEO-led study published in the New England Journals of Medicine. The study, led by Dr. Sonny Dhanani, asked over 600 families to allow their loved ones in the ICU to have their vital signs monitored after withdrawal of life-sustaining measures.
Patients who used a made-in-Ottawa app to calculate their risk of complications, hospitalization and death after surgery understood these risks better than patients who received standard care, according to a study published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia.
2/1/2021
Drs. Duncan Stewart, Shane English, Dean Fergusson and colleagues have launched a clinical trial to test MSCs in people with severe COVID-19.
12/30/2020
Dr. Innie Chen is leading research to understand the impact of COVID-19 on women, thanks to seed funding through The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
12/3/2020
There is such deep love in Gina Mertikas-Lavictoire’s eyes when she looks at her three young children. But there is something else, too: fear. Fear that one or even both of her daughters will develop the same aggressive breast cancer she’s had. So, when an opportunity arose to participate in a clinical trial through The Ottawa Hospital’s REthinking Clinical Trials (REaCT) program, she readily agreed.
11/28/2020
When cancer spreads to the bones, it can cause pain, reduce mobility and increase the risk of fractures. Bone modulating drugs can help, but a new study suggests that to maximize the value of these drugs, it may be better to give them less often.
11/6/2020
The Blueprint Translational Research Group was established in 2016 at The Ottawa Hospital, in collaboration with the Ottawa Methods Centre. Co-led by Dr. Dean Fergusson and Dr. Manoj Lalu, Blueprint developed an innovative model called the Excelerator program to enhance and enable efficient clinical translation through rigorous methods and approaches.
10/26/2020
One in a million babies are born with Surfactant Protein B deficiency, a genetic disorder in the lungs that will kill them before their first birthday. The only cure is a lung transplant.
10/15/2020
A new study published in Annals of Oncology shows that a drug commonly used to prevent infections in breast cancer patients can safely be given less often, meaning fewer hospital visits, fewer side effects and reduced treatment costs.
9/23/2020
Regular red blood cell transfusions are a reality of life for many people with blood cancer. But now, a world-first clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has found that blood cancer patients don’t need nearly as many blood transfusions as previously thought.
9/22/2020
BioCanRx, Canada’s Immunotherapy Network, today announced funding of $10M for 14 cancer immunotherapy research projects and eight core and biomanufacturing facilities across the country. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) are playing a key role in the following seven projects:
9/7/2020
Could a common diabetes drug help prevent ovarian cancer? Can a tailored screening program help prevent eye disease in immigrants? Is sepsis different in females versus males, and if so, can this help us develop better treatments? These are just a few of the big questions that researchers at The Ottawa Hospital will try to answer with six new project grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), worth a total of $2.6 million.
6/26/2020
Astudy led by Dr. Sylvain Boet will test if hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be able to help some people with COVID-19 pneumonia.
6/23/2020
Drs. Sara J. Abdallah and Juthaporn Cowan will study the long-term effects of COVID-19 in survivors, checking in on them three, six and 12 months after they were initially infected.
6/8/2020
Dr. Justin Presseau and colleagues plan to use state-of-the-art behavioural science and artificial intelligence to develop an app that can help people reduce how much they touch their eyes, nose and mouth.
Dr. Smita Pakhale and her colleagues will harness the trust and engagement they have built with Ottawa’s most marginalized communities over the last 10 years through community-based participatory action research to examine how COVID-19 has impacted these individuals.
5/21/2020
Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded almost $2 million from Ontario’s COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund for three research projects that could help in the fight against the virus. These three projects were among the first 15 proposals to receive funding from the Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund.
5/8/2020
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are working around the clock to advance more than 50 potentially life-saving research projects to support the world-wide effort to find better ways to treat and prevent COVID-19. Now, nine of these projects have been approved for seed funding through The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
4/23/2020
Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have been awarded $490,000 from the Stem Cell Network for two research projects that could help in the fight against COVID-19. These peer-reviewed grants are part of an overall investment by the Stem Cell Network of $675,000 in COVID-19 research across Canada.
4/2/2020
As hospitals and communities band together to fight COVID-19, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are harnessing their unique expertise and resources to help.
2/25/2020
Individuals with lived experience who worked with Dr. Simon Hatcher’s team on suicide prevention research developed a list of 10 recommendations for researchers based on their experiences. The comic format uses scenarios to make these recommendations both practical and memorable.
2/24/2020
Babies born through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) like in vitro fertilization have a small but significantly increased risk of being born with heart problems (2.2 percent for ART babies compared to 1.2 percent for non-ART babies). Now, a new study of more than 500,000 mother-baby pairs has found that most of this increased risk (87 percent) can be explained by the fact that ART increases the likelihood of having twins, and twins have an inherently higher risk of being born with heart problems.
2/3/2020
How can we treat depression when nothing else is working? How can heart growth be both good and bad? How can we increase patient participation in clinical trials? These are just a few of the big questions that researchers at The Ottawa Hospital will try to answer with nine new project grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), worth a total of $5.6 million. “Research projects such as these allow us to provide the best possible care for our patients, while advancing science and improving health on a global scale.” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, Executive Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. “I’m proud that The Ottawa Hospital has consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals in the country for highly-competitive CIHR funding, ranking third overall in 2018-19.” The new grants will focus on the following questions:
1/15/2020
Leading scholars and publishers from The Ottawa Hospital’s Centre for Journalology, the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, and other institutions from around the world have agreed on a consensus definition of predatory publishing.
1/10/2020
A large international clinical trial conducted in critically ill children has shown that fresh red cell transfusions (stored for seven days or less) are no better than older red cells (stored for up to 25 days).
10/23/2019
When 61-year-old Debi Borbridge had an aSAH, a rare form of stroke, little did she know that two years later she and her daughter would be helping to shape the future of research in this field.
10/22/2019
PhD Candidate Danielle Rice will receive an honourable mention for the Worton Researcher in Training Award for her impressive contributions to mental health research during her two years as a visiting fellow at The Ottawa Hospital.
Recent PhD graduate, Dr. Susan Rogers Van Katwyk will receive an honourable mention for the Worton Researcher in Training Award for her impressive research on strategies to fight antimicrobial resistance.
10/8/2019
Dr. Dawn Stacey has earned the distinction of having her Cochrane systematic review cited more than any other Cochrane Review published in 2018.
9/27/2019
The Ontario SPOR Support Unit’s summer newsletter showcases how Ottawa has become a “hotbed of patient partnerships in research.” Three stories demonstrate how researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are partnering with patients and caregivers to improve the quality and success of their research.
9/25/2019
Researchers have struggled for years to understand how mutations in one gene, called LRRK2, can increase the risk of three very different diseases: Parkinson’s (a brain disease), Crohn’s (a gut disease) and leprosy (a peripheral nervous system disease). Now, a Canadian team has found that inflammation is the likely culprit. Their results are published in Science Translational Medicine.
9/24/2019
Dr. Monica Taljaard is playing a major role in a $53-million project funded by the U.S. National Institute of Aging to improve health care and quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as for their caregivers.
9/11/2019
According to a study led by Dr. Daniel Kobewka, residents of long-term care homes that had same-day physician access were 21 percent less likely to be hospitalized and 14 percent less likely visit an emergency department compared to homes where residents had to wait longer for a physician visit.
8/14/2019
CAR-T therapy, which uses a patient’s own genetically modified immune cells, is one of the most exciting advances in cancer treatment. To get a big picture view of the field, Drs. Manoj Lalu and Dean Fergusson led a team that analyzed data from nearly 1,000 patients who participated in 60 different CAR-T trials.
8/8/2019
Increased pressure in the brain due to swelling or bleeding is a complication of brain injury that can cause additional damage and even death. A study led by researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa found that no single non-invasive test was accurate enough on its own to diagnose this dangerous condition.
7/26/2019
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital have been awarded 13 grants worth a total of $11.2 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The new projects focus on areas such as cancer immunotherapy, hepatitis C infection, blood clots, artificial intelligence, vision, neurodegeneration, pain control, developmental disabilities, stem cell transplantation and stroke.
7/8/2019
The development of antibiotics is one of the greatest advances in the history of medicine, but the rise of resistant microbes threatens to bring society back to the dark ages. While governments around the world scramble to develop policies to prevent antimicrobial resistance, PhD student Susan Rogers Van Katwyk has led the most comprehensive study to date on the topic.
6/4/2019
Marie Lapointe took part in a pilot study at The Ottawa Hospital aimed at testing whether a home-based exercise program could help older people better prepare for surgery
5/17/2019
Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to human trials and therapies, thanks to four new peer-reviewed research grants from the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM).
4/3/2019
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw played an important role in an international exercise to strengthen how the World Health Organization develops guidelines to improve public health.
3/1/2019
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa are known around the world for their expertise in designing and leading clinical trials, and they're now applying this knowledge to create a made-in-Canada approach for CAR-T cell clinical trials. CAR-T therapy uses a patient's own genetically engineered immune cells to attack their cancer.
2/20/2019
In September 2018, Harold Black had trouble catching his breath while singing in his church choir. It turned out he had a life-threatening blood clot – a condition that is more common in people with cancer, like Harold. Today, people with cancer have a much better chance of avoiding blood clots, thanks to research at The Ottawa Hospital.
2/15/2019
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa are studying whether improving teamwork and communication among operating room staff can make surgery safer for patients. Studies suggest that over half of surgery complications can be linked to problems with these “soft skills” during operations.
1/21/2019
For the first time, physicians in the Emergency Department (ED) have evidence-based recommendations on how best to catch the life-threatening conditions that make some people faint. New research published in Circulation suggests that low-risk patients can be safely sent home by a physician after spending two hours in the ED, and medium and high-risk patients can be sent home after six hours if no danger signals are detected.
12/4/2018
A Canadian clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides the first approach for safely preventing blood clots (or venous thromboembolism) in people with cancer. About half of people newly diagnosed with a solid cancer could be candidates for the strategy, which involves a low dose of a direct oral anticoagulant called apixaban.
9/12/2018
Taking high doses of folic acid throughout pregnancy does not prevent preeclampsia in high-risk women, according to a large international clinical trial published in The BMJ. This refutes the findings of previous observational studies and is expected to change practice worldwide.
8/30/2018
Tiny breast tumours are difficult for surgeons to find and remove during surgery. For years, the only way to do it was to insert a wire (known as a harpoon) into the breast to mark the tumour during pre-surgical imaging. But the wire was uncomfortable and sometimes shifted. Today, a tiny radioactive seed is implanted instead, making it easier for surgeons to find and fully remove the cancer.
7/20/2018
Four research groups at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded $1.7 million in the most recent project grant competition from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Their projects will advance science and improve health in areas such as severe fluid loss, colon cancer screening, brain development and kidney disease.
7/5/2018
A growing number of patients in Eastern Ontario are being saved from unnecessary prostate cancer surgeries, according to a study led by Dr. Luke Lavallée and Dr. Luke Witherspoon published in CMAJ Open. While prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, in the past it has been over-diagnosed and overtreated. Surgery is a good treatment option for some prostate cancers, but may not be needed for men with low-risk cancer.
6/27/2018
Research improves patient care, and a growing movement aims to engage and involve patients in the research process from start to finish. However, little is known about what meaningful patient engagement in research looks like. To find out, Dr. Dean Fergusson and his team looked at 2,777 trials published between 2011 and 2016. They found only 23 of these studies reported some form of patient engagement, showing much work needs to be done to promote true patient partnership in research.
6/20/2018
Dr. Dean Fergusson was elected President-Elect of the Society for Clinical Trials. This organization works internationally to advance human health by advocating for the use of clinical trials, leading the development and dissemination of optimal methods and practices, and educating and developing clinical trial professionals. Its membership includes behavioral scientists, bioethicists, biostatisticians, clinical coordinators, computer scientists, data managers, epidemiologists, nurses, pharmacologists and physicians. “With the promise of innovative therapies coupled with innovative clinical trial designs, we have a tremendous opportunity to advance the science and practice of trials through mutual
6/13/2018
Falls in older individuals can reduce quality of life and cause serious injury. Dr. Kednapa Thavorn was part of a group of researchers who published a meta-analysis in JAMA that identified the best ways to prevent falls in older people. After analyzi
5/9/2018
Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to human trials and therapies, thanks to five new peer-reviewed research grants from the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medi
3/9/2018
Two national projects led by Ottawa emergency medicine researchers received a total of $5.5 million from the Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet) and matching funders. Dr. Christian Vaillancourt’s team* aims to help 9-1-1 communication offi
3/7/2018
In a world of constantly conflicting medical studies, systematic reviews have become an essential tool for health-care decision making. In 2009, Dr. David Moher and his colleagues created the original PRISMA guidelines to help make these reviews more useful for doctors and policy makers by ensuring that key details were included. Now Dr. Matthew McInnes has led the development of an adaptation of the guidelines specifically for systematic reviews that look at the accuracy of diagnostic tests. These tests are done to confirm whether an individual has a disease or condition, and include imaging and laboratory tests. The 24-member PRISMA-DTA group refined PRISMA for diagnostic test accuracy by modifying 17 items, omitting two items and adding two new items. The new guidelines, published in JAMA, are expected to improve transparency of these systematic reviews and allow for more informed decision making regarding the use of diagnostic tests. Similar made-in-Ottawa guidelines have been en
2/6/2018
When identifying patients at risk of death from sepsis, clinicians are better off using the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria than the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score, according to the largest systemati
1/30/2018
Sixteen research groups at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded $12.7 million in the most recent project grant competition from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This represents a success r
1/19/2018
Sepsis is a major cause of death and illness in newborns worldwide. It occurs when an infection spreads throughout the body and enters the bloodstream. A study led by Drs. Deshayne Fell, Steven Hawken, and Kumanan Wilson found that blood spots rout
1/18/2018
Researchers regularly make discoveries that have the potential to improve patient care and quality of life. However, getting those findings adopted by health-care systems can be a challenge. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are already world l
12/15/2017
Dr. Tiago Mestre has received a $197,000 New Investigator Award from the Physicians’ Services Incorporated Foundation to test a new model of care for people living with Parkinson’s disease. This project, called the Integrated Parkinson’s Care Network
12/13/2017
Drs. Mark Freedman, Jeremy Grimshaw and David Moher were recently ranked among the world’s top 3,300 “most influential scientific minds”. This puts them in the top 0.05 percent of the estimated 7.8 million full-time researchers worldwide. The list,
12/6/2017
A study co-led by Dr. Dean Fergusson found that using lower hemoglobin thresholds to transfuse red blood cells during and after heart surgery is just as safe as using traditional thresholds. Hemoglobin is a protein that delivers oxygen to the body’
12/4/2017
The team of researchers behind a landmark study on predatory journals has now outlined the first concrete steps that stakeholders can take to combat the growing influence of these journals. Their pioneering work is published in Nature Human Behavior.
11/2/2017
Stem cells are usually thought of as the building blocks of the body – able to give rise to all our cells and organs. But Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, Dr. Duncan Stewart, Dr. Dean Fergusson and their colleagues are testing the idea that certain stem cells may also be able to help control the body’s immune system to reduce injury and promote healing, while improving its ability to fight infection. They recently published the results of the world’s first clinical trial of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for septic shock, a life-threatening condition that can occur when an infection spreads throughout the body. The trial involved thirty patients, nine of whom were treated with up to 250 million mesenchymal stem cells. No serious adverse events occurred. A randomized, multi-site trial is expected to start next year, with the power to evaluate benefits as well as risks. Charles Berniqué, a 73-year-old grandfather from Hawkesbury, Ontario, recently survived a deadly infection requiring prolon
9/21/2017
Health care providers now have a new tool to help decide whether a liver surgery patient needs a blood transfusion, thanks to a study led by Drs. Guillaume Martel and Dean Fergusson. Liver surgery often involves major bleeding, and about one in four patients will receive a transfusion. While transfusions can be lifesaving, they also come with small risks such as infections, allergic reactions, cardiovascular effects and possibly worse cancer results after surgery. To develop the tool, a multidisciplinary panel of experts performed a systematic review that looked at 468 scenarios before, during and after liver surgery. 47.4% of the situations were appropriate for transfusion, 28.2% were inappropriate and 24.4% were uncertain. The resulting tool published in Annals of Surgeryuses a number of patient factors to calculate whether a transfusion is appropriate, inappropriate or uncertain. This tool is unique because it can be applied to transfusions given both during and after liver surger
9/7/2017
Dr. Ian Graham has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), the highest academic accolade for scholars, artists and scientists in Canada. Fellowship includes sitting on panels to advise policy makers on decisions of great impact.
9/6/2017
“Participating in research requires a lot of time and trust,” said Becky Hollingsworth, who participated in an asthma research study at The Ottawa Hospital. “It is good to see that researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are doing everything they can to
A massive investigation published in Nature shows that contrary to popular belief, a majority of papers in suspected biomedical predatory journals (57 percent) are from high or upper middle income countries, with many coming from prestigious institut
8/17/2017
Dr. Dawn Stacey and her colleagues were invited by the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) to submit a summary of their recent Cochrane systematic review on patient decision aids. The review reports on the effectiveness
7/24/2017
The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa are pleased to be among four institutions from around the world selected as pilot members of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE promotes ethical standards for publishing research and provides guidance to more than 10,000 scientific journals and editors. Through a pilot project, COPE is now opening up its membership to selected universities and research institutions for the first time. “Participating in this network will allow us to share some of the best practices we’ve developed and learn from the experiences of others,” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, Executive Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. “Research ethics is a priority for The Ottawa Hospital because high quality research drives world-class care for our patients and improves health around the world.” “This international collaboration will play a key role in maintaining the integrity of the University of
7/20/2017
Academic journals are increasingly asking authors to use transparent reporting practices to "trust, but verify" that outcomes are not being reported in a biased way and enable other researchers to reproduce the results. To implement these reporting p
7/10/2017
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa are tackling the often-overlooked issue of delayed emergency surgeries. Emergency surgeries are those needed quickly to treat serious injuries or life-threatening conditions, such as a
6/14/2017
When Robert Hanlon first started working at the former Civic Hospital in 1985, there was a lot of excitement around research but not a lot of action. Today, thanks in part to Hanlon’s contributions, The Ottawa Hospital is one of the top research an
5/25/2017
Ottawa researchers closer to finding out, thanks to $1.5 million from the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to huma
5/19/2017
Eighteen research groups at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded nearly $11 million in the most recent project grant competition from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This represents a suc
5/10/2017
The Ottawa Hospital is delighted to announce that Debra Lynkowski has accepted the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the hospital’s research institute. She will assume her responsibilities at the end of June, 2017, after the retirement of
5/4/2017
Stem cell therapies based on umbilical cord blood hold significant promise, but few have been scientifically proven. Dr. David Allan was awarded $100,000 from Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to develop policies around the use of cord blood that will protect Canadians from the possible dangers of unproven therapies. His team will create a continuously updating bank of clinical studies that support the use of umbilical cord blood cell therapies, so Canadians can know which treatments are proven and which are still experimental. They will also identify the gaps between what the clinical evidence shows and what the public expects from these therapies. Finally, the team will develop processes that will ensure fair access to banked cord blood for regenerative therapies, and design search algorithms that are compatible with national and international registries. See CBS blog post for more. Co-investigators: Brian Hutton, Tim Caulfield, Kim Young The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research
4/26/2017
Ottawa resident Sarah Rogers would have been taking blood thinners for life, if not for a rule that showed she was at low risk of having a second blood clot. Ottawa tattoo artist Sarah Rogers thought she’d pulled a muscle when her right leg star
4/4/2017
Rule identifies women who have low risk of vein blood clot recurrence A Canadian-led research group has developed and validated a rule that could let half of women with unexplained vein blood clots stop taking blood thinners for life. These find
3/23/2017
Becky Hollingsworth was one of 613 Canadians who took part in a study that found one third of adults recently diagnosed with asthma do not have it. Thanks to a random phone call, Becky Hollingsworth got to be part of a study that found she did n
3/16/2017
It is not uncommon for a researcher to receive dozens of emails from “predatory” journals each week. These emails offer to publish academic research in an open access journal, often with rapid peer-review at a discount. But in many cases, they publis
2/23/2017
Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of death and illness in newborns around the world. Specialized care can improve the health of preterm infants, but in countries without access to prenatal ultrasounds, it can be difficult to know if a chil
Yasemin Heinbecker was a career diplomat used to working 10-hour days when she received a diagnosis last fall that stopped her busy life in its tracks. Like 25,000 other Canadian women every year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and ended up “relatively quickly on (the) couch for a dozen hours a day” while she underwent treatment.
2/15/2017
BioCanRx funds research into CAR-T and virus-infected cell therapy Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa will play a lead role in cutting-edge research on cancer immunotherapy, thanks to five new peer-reviewed researc
2/2/2017
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) announced a new partnership with Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw and his colleagues at The Ottawa Hospital’s Centre for Implementation Research. They will apply their knowledge of implementation and behavioural science to help increase the success of CPSI’s patient safety programs. The partnership is part of the CPSI’s SHIFT to Safety campaign, which aims to give patients, health care providers and organizations the tools and resources they need to keep patients safe in a health care setting. However, for these programs to work they need patients, health-care providers, managers and policy makers to change their behaviours and the choices they make. Dr. Grimshaw and his team will use implementation and behavioural science to identify strategies to support these individuals to make changes that will improve patient safety, such as increased hand-washing. This involves identifying what behaviour needs to be changed, and finding barriers to that change,
1/18/2017
Males and females often respond to drugs differently, so it would seem obvious that when researchers are testing drugs in animal models, they would mention their sex. But new research led by Dr. Marc Avey shows that this isn’t necessarily the ca
1/17/2017
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 33 percent of adults recently diagnosed with asthma by their physicians did not have active asthma. Over 90 percent of these patients were able to stop their asthma medications and remain safely off medication for one year. “It’s impossible to say how many of these patients were originally misdiagnosed with asthma, and how many have asthma that is no longer active,” said lead author of the study Dr. Shawn Aaron, senior scientist and respirologist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. “What we do know is that they were all able to stop taking medication that they didn’t need – medication that is expensive and can have side effects.” Eighty percent of the participants who did not have asthma had been taking asthma medication, and 35 percent took it daily. The study also found that doctors often did not order the tests needed to confirm an asthma diagnosis. Instead t
1/9/2017
A study published in the American Journal of Transplantation found that chronic dialysis patients in Ontario have unequal access to kidney transplants. These patients with kidney failure will be on dialysis their whole lives unless they receive a
1/5/2017
Stroke patients often spend days or weeks recovering in hospital, and while some rehabilitation services are available during this crucial time, many spend hours each day alone and inactive. But now, some stroke patients at The Ottawa Hospital ar
12/22/2016
Ms. Chantelle Garritty and collaborators in the Knowledge Synthesis Group have developed a process to help the World Health Organization (WHO) quickly create guidelines during global emergencies. During an outbreak of a new disease, WHO needs to a
12/7/2016
While many exciting discoveries are made in laboratories every year, few ever become successful human treatments. This may be because often the decision to start a human trial is based on a few laboratory studies instead of considering all the av
11/23/2016
Ottawa researchers bring in half of clinical trial awards from Stem Cell Network Could stem cells help the body recover from septic shock, heart attack and liver transplantation? Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa
11/21/2016
OTTAWA — Algonquin College and The Ottawa Hospital are embarking on a unique partnership in health research, innovation and training. The College has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Hospital’s research institute to “encourage and facili
11/16/2016
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Canada, and is usually caused by a blood clot in the brain. Currently the only approved drug therapy is a protein called plasminogen activator (tPA), which dissolves the clot. However, researchers hav
11/15/2016
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s 16th annual Research Day was a great success, with more than 350 attendees packing the St. Elias Centre to capacity. Designed to highlight and celebrate the outstanding work of trainees, as well as promote scientific interaction, the event featured 127 posters (nearly 114 competing for prizes) and 15 oral presentations. Drs. Duncan Stewart, Bernard Jasmin, Alain Stintzi and Fraser Scott set the stage with introductory remarks, while Dr. Carl June gave the keynote lecture "Engineering T-cells for cancer immunotherapy." Prizes were awarded to the following trainees: Oral Presentation Competition: 1st: Amelia Aitken. An oncolytic virus targeting the RNA interference pathway Co-authors: Bastin D, Pelin A, Pikor L, Huh M, Roy D, Bourgeous-Daigneault MC, Petryk J, Ilkow C, Bell J. 2nd: Vignan Yogendrakumar. Location of Intracerebral Hemorrhage Predicts Hematoma Expansion and Clinical Outcome Co-authors: Andrew M Demchuk
11/10/2016
The Ottawa Hospital’s research activity totalled $133.7 million in 2014-15, according to data released today by Research Infosource. This places The Ottawa Hospital in sixth spot among Canada’s hospitals and provincial health authorities for research
10/18/2016
Two years ago, Dr. Marc Rodger thought he had settled the debate about the use of blood thinners in pregnant women at high risk of developing blood clots. His trial of 292 women in five countries – the largest of its kind – definitely showed that t
10/12/2016
Unnecessary medical procedures waste billions of dollars each year in Canada and cause substantial discomfort and harm to patients. Two high-profile organizations recently recognized the leadership of Ottawa researchers in tackling this problem i
10/6/2016
Anita Brisson learned that she had a condition called Factor XIII deficiency in 2013. She decided to participate in research that could help other patients with this very rare blood disease. Anita Brisson was doing her usual chores in her home
Photo: NASA NASA Astronaut Jeff Williams conducts a breath sample collection for the Canadian experiment MARROW on board the International Space Station. MARROW studies how a lack of physical activity affects the bone marrow production of norm
10/5/2016
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when an infection spreads throughout the bloodstream. It affects approximately 30,000 Canadians each year and carries a death rate much higher than other critical conditions treated in the emerge
Drs. Vicente Corrales-Medina and Girish Dwivedi were awarded $153,000 from the Heart and Stroke Foundation to investigate whether pneumonia can cause inflammation in the arteries of older patients. Their team previously found that after patients over 65 had developed pneumonia, their risk of cardiovascular disease rose two- to four-fold. The biological reason for this is currently unknown. Studies in animal models suggest that pneumonia can increase inflammation of the arteries, which has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The research team will further investigate this possibility by comparing the artery inflammation levels in pneumonia patients over age 65 with those of patients who have not had pneumonia. This is one of five Heart and Stroke Foundation grants recently awarded to researchers at The Ottawa Hospital / uOttawa. Co-investigators: Monica Taljaard, Robert DeKemp, Lionel Zuckier, Robert Beanlands h3>The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by c
9/29/2016
A creative tool by senior scientist Dr. Doug Manuel and his team helps show why public health research matters. Calculators are great for dividing up restaurant bills, but what about one that estimates how long you’re going to live? Dr. Doug M
Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Janet Jull is tailoring and testing a peer-support shared decision-making strategy and guide to better meet the health-care needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. While working as an occupational therapist with Inuit
9/28/2016
What is the most efficient way to answer the most important questions to improve care for cancer patients? Drs. John Hilton, Mark Clemons and Dean Fergusson got a group of Ottawa researchers together to answer this question and came up eight key principles, which form the basis for their Rethinking Clinical Trials (REaCT) Program. As described in the Journal of Oncology Practice, REaCT involves comparing different approved treatment strategies rather than developing new ones. It also involves a streamlined process for obtaining oral (rather than written) patient consent, immediate randomization into treatment groups using a mobile device and simplified data collection. Their first trial, which compares two strategies to prevent chemotherapy-related infections in breast cancer patients, has recruited nearly 150 patients in just over 18 months, at a small fraction of the cost of most cancer clinical trials. Nine other REaCT cancer trials are currently underway (with support from the
9/21/2016
Dr. Dawn Stacey has earned the distinction of having her Cochrane systematic review cited more than any other review in 2015. According to The Cochrane Library, of more than 1,800 reviews published in 2013-2014, “Decision aids for people facing h
9/2/2016
Canadian-led team awarded US $1.2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to investigate What if a blood spot from a newborn could identify vulnerable children at birth? One of the biggest vulnerabilities is being born premature. Cana
8/19/2016
Thirteen teams at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded more than $27 million in the latest round of research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Four of The Ottawa Hospital’
The Ottawa Hospital ranks well above national average in most recent competition from Canadian Institutes of Health Research If folic acid prevents birth defects during the first trimester, should it be taken throughout pregnancy? Dr. Mark Walker and Dr. Shi Wu Wen at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa can now definitively answer this question after being awarded a $9.8 million Foundation Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The grant is one of 13 recently awarded to The Ottawa Hospital in CIHR’s latest competition, worth a total of $27 million. “People think folic acid is a harmless supplement, so many mothers take it even after the recommended first trimester and in higher doses than recommended” said Dr. Walker, a senior scientist and Department Chief of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Newborn Care at The Ottawa Hospital and Department Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa. “The results of this study will tell us on
8/17/2016
Dr. Daniel McIsaac and his team were awarded $US 150,000 by the International Anesthesia Research Society to test whether home-based exercise training before cancer surgery can improve the outcomes of frail elderly patients. This population is at
8/16/2016
Study looks at impact of smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol Unhealthy habits are costing Canadians an estimated six years of life, according to a study published today in PLOS Medicine. Researchers found that smoking, poor di
8/11/2016
Starting August 2016, a pilot study at the General Campus of The Ottawa Hospital will help find out which of two liquids is the best to replace lost fluids in hospitalized patients. A healthy person’s bodyweight is about 60 percent water. How
7/13/2016
Dr. Duncan Stewart has been awarded $4.2M from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to advance our understanding of vascular disease and develop next-generation regenerative therapies. Dr. Stewart and his team have already initiated
7/11/2016
A large Canadian study has shown a link between blood donor characteristics and transfusion recipients’ outcomes. This is the first study to suggest that red blood cell transfusions from young donors and from female donors may be associated with
7/6/2016
The good news about rectal cancer is that it is often curable through surgery. The bad news is that depending on which kind of surgery is performed, patients can either end up with a significant risk of incontinence or a permanent colostomy (in w
7/4/2016
Researchers develop new screening tool to help emergency physicians A simple nine-question tool could help emergency physicians uncover the dangerous hidden conditions that make some people faint, according to a study published today in the Ca
6/29/2016
It’s common for doctors in medical dramas to use a defibrillator to shock a patient back to life. However, the same machine can also help a heart that’s beating too fast. About 350,000 Canadians have atrial fibrillation (AF), a rapid, irregular h
Stephen Wilson of Iroquois, Ontario avoided unnecessary treatments and side-effects by opting for regular monitoring of his slow-growing prostate cancer. Dairy plant manager Stephen Wilson faced a tough choice. In December 2012, he had just be
6/14/2016
Should clinicians wear double gloves or single gloves when caring for Ebola patients? What about full gowns versus coveralls? After Ebola broke out in West Africa in late 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) asked Dr. David Moher and his tea
6/8/2016
A key tool for improving quality in health care is to audit how it is being provided and give feedback on how to improve. However, some kinds of feedback are more helpful than others. Dr. Jamie Brehaut and colleagues set out to learn what feedbac
6/1/2016
Ottawa researchers are known around the world for conducting systematic reviews to rigorously compare different medical treatments, but occasionally they also use this expertise to answer important non-medical questions. For example, Dr. James Bo
5/24/2016
A decade after cataloguing the abysmal state of systematic reviews of health research and creating the PRISMA guideline to improve things, Dr. David Moher and his colleagues have found that things have improved but more work is required. “Syst
5/18/2016
Drs. Rodney Breau, Ilias Cagiannos, and Franco Momoli were awarded $400,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to investigate whether a drug called tranexamic acid can reduce blood loss during surgery for patients with bladder
5/13/2016
Entrepreneur Raymond Nicholas spent three months in a hospital bed and another three learning how to walk again. His doctor Dr. Guy Trudel is studying astronauts’ health in space, which he hopes will lead to faster rehabilitation for patients like Ni
5/11/2016
The ultimate goal of most health research is for the results to be put into practice. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. In many cases, research findings are applied very slowly to everyday health care or not at all. Failing to put research i
4/12/2016
Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital are playing a lead role in two of the five chronic disease networks recently funded by Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR), managed by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. Dr. Patric
3/31/2016
Stem cells are usually thought of as the building blocks of the body – able to give rise to all our cells and organs. But a clinical trial at The Ottawa Hospital is testing the idea that certain stem cells may also be able to help control the body’s
3/24/2016
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health threat in Canada’s North, with an incidence rate up to 40 times greater than the national average. Now residents of Iqaluit and Ottawa can enroll in a study of a new drug combination that reduces the treatme
3/23/2016
Are your submitted manuscripts the best they can be? Learn how publications officer Kelly Cobey can help get your manuscripts published faster and with fewer revisions by reading the latest edition of EPIgram. Published by the Ottawa Hospital Res
3/18/2016
A new video from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) features European Space Agency Astronaut Tim Peake explaining the MARROW study aboard the International Space Station. The video gives a unique glance into research led by Dr. Guy Trudel, a professor at the University of Ottawa and Physiatrist at the Rehabilitation Centre of The Ottawa Hospital. His team is studying the bone marrow health of 10 astronauts over the course of their six-month missions as well as the year after they return. While ground staff conduct the pre- and post- flight blood and assist with breath sampling, the astronauts take these samples all by themselves once they’re in space. The weightless environment adds extra challenge to procedures like taking blood or breath and Dr. Trudel’s team worked with the CSA team to come up with a working solution for the breath samples. The goal of the study is to gain better understanding of the effects of extended space travel on bone marrow health and blood cell metabolism, find
3/16/2016
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw and his team were awarded a $2.1M Foundation grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to develop better strategies for applying research findings to health care, a process called knowledge translation or KT. His t
3/9/2016
During their war with cancer, it’s common for survivors to find themselves in a new battle with chronic nerve pain. Either damaged by the disease or the treatments used, some of their nerves start sending incorrect signals causing shooting, burni
3/8/2016
A move by The Ottawa Hospital to promote less invasive surgeries for women with severe gynecological problems has sped up patient recovery, led to fewer complications and saved the hospital money, according to a study recently published in theJourn
2/29/2016
Low-risk patients increasingly undergoing regular monitoring rather than immediate treatment Of the approximately 24,000 Canadians diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, about half have a slow-growing form that poses little risk to their he
2/17/2016
Could an antiepileptic drug reduce pain after all kinds of surgery? Dr. Naveen Eipe and colleagues were awarded Most Cited Paper of 2015 by the journal PAIN for their attempt to answer this controversial question. Pregabalin was originally approv
Drs. Jeremy Grimshaw and David Moher recently made a list of the world’s top 3,000 researchers. This puts them in the top 0.03 percent, as it is estimated that there are more than 9 million researchers worldwide. The list of the “world’s most influ
1/27/2016
Every year about 1,200 people in Ottawa arrive at a hospital with self-harm, usually from an overdose of pills. About five percent of these people will die by suicide in the next five years. However, the treatment given to this high-risk group is
12/10/2015
For more than 20 years, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has been used to help screen for prostate cancer, but in recent years, some task forces have called for this blood test to be abandoned because it leads to many unnecessary biopsies. No
12/9/2015
Health data has never been more plentiful, from the millions of research studies published every year, to data from personal genome sequencing, electronic health records and wearable devices. Yet sifting through this information to make evidence-base
After 54 months, one of The Ottawa Hospital’s largest randomized controlled clinical trials has recruited its final patient – number 2,464. The trial, led by Drs. Mark Walker and Shi Wu Wen, is evaluating the effectiveness of the vitamin folic acid in preventing preeclampsia in pregnant women in five countries. Preeclampsia affects about five per cent of pregnant women worldwide, and is characterized by high blood pressure and leakage of protein into the urine. Preeclampsia is responsible for one-third of all pregnancy-related deaths worldwide. Currently, the only way to cure preeclampsia is to deliver a baby – which often happens well before the due date resulting in preterm births. The results could change medical practice worldwide. See International Innovation for details. About The Ottawa Hospital The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus
11/21/2015
Ottawa’s glitterati, including community and businesses leaders, joined local researchers in honouring their peers at The Ottawa Hospital Gala presented by Nordion. In particular, three researchers were feted for their groundbreaking work and innovat
10/14/2015
Biomedical research is essential for improving health, but evidence suggests that we are not deriving maximum benefit from the research that’s being done. This can be because of poor research questions, poor study design and poor (or no) reporting of
With headache as its predominant symptom, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) can be challenging to diagnose. It is estimated that close to 50 patients presenting with SAH in Ontario annually are misdiagnosed at the time of their first hospital visit and h
9/23/2015
The sixth edition of the Clinical Epidemiology Program’s EPIgram newsletter is now available, including a cover story on IQ@TOH, a new initiative to harness research to improve quality of care at The Ottawa Hospital. The newsletter also features Dr.
9/16/2015
Dr. Greg Knoll is one of a seven scientists at The Ottawa Hospital recently awarded Foundation Grants by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Knoll’s team will receive $3.9 million over seven years to undertake patient-centred research rel
9/9/2015
For Dr. Kari Sampsel, treating sexual assault victims in The Ottawa Hospital’s emergency department was not enough. She also wanted to help prevent sexual assault, and to do that, she needed to understand the risk factors. So Dr. Sampsel and her coll
8/19/2015
Dr. Bernard Thébaud’s team is one of seven at The Ottawa Hospital recently awarded Foundation Grants by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Thébaud’s team has received $3.2 million over seven years to develop three different kinds of stem cell treatments for babies with life-threatening lung diseases. The three approaches focus on mesenchymal stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. “We are one of the very few labs in the world,” Thébaud told the Ottawa South News in a recent interview, “that is banking on the therapeutic potential of these stem cells that may likely revolutionize medicine and we are the only lab working on three types of stem cell products.” Currently the therapies keeping these babies alive can seriously damage their lungs, leading to emphysema and high blood pressure in the lungs later in life. Stem cells have the ability to repair damaged lung tissue, promote lung growth or correct genetic mutations. Cocherc
Are those electronic invitations filling your inbox from so-called credible medical journals worth a second glance? Authors often feel pressure to publish, but competition can be stiff and determining where to submit time-consuming. Dr. David Moher
7/29/2015
How do the dozens of available hypertension drugs stack up against each other? What about anti-depressants? And anti-bleeding drugs? These are just a few of the important questions that Dr. Brian Hutton and his colleagues are answering through netw
7/28/2015
Twenty-two teams at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded more than $28 million in research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health for
7/22/2015
Post-graduate medical oncologist Dr. Terry Ng is the first recipient of the Jean Maroun Resident Research Scholarship, which will be presented annually to a resident whose research results have the potential to change practice. Dr. Ng’s research f
7/15/2015
That is the question that Dr. Greg Knoll set out to research when he was asked to debate the topic during the 2014 annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Transplantation. Together with research fellow Dr. Amber Molnar, Dr. Dean Fergusson and other
6/30/2015
Cochrane Canada, based at The Ottawa Hospital and led by Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, is set to close when it’s funding runs out in September 2015. Its primary funder, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has not renewed its support. Cochrane Canada is part of an independent global network of over 30,000 healthcare practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others. Cochrane works to turn the evidence generated through research into useful information for making everyday decisions about health. Cochrane Canada was established in 1993 and is one of 14 centres worldwide. More than 120 countries belong to this non-profit collaboration. This funding decision is not based on the organization’s performance, but rather on changes to the CIHR grant structure. Cochrane Canada is undertaking a campaign to try to help keep its doors open and is asking for your help. Find out how you can help to #saveCochraneCanada. For further information, please contact Lois Ross Senior Communic
Dr.Janet Squires has been appointed University Research Chair in Health Evidence Implementationfor the uOttawa Faculty of Health Sciences’ School of Nursing. Dr. Squires will focus her extensive experience on implementation science and knowledge translation, showing how research results can be leveraged to improve health-care practice and outcomes for patients. For example, Dr. Squires is studying strategies to reduce the overuse of diagnostic imaging in early stage breast cancer. This study will help implement research results recently published by Dr. Mark Clemons and co-authors related to unnecessary imaging in Stage 1 and 2 breast cancer patients. Dr. Angel Arnaout is co-principal investigator on this project. For further information, please contact Lois Ross Senior Communications Specialist Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Office: 613-737-8899 x73687 Cell: 613-297-8315 loross@ohri.ca
Drs. Christian Vaillancourt and Ian Stiell have been awarded $1.5M from the Ontario SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) Support Unit to evaluate a strategy to reduce unnecessary immobilization of trauma patients by paramedics. Currently, pa
6/22/2015
Reducing unnecessary imaging could improve care and reduce costs Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have found that most Ontario women with early stage breast cancer are undergoing unnecessary imaging to determine
Large clinical trial shows CT scanning does not improve cancer detection in people with unexplained blood clots A large clinical trial led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa has found that contrary to expectations, a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis does not improve cancer detection in people with unexplained blood clots in their legs and lungs. The results, published in the June 22nd edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, are expected to improve patient care and reduce screening costs around the world. More than 500,000 Canadians and Americans are diagnosed with blood clots in the lungs and legs each year (called venous thromboembolism). In some cases, the clots are caused by trauma, surgery prolonged immobility or a known cancer, but in about half of cases, the cause of the blood clots is unknown. “Unexplained blood clots have long been thought of as a possible early warning sign of cancer, with previous studies suggesting that
6/17/2015
Has someone you love recently been admitted to the hospital? Would you like to know what their chance of dying is within the next year? If so, this can now be easily calculated using the HOMR (Hospital-patient One-year Mortality Risk) model develop
6/10/2015
Eight scientists from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute have moved on to the third and final phase of the Foundation grant competition from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), representing a success rate of 26% (over the first two
5/20/2015
Drs. Mark Clemons and Brian Hutton have published the results of a survey on the use of steroids to prevent adverse reactions in patients receiving docetaxel chemotherapy, one of the most commonly used drugs in breast cancer. The article, publishe
4/15/2015
uOttawa’s Faculty of Graduate and Post-doctoral Studies has named Manosilah Yoganathan the Best Co-op Student of 2014. Working under the mentorship of Dr. Dawn Stacey, Ms. Yoganathan developed one-page patient decision aids based on research evidence
3/25/2015
The latest edition of our Tender Loving Research video blog features Dr. Dean Fergusson explaining the motivation behind his research on blood transfusions. More than a million blood units are transfused in Canada every year, saving countless lives,
3/17/2015
Just like milk and many other foods, blood used for transfusions is perishable. But contrary to popular belief, new research shows that blood stored for three weeks is just as good as fresh blood — findings published today in the New England Journal
3/13/2015
Lots of potentially useful medical information is getting lost. Researchers from McGill University, The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa discovered this when they looked for results of clinical trials of “stalled drugs” – drugs that showe
3/11/2015
Dr. Jeremy GrimshawJeremy Grimshaw has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), along with an elite group of "outstanding scientists, celebrated writers and eminent academics." He became a Corresponding Fellow, which is an honour
3/4/2015
Dr. Grégoire Le Gal has been awarded a $235,000 grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation for research that could enhance the diagnosis of blood clots in the veins of the legs and lungs. This condition, called venous thromboembolism or VTE, affe
2/18/2015
An economic analysis recently published by the Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) finds that the Ottawa COPD Risk Scale, developed by Dr. Ian Stiell and colleagues, could save Ontario’s health-care system as much as $115M over three year
2/10/2015
Dr. Mark Clemons recently published a comprehensive review of existing studies to determine whether there is scientifically compelling evidence to support the use of Vitamin C in cancer treatment, either to enhance chemotherapy or reduce its toxicity
1/19/2015
Drs. Kumanan Wilson and Steven Hawken published a paper this week that examines whether the flu shot increases or decreases the risk of getting Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare but serious autoimmune condition. Recent studies have associated
1/18/2015
Every year in Canada, more than 1.5 million blood products (red blood cells, platelets, plasma and others) are transfused into patients, often in lifesaving situations. However, it is unclear whether certain donor characteristics — such as age, sex a
12/17/2014
Dr. Marc Rodger recently received the Canadian Hematology Society’s clinical paper of the year award for his international clinical trial of blood thinners in pregnant women, published in The Lancet. The trial showed that daily blood thinner injectio
12/10/2014
Despite multiple evidence-based guidelines recommending against imaging for metastatic disease in patients with early-stage breast cancer, many physicians continue to order such tests. A paper published by Drs. Demetrios Simos, Mark Clemons and Brian
12/3/2014
Keeping kidney transplant patients healthy requires a fine balance, because the drugs that prevent transplant rejection can also increase the risk of cancer. Sirolimus was once thought to be a promising new kidney transplant drug, because it seemed t
11/26/2014
Kidney transplantation is life-changing and even life-saving for hundreds of Canadians every year, but in about 30% of patients, the drugs that prevent organ rejection also allow the normally harmless BK virus to replicate out of control, potentially
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw is part of an international team that recently received a prestigious award for developing an evidence-based training program that reduced disability and death from stroke by a “remarkable” 16% and reduced hospital stays by two
11/11/2014
Drs. Rodney Breau and Luke Lavallée have published a new study in PLOS ONE regarding complications following the removal of the bladder to treat bladder cancer (radical cystectomy). The study found that 55% of patients experienced a post-operative complication following such a surgery, the most common of which was the need for a blood transfusion (38% of patients). It also identified risk factors for experiencing a post-operative complication, which included older age, female gender, pre-operative health status, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low serum albumin, radiotherapy, recent transfusion, and length of operation. Radical cystectomy is often the best treatment option for patients with bladder cancer, but the high risk for complications associated with this procedure warrants more studies to improve patient safety. Dr. Breau and his colleagues have previously identified that lysine inhibitors (to prevent bleeding during surgery) are underutilized for patients receiving ra
11/5/2014
Drs. Doug Manuel and Monica Taljaard have published a protocol in the online medical journal BMJ Open to develop a new tool designed to assess the risk of people developing cardiovascular disease among certain populations. They will develop, evaluate
10/28/2014
Drs. Carmel Jacobs and Mark Clemons led a team to evaluate the quality of oncology guidance documents. Recently published in PLOS One, the study shows a discrepancy in the quality of published Consensus Statements compared to Clinical Practice Guidel
The Ottawa Citizen published an article this past week concerning the launch of the Canadian chapter of EQUATOR at The Ottawa Hospital. Founded in Britain in 2006, EQUATOR suggests guidelines for how scientists publish their discoveries. It aims to improve the trustworthiness of biomedical journals, which publish the latest medical research news. Dr. David Moher, who was on hand to launch EQUATOR’s Canadian chapter, told the Ottawa Citizen newspaper that OHRI plans to train a publications officer who will check manuscripts before they’re submitted for publications. Read the article. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting r
10/22/2014
A team led by Drs. Greg Knoll and Ayub Akbari have published a paper in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases that looks at methods for predicting the outcomes of kidney transplants. The study involved 207 kidney transplant recipients and looked at
10/21/2014
OTTAWA – Ottawa researchers are receiving the largest-ever North American grant intended to study the effectiveness of naturopathic medicine used in combination with conventional medicine. The funding was announced today by the Ottawa Integrative Can
10/15/2014
Dr. Mark Walker has published a paper in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental concerning the use of urine tests taken from women during pregnancy to analyze levels of phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is thought to disrupt normal hor
In the latest edition of Biome, Dr. David Moher makes a case for more rigorous peer -review training among academic and medical institutions, and says that “If journals are to remain relevant for disseminating research in the 21st century we need to
In a paper published by CMAJ, Drs. Dean Fergusson, Brian Hutton and colleagues refute three major criticisms of the BART trial, criticisms that were used as justification to bring aprotinin back on the market with revised warnings in Canada and in Eu
10/8/2014
Dr. David Moher is the lead editor on a new book titled “Guidelines for Reporting Health Research" that has just been published by Wiley Press.The book aims to help researchers choose and use the correct guidelines for reporting their research, and t
10/1/2014
Dr. Janet Squires has been awarded a two-year grant worth $264,237 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to help our understanding of the role context plays in knowledge translation. Context is increasingly recognized as a central influence on health-care professionals' use of research. This project is necessary to develop common tools for assessing context in order to tailor the design and delivery of knowledge translation interventions, to interpret their effectiveness and to guide knowledge users in their implementation efforts. Grant summaries are available through CIHR’s Funded Research Decision Database. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students
9/17/2014
Dr. Dawn Stacey has earned the distinction of having one of her Cochrane systematic reviews cited more than any other Cochrane Review in 2013. According to The Cochrane Library, of more than 5,000 reviews, “Decision aids for people facing health trea
9/16/2014
Ottawa – Physicians around the world now have guidance that can help them determine the best oral blood thinners to use for their patients suffering from blood clots in their veins, thanks to a patient of The Ottawa Hospital who asked his physician a
9/3/2014
Dr. Rodney Breau has received a 2014 Movember Discovery Grant for $200,000 from Prostate Cancer Canada to further his research on the long-term effects of having a prostate surgically removed. Dr Breau and his team will use the funding to study how regular feedback to surgeons, through a surgery report card, could change surgical performance. Surgeons who perform radical prostatectomy will receive feedback every three months on their patient outcomes compared to the outcomes of patients treated by other surgeons. The hope is that regular feedback to surgeons will reduce long-term urinary and sexual side effects that some patients experience after having their prostate removed. See release from Prostate Cancer Canada. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health S
8/18/2014
Drs. Mark Walker and Shi-Wu Wen have launched a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of folic acid in preventing preeclampsia in pregnant women. Preeclampsia affects about five per cent of pregnant women worldwide, and is characterized by hig
8/13/2014
Drs. Rodney Breau, Alan Tinmouth, Dean Fergusson and Franco Momoli have published a study in Transfusion Medicine Reviews that examines the effectiveness of medications to reduce bleeding during pelvic surgery. Surgery in the pelvic area is inherently difficult and may result in heavy bleeding that requires patients to undergo blood transfusions. The authors assessed the safety and efficacy of a class of medications called lysine analogs. Lysine analogs are commonly used during cardiac surgery and are relatively inexpensive. In the current publication, Breau and colleagues evaluated all of the available evidence evaluating lysine analogs during pelvic surgery. They found that this class of medication seems to be safe for patients, while reducing bleeding and blood transfusion requirements. In a previous study, Dr. Breau’s team showed that lysine analogs are not commonly used during pelvic surgery and they are now leading a multicenter prospective trial to verify the effect of lysine a
8/5/2014
Dr. Dawn Stacey has been awarded a four -year grant valued at $680,555 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to train health providers in home -care teams across Quebec in shared decision making regarding seniors and their decision to continue living in their home or move to a care facility. This decision is one of the toughest for older Canadians to make. Decisions related to living environments that are informed, shared and supported produce better results. An inter-professional approach to shared decision-making is when seniors and their caregivers collaborate in making decisions with two or more professionals involved in their care. Dr. Stacey plans to assess the program's impact by measuring to what extent seniors say they took part in the decision-making process. She and her team will also look at the option each senior chose, whether they regret their decision, its impact on their quality of life, and how much health-care providers involved their patients in the
7/24/2014
OTTAWA – It's a daily injection to the belly for pregnant women at risk of developing blood clots and it's ineffective, according to a clinical trial led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and published today by the prestigious medical journal The
7/22/2014
Larissa Shamseer, a PhD student working with Dr. David Moher , has published a paper in the British Medical Journal that examines the effectiveness of the peer review process. Although peer reviewing manuscripts has been around for more than 200 years, there is very little hard evidence concerning the effectiveness of the peer review process at improving the reporting in today’s biomedical journals. Ms. Shamseer was part of a team that reviewed 93 articles that had undergone the peer review process. They concluded that peer reviewers failed to detect important deficiencies in the reporting of the methods and results in many randomized trials. Also, the number of changes requested by peer reviewers was relatively small. However, most authors did comply with recommendations they received. Adherence to reporting checklists by journal editors, peer reviewers and authors could improve the reporting of published articles, according to Ms. Shamseer’s paper. Read the full paper. About the O
7/17/2014
OTTAWA – While the incidence of tuberculosis remains low in Canada overall, it continues to be a significant public health concern in the North. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital working with community partners have found a novel way to improve dete
7/16/2014
Dr. David Moher has made an international list of the world’s top researchers compiled by media company Thomson Reuters. Dr. Moher was the only researcher from OHRI, and one of only four scientists from Ottawa, named to the list, which included 3,200
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute scientists were awarded 11 operating grants worth $8.4 million in the most recent CIHR competition. The successful principal investigators and co-principal investigators affiliated with OHRI include Drs. Gonzalo Al
7/9/2014
Dr. David Moher has published a study in The British Medical Journal that calls into question the widespread endorsements given to various research reporting guidelines. Dr. Moher and his team conducted a systematic review of more than 100 guidelines
6/9/2014
A clinical trial led by Drs. Deb Zimmerman and Kevin Burns shows that fewer medications are needed to control blood pressure just as effectively when patients undergo daily two-hour hemodialysis sessions. The conventional treatment is three times a w
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw has been awarded $1 million from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to study different ways to get people who have suffered a heart attack to continue rehabilitation and take their medication. Previous studies show that, a year after a major heart attack, just 30% to 40% go to rehabilitation and only 50% take their medications properly. The multi-site study will be based out of Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, and Dr. Noah Ivers will co-lead the study along with Dr. Grimshaw. The research will examine the effectiveness of different ways to get heart attack patients to follow their treatment plans. Strategies will include reminder letters, automated phone calls, follow-up phone calls from nurses, and a combination of all three methods to see which is most effective. The cost of each strategy will also be analyzed. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospita
6/3/2014
One of the Netherland's largest hospitals has signed an agreement to implement shared decision-making and invited Dr. Dawn Stacey to give the 16th Anna Reynvaan Lecture at the Academic Medical Centre of the University of Amsterdam. Last week, Dr. Stacey gave a lecture entitled “Shared Decision-Making: What is the role for nurses?” This annual lecture aims to educate and inspire nurses and other healthcare professionals in the Netherlands and Belgium. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Media contact Paddy Moore Communicati
5/19/2014
Dr. Shawn Aaron is co-lead on a research project into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that has been awarded $1.1 million over three years by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Together with Dr. Andrea Gershon, Dr. Aaron w
5/14/2014
Alan Tinmouth and the University of Ottawa Centre for Transfusion Research (UOCTR) have been awarded $718,286 by Canadian Blood Services. Dr. Tinmouth heads up the centre, which is a multidisciplinary group of researchers in hematology, nephrology, s
Dr.Andrew Seely has published a paper in Critical Care concerning a technique for predicting the successful removal of breathing tubes from people who are on life support. The five-year study involved 721 patients in 12 centres across North America, including Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Cleveland, Ohio. Being able to accurately predict the likelihood that someone on life support will be able to breathe on their own is important as 12% to 15% of these people fail to do so when their breathing tube is removed. Reinserting a breathing tube is extremely stressful on the body and can cause death in severe cases. Dr. Seely hopes to use the findings from the study in his development of technology for use in Intensive Care Units that will measure the respiratory and heart rate variability of patients, and give physicians a better predictor of whether a person is likely to struggle without a breathing tube. Read the paper. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital
Dr. Dawn Stacey, a Registered Nurse, has published a paper in the Journal of Interprofessional Care that looks at how to develop a systematic approach to creating training videos to improve shared decision making among health-care professionals. The systematic approach involved everything from deciding on relevant content to drafting a script and evaluating the completed video. The video development process resulted in a product that was true-to-life and improved knowledge among health-care workers. This process could be used to create videos in a variety of health-care contexts. Read more. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff cond
4/13/2014
Dr. Janet Squires has been awarded $99,852 by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to study the plans people make to change their behaviour and improve their health, and why those plans often fail to materialize. A person may develop a p
2/12/2014
Writing in the journal Nature, two leaders of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have commended the clinical trials community for taking “important steps towards adopting standard reporting elements” developed by Dr. David Moher and his col
2/5/2014
Girls have an increased likelihood of reacting to the one-year MMR vaccine than boys, according to a large, Ontario population-based study by led Dr. Kumanan Wilson and published in Vaccine. The MMR vaccine is an immunization against measles, mumps and rubella that is typically given at 12 months of age. The findings suggest that there may be important physiological differences between boys and girls that cause different responses to the measles virus and measles-containing vaccines. See media release for details. Funders: Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, pos
1/22/2014
Sadly, no. In order to tackle the vexing challenge of research-use in the clinical setting, Dr. Janet Squires has been awarded a highly competitive New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Squires will synthesize ex
1/15/2014
Dr. David Moher played a key role in a new Lancet series on increasing value and reducing waste in biomedical research. The series documents waste in research from five principal sources, ranging from waste in deciding what research to do, through to waste because of unusable reports of research. Dr. Moher is a co-author on two of the five papers in the series. About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Media contact Jennifer Ganton Director, Communications and Public Relations Ottawa Hospital Research Institute 613-798-5555 x
12/4/2013
Ottawa and Toronto, Canada — First-born children have a higher incidence of post-vaccination emergency room (ER) visits and admissions than later-born children for vaccinations up to 12 months of age, says a new Ontario study from researchers at the
12/2/2013
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is pleased to announce that Cochrane Canada is the recipient of the 2013 CIHR Knowledge Translation Award. The Canadian Cochrane Centre Director and researcher at the University of Ottawa and the Otta
11/20/2013
New research led by Dr. Rodney Breau is shedding light on a major controversy around how best to treat prostate cancer patients who have had their prostates removed. While some studies suggest that no follow-up treatment is required, others have sugg
11/15/2013
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s 13th Annual Research Day was a great success, with more than 350 attendees packing the St. Elias Centre to capacity. Designed to highlight and celebrate the outstanding work of trainees, as well as promote sci
9/5/2013
Ottawa, Canada — Canadian researchers have treated the first patient in a world-first clinical trial using genetically enhanced stem cells to repair damaged heart muscle after a major heart attack. The formal name of the trial is ENACT-AMI, which sta
5/6/2013
TORONTO and OTTAWA – Influenza immunization rates in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are low despite its safety according to a new study by researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), Children’s Hospital of Ea
11/21/2012
In this month’s PLoS Medicine, Charles Weijer of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy, Jeremy Grimshaw and Monica Taljaard of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and colleagues publish the Ottawa Statement on the Ethical Design and Conduct of Cluste
10/8/2012
Ottawa — In a finding that runs counter to commonly held beliefs about fresh being better, a clinical trial published today by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that acutely ill premature babies who received fresher blood did not
4/2/2012
Unhealthy habits are costing Ontarians 7.5 years of life. However, by reducing five unhealthy behaviours Ontarians could become the healthiest people in the entire country. New research from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), Publ
2/10/2012
Clinical trials often have inconclusive findings and sometimes produce results that are contradicted by subsequent studies. Those that evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention thoroughly, may lack the same rigor when reporting on associated adve
12/16/2011
New research led by Dr. Jonathan Angel could spare many people with HIV from having to take unnecessary antibiotics associated with major side effects. A systematic review by Dr. Angel and his colleagues showed that when viral levels are suppressed,
12/14/2011
Medical research often happens in small steps, but a new facility at The Ottawa Hospital is designed to enable researchers to answer the big questions that can truly change medical practice and make a difference for patients. Called the Centre for Pr
12/12/2011
New research led by Dr. Kumanan Wilson shows that children are more likely to show up in emergency rooms one to two weeks after getting their first measles, mumps and rubella vaccine shot, however in the vast majority of cases, these reactions are se
12/1/2011
Dr. Monica Taljaard recently hosted an international meeting on the ethics of cluster-randomized clinical trials, which compare different treatments by randomly assigning some regions (or hospitals) to provide one treatment while the others provide a
8/22/2011
New research led by Dr. Carl van Walraven suggests that contrary to popular belief, most urgent hospital readmissions can’t be blamed on medical errors or gaps in care. After analyzing records from nearly 5,000 patients from 11 Ontario hospitals, Dr.
7/20/2011
Two research teams affiliated with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have been awarded major new grants through the Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence competition.
5/11/2011
A new study led by Dr. Monica Taljaard suggests that researchers around the world are getting better at following certain ethical guidelines for clinical trials, but more work still needs to be done. Dr. Taljaard and her colleagues found that ethical
2/23/2011
Researchers affiliated with the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) and the CHEO Research Institute (CHEO RI) are about to embark on exciting new r
2/22/2011
An international group is encouraging health researchers around the world to publicly register and provide details about planned systematic reviews in an effort to improve health decision-making and the systematic review process. Systematic revie
11/16/2010
New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that 15 per cent of Ontario Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients are infected with a strain of bacteria that makes them twice as likely to die or require a lung transplant...
10/28/2010
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw has been elected Co-Chair of the Cochrane Collaboration, a highly prestigious international research network that helps people make informed healthcare decision. The announcement was made on October 28, 2010, after more than 400
9/10/2010
The Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation today announced $3.6 million dollars in funding to support the outstanding research being conducted by professors and students from the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Eight research projects, in areas such as health and medicine, nanophotonics, physics and visual arts...
5/19/2010
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research recently announced $9.6 million in funding over the next five years to Cochrane Canada to help fulfill its mission of cultivating evidence-based health decision-making by promoting the use and accessibility of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Canada is led by Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw at OHRI...
3/24/2010
New guidance to improve the reporting of trial findings is published simultaneously today by nine leading medical journals. Full and transparent reporting of trials is crucial to ensure that decisions about health care are based on the best available evidence...
2/16/2010
A paper published in this week's issue of PLoS Medicine provides a substantial new resource for developing guidelines for reporting health research. The paper was written by Dr. David Moher of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa, along with colleagues from the U.S. and the U.K...
2/8/2010
Fifteen OHRI / uOttawa scientists have been awarded grants worth a total of $7.8M from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This funding will help the researchers develop better therapies, answer important health questions and make our health care system more effective and efficient...
11/21/2009
The 2009 Ottawa Hospital Gala was a tremendous success raising $120,000 for the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Drs. Jeremy Grimshaw, Johné Liu and Mitchell Baldwin were honoured for their research in knowledge translation, cell biology and brain cancer, respectively...
11/18/2009
A 12-hospital clinical trial has shown that active promotion of the Canadian C-Spine Rule in emergency departments can significantly reduce the use of unnecessary neck x-rays without compromising the detection of serious neck injuries. The study is p
11/12/2009
As a specialist at The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, Dr. Guy Trudel has always been interested in improving how patients recover from long term injuries and immobility, so when an opportunity arose to study a similar problem in the unique context of space...
8/19/2009
A new research study led by Dr. Andrew Seely and Dr. Saif Ahmad shows that a simple heart rate monitor may be able to detect the first signs of sepsis, a potentially lethal blood infection, almost a day and a half before traditional methods. The researchers developed a sophisticated mathematical algorithm to analyze variation in heart rate and detect patterns...
7/21/2009
An international group led by Dr. David Moher of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa has today released guidelines to improve how highly influential reviews of medical and health research are reported. The guide
7/2/2009
A survey of more than 3,000 randomized clinical trials published in Chinese journals suggests that less than 10 per cent are actually randomized according to accepted guidelines. The survey, published in BioMed Central’s open access journal, Trials, was led by Dr. David Moher of Ottawa, Canada and Dr. Taixiang Wu of Sichuan, China.
4/30/2009
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, has been awarded $12.2M to lead a groundbreaking new national research network called Knowledge Translation Canada (KT Canada). The network will addre
4/15/2009
The Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre, led by OHRI scientist Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, announced today that everyone in Canada with access to the Internet will be able to view the full content of The Cochrane Library, an online resource that provides evaluations on health treatments...
2/3/2009
Several high-profile medical journals are publishing the results of a recent initiative designed to enhance the transparency of reporting in genetic-association studies — performed to determine whether a genetic variant is associated with a disease or trait.
11/19/2008
Two OHRI Scientists were recognized at the OCRI Life Sciences Achievement Awards Dinner. Dr. Dean Fergusson received the Dr. Michael Smith Promising Scientist Award for his work in transfusion medicine while Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw received the Research
5/14/2008
Aprotinin is associated with a 50 per cent increase in the relative risk of death, according to a major Canadian clinical trial comparing three drugs routinely used to prevent blood loss during heart surgery. The trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that approximately six per cent of patients who received aprotinin died within 30 days of surgery compared to four per cent of patients who received tranexamic acid or aminocaproic acid.
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