Presseau Group
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Ongoing Research Projects
Chronic pain affects one in five Canadians and can have a profound impact on individuals, families, and communities. While research continues to generate new insights into how chronic pain can be managed, this knowledge doesn’t always reach the people who need it — and even when it does, it doesn’t always lead to changes in practice. Our work uses implementation science to bridge these gaps: helping ensure that evidence not only informs care, but also leads to meaningful, lasting improvements grounded in people’s priorities and experiences.
The Presseau Group is applying implementation science to improve clinical care and quality of life for individuals living with gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Our implementation research relevant to GI conditions includes projects undertaken independently and through our leadership of implementation science activities for the IMAGINE Network — a national chronic disease network funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) initiative.
A kidney transplant is the best option for people with kidney failure. Transplant recipients live longer and have a better quality of life. The need for kidney transplants continues to rise, and there are not enough deceased donors to meet the need. In Canada, about one-third of kidney transplants are from living donors.
Traditionally, living donor candidates must undergo over 30 tests, including lab work, imaging scans, and consultations. These tests are spread over multiple visits and several months. This drawn-out process can be stressful and burdensome. To address these barriers, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton launched a one-day assessment clinic in 2019, where donors complete most testing in a single day. This research focuses on health equity, exploring whether both the one-day and traditional assessment models meet the needs of a diverse range of potential donors.
This research is focused on improving how healthcare services are delivered to Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans. Our goal is to make healthcare more accessible, equitable, and responsive to the unique needs and experiences of those who serve - or have served - in the military.
Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of preventable blindness in Canada. Guidelines recommend yearly diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) for people with diabetes to reduce the risk and progression of vision loss. However, most Canadians with diabetes have not attended screening in the last year, and almost a third never have. Rates are even lower in newcomers to Canada including people arriving from China, Africa and the Caribbean; groups also at higher risk of developing diabetes complications. This project builds on our foundational research investigating ways of improving diabetic retinopathy screening attendance.
Completed Research Projects
The OPTimise Platform aimed to connect public health unit priorities with community-engaged behavioural scientists to enable public health units to draw upon behavioural science insight to complement existing approaches to support decisions and action around public health and social measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Enhancing personal protective behaviours: Reducing facial T-zone touching to reduce the spread of infectious disease
There is much to be drawn from the behavioural sciences to understand and promote vaccine confidence and uptake.
One organ donor can save up to eight lives. Sadly many Canadians die waiting for an organ transplant because there are not enough organs. Though most Canadians support organ donation less than 25% of the public in most provinces have registered. Our team of researchers, patients and family doctors worked with Trillium Gift of Life Network to improve registration. We developed a strategy to help those who want to register to do so in their family doctor’s office.
Plasma can be donated at some blood donor clinics—it is a protein-rich liquid in blood that helps other blood components circulate throughout the body. Plasma is used to treat bleeding disorders, liver diseases, and many types of cancer. Canada does not collect enough blood plasma to meet the needs of Canadians. Gay, bi and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) cannot donate blood or plasma if they are sexually active. New screening questions and more inclusive eligibility criteria are being explored that could be used to allow some sexually active gbMSM to donate.
Plasma can be donated at some blood donor clinics—it is a protein-rich liquid in blood that helps other blood components circulate throughout the body. Plasma is used to treat bleeding disorders, liver diseases, and many types of cancer. Gay, bisexual and other men who are having sex with men (gbMSM) cannot donate blood or plasma if they are sexually active.
New screening questions and more inclusive eligibility criteria are being explored that could be used to allow some sexually active gbMSM to donate. We aimed to explore the acceptability of additional screening questions among gbMSM, identify any further barriers to donating plasma, and develop supports to address these barriers.