Research Team Wins Innovation Grant
A UBC research team, co-led by Sabrina Wong (BSN ‘92), Associate Professor in the UBC School of Nursing and Assistant Prof. Kim McGrail, in the School of Population and Public Health, received a $2.4 million grant, co-funded with $1.9 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and $500,000 from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR).
“Primary health care is where most people first come into contact with the health system, and where many health problems are managed or resolved,” said Wong. “Our research will focus on improving the science of measuring performance in primary health care and how best to report change and innovation so that clinicians and decision-makers can learn from each other. The intent is to strengthen primary health care so that it is more responsive to Canadians’ needs.”
Federal Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq awarded the team grants at an event in June hosted by the Fraser Health Authority at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Center. UBC Vice President Research and International John Hepburn welcomed the funding announcement, adding: “This is very important work being led by some of our country’s top experts in health policy.”
The CIHR Community Based Public Health Care (CBPHC) innovation team will collect and analyze data from three regions in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec that have similar socio-demographic characteristics. The aim is to work with health care providers to learn how comprehensive performance measurement and reporting can improve how primary care services are delivered to Canadians, especially populations who are made vulnerable by multiple poor determinants of health.
