Celebrating 20 years of the Ottawa Methods Centre: The quiet engine behind stronger research

Established in 2006, a small but ambitious group of scientists and research professionals at The Ottawa Hospital’s Research Institute set out to solve a problem facing health research everywhere: groundbreaking discoveries mean little unless the methods behind them are rigorous, transparent and capable of changing real-world care.

Twenty years later, the Ottawa Methods Centre (OMC) has established itself as one of Canada’s leading hubs for methods support. It is internationally recognized for its expertise in clinical trial design, biostatistics, data management, health economics, knowledge synthesis and implementation science, serving a wide range of clinical disciplines.

OMC’s work has contributed to studies that improve care for patients spanning the spectrum from infants to the elderly. Its researchers have shaped clinical guidelines, strengthened research transparency and improved the translation of evidence into health-care practice. “Methods matter” became more than a principle. It became the foundation for improving patient outcomes.

Transforming patient care around the world

Over the years, OMC has supported thousands of research studies. Some of these have provided innovative treatment options for patients at The Ottawa Hospital and others have transformed how health care is provided around the world. 

A few examples are highlighted below.
 

Learn more about how these research projects are preventing blood loss during surgery, finding undiagnosed asthma, improving the lives of people with cancer, enhancing recovery after surgery and testing innovative biotherapeutics to heal the lungs of preterm babies. 

Supporting research collaboration, training, methods and implementation

OMC’s impact extends well beyond individual projects. OMC has also led the way in:

• Supporting multidisciplinary collaboration 
• Training future research leaders 
• Advancing innovative clinical trial methods 
• Accelerating evidence-based care 
• Improving health-care decision-making 

“As health care becomes increasingly data-driven and complex, the need for rigorous, patient-oriented research methods has never been greater,” said Dr. Tim Ramsay, OMC Scientific Director, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa. “OMC will continue to lead the way in supporting methodological excellence in health research at The Ottawa Hospital and beyond. We’re particularly excited to contribute to emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, learning health systems and equitable evidence generation.” 

“OMC continues to play a critical role in ensuring rigour and excellence in research led by The Ottawa Hospital,” said Dr. Rebecca Auer, Executive Vice-President of Research and Innovation at The Ottawa Hospital. “I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank all the scientists, staff, trainees, partners, patients and supporters who have built OMC into a world-class research methods hub.”  

Stay tuned for details about OMC’s 20th anniversary summer seminar series, which will explore the evolution of methods over the years and highlight how OMC can take research to the next level.