Success Stories
2010-11
- Biochemistry, Medicine, U of S
Biomedical New Investigator Establishment and Equipment Cause or effect? The role of BRK in breast cancershow -
Over 60 per cent of breast tumour patients have elevated levels of Breast Tumour Kinase (BRK) protein. That’s over 13,000 of the 22,000 women who are diagnosed each year. Dr. Erique Lukong wants to know why.
He wants to know why BRK doesn’t show up in healthy women. He wants to know why it doesn’t appear in all breast cancer patients. He wants to know if BRK causes the cancer, occurs alongside it, or materializes at some stage during the progression. Most importantly, Dr. Lukong wants to know if altering the levels of BRK in breast cancer cells will affect breast cancer cell growth.
Dr. Lukong’s laboratory is the only lab to date in Canada studying BRK. He is investigating the cellular implications of depleting or introducing BRK in various breast cancer cell types. These studies are beginning to unravel the cellular processes affected by the presence of BRK in breast tumours.
Dr. Lukong’s goal is to determine that the presence of BRK does indeed initiate and/or stimulate breast tumours. In turn, that will indicate that a viable therapeutic strategy to treat breast cancer patients is to block the expression of BRK. Such a treatment may, by itself or in conjunction with existing breast cancer drugs, provide a solution to a serious health issue and the most common cancer in women worldwide.
- Community Health and Epidemiology, Medicine, U of S
Socio-Health New Investigator Establishment and Equipment Making midwifery equally accessible to allshow -
With ongoing implementation and expansion of midwifery across the diverse mixes of rural, urban and Aboriginal communities in the health regions of Saskatchewan, Dr. Lori Hanson is exploring how midwifery care can be implemented in an equitable and accessible way.
Dr. Hanson is first exploring other provinces’ experiences with midwifery implementation around issues of accessibility. In this first phase, she is gathering policy documents and published literature together with primary data generated through key informant interviews. The information is gathered in selected health regions in three Canadian provinces where midwifery has been in place for over five years.
In the second phase of research, Dr. Hanson will focus on understanding the context of midwifery implementation in the socio-demographically diverse Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) where health equity is a priority. Analyses of key informant interviews, stakeholder discussions and relevant documents will identify contextual, organizational and programmatic factors that influence the implementation of midwifery in the SHR.
Findings from the research will contribute to equitable access to midwifery care for the diverse populations of Saskatchewan women. It will support new national priorities for maternal child health, provincial health research priorities and a growing need within our health system.
- Geological Sciences, Arts and Science, U of S
Seated on right with supervisor Graham George Biomedical Postdoctoral Research Fellowshipshow -
Synchrotron provides insight into neurodegenerative diseases Diseases such as Mad Cow, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Wilson’s and hemochromatosis (iron overload) are the targets of Dr. Jake Pushie’s research. He has found, in healthy individuals, that a certain protein, called the prion protein, exists in abundance in the central nervous system. Dr. Pushie believes that when changes are made to the amount of this protein, there is an associated disruption of the levels of naturally occurring metals - copper, iron and zinc - in the brain.
Dr. Pushie is part of the Environmental Science Research Group, which employs a combination of synchrotron-based X-ray techniques to map the metals in the brain. Those techniques are made possible by the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, located on the University of Saskatchewan campus. Using computational chemistry and positron emission tomography (PET), the group is developing detailed pictures to show how altered trace metal levels in the brain are common to neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Pushie’s research will provide the evidence to confirm the prion protein’s role in the integral cellular machinery for regulating trace metals in the brain and nervous system. The findings will be an important contribution to the detailed molecular and anatomic knowledge of which metals and regions of the brain are preferentially affected in individuals with neurodegenerative disease. Such knowledge will encourage further study into the potential for altering the prion protein as a customized therapy for the treatment of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.
- Kinesiology, U of S
Right with supervisor Adam Baxter-Jones
Socio-Health Postdoctoral Research Fellowship You’re never too young to fight osteoporosisshow -
Millions of Canadians, mostly elderly, are affected by osteoporosis, a serious bone disease that causes pain, disability and death. Although osteoporosis manifests itself in old age, its roots can be found in childhood. Researchers have shown that people who are physically active as children have stronger bones, as youth and as they enter adult life. If the bone health advantages can be maintained across the individual’s lifespan, the risk of developing osteoporosis could be reduced. Dr. Rita Gruodyte is identifying the optimal time and type of exercise to bring about these childhood benefits. The purpose of her project is to identify whether participation in a recreational gymnastic sports program as a young child of four to six years of age confers bone health benefits in adolescence (10 to 12 years of age). In 2006, a group of 178 four- to six-year-olds were recruited from gymnastic and non-gymnastic sports programs and followed for four years. These children are now being reassessed for a further two years as they enter adolescence (10 to 12 years of age). Annual assessments include measures of growth, bone health, physical activity and diet.
Dr. Gruodyte’s research will reveal whether recreational low intensity gymnastics involvement as a young child can provide a safe and viable means of improving future generation bone health and thus reduce the incidence of osteoporosis in later life. This information can then contribute to improving the quality of life for the elderly, and reducing the economic burdens associated with the disease.
- Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU) Better healthcare for allshow
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Since 1999, researchers from SPHERU have conducted population health research with the mission to promote health equity by addressing population health disparities through policy-relevant research. Led by researchers Dr. Bonnie Jeffery at the U of R and Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine at the U of S, the group has a permanent presence in Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert, and conducts research with communities across the province.
Building on SPHERU’s years of expertise and extensive knowledge in population health research, the program “Population Health Intervention Research: Addressing Health Inequities in Vulnerable Populations” is applying an interdisciplinary approach. The research will take place in rural and urban Saskatchewan communities (Watrous, Wolseley, Ile-a-la-Crosse, Saskatoon) and will be completed with the collaboration of community partners and policy makers.
The ultimate goal for SPHERU’s research program is to help reduce health inequities in Saskatchewan’s most vulnerable populations, including children and both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal seniors, in rural and remote communities as well as urban environments.
- Airways Research Group Breathing Easiershow
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Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affect the health of one in four Saskatchewan residents. Federal data show this ratio is disproportionately high in comparison to the rest of the country. It also shows a marked increase in the incidence of these diseases between 1994 and 2005. Drs. John Gordon and Don Cockcroft and the Airways Research Group are trying to find out why.
The group has collected evidence that some towns have substantially higher rates of respiratory disease than average. Estevan and Lloydminster are two such regions. Ambient airborne contaminants will be examined in these two communities and in Swift Current, which will serve as a control area. The group will look at levels of inhalable particulate matter and the chemical contaminants these particulates carry. At the same time, they will track and map the respiratory health of the inhabitants of these communities to determine whether changes in the levels of airborne particulates or their contaminants are co-related to exacerbations of respiratory symptoms.
This study has the potential to uncover the factors that are contributing to Saskatchewan’s disproportionate incidence of chronic respiratory diseases.
- Nursing, U of S
Sask-CIHR Regional Partnership Operating Grant Putting mother firstshow -
Pregnancy is often a happy time for women, but for many it can be a difficult time as well. In fact, one out of every five women in Saskatchewan is depressed in pregnancy or postpartum.
Drs. Angela Bowen and Nazeem Muhajarine led a study to learn how pregnant women feel and act, and find out what kind of supports they have during pregnancy and soon after their babies are born. The study was intended to help provide better services for pregnant women. Women who participated were interviewed three times: once in early pregnancy, once in late pregnancy, and once shortly after the birth of their baby.
As a result of the findings, the MotherFirst Working Group was created to address the issue of inconsistent identification and treatment of women with maternal mental health problems. It brought together interdisciplinary stakeholders, including major professional health associations, community organizations, First Nations groups, and women with lived experience.
Together, the group prepared a document presenting policy recommendations to assist the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health and First Nations health leaders in improving the identification and treatment of women with mental health problems during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Through research and multiple consultations, four key policy areas were identified to improve maternal mental health for Saskatchewan women. They include increased awareness of maternal mental health, universal screening for depression and anxiety in pregnant and postpartum women, improved access to appropriate treatment, and a provincial strategy to ensure consistent access to maternal health care.
- Public Health, U of S
Sask-CIHR Regional Partnership Operating Grant Regional study goes nationalshow -
Dr. Rein Lepnurm and the MERCURi Research Group, in collaboration with administrators and clinicians of the Saskatoon Health Region, have been examining the quality of care provided to patients with one of the following conditions: myocardial infarct, stroke, prostate disease and hysterectomy. Patients, nurses, therapists, physicians and managers in hospitals within the health region were surveyed using validated measures drawn from previous studies.
With support of the Regional Partnership Program, the surveys developed and tested in the medical, surgical and peri-operative units of hospitals in the Saskatoon Health Region, were expanded to Calgary and Halifax. The surveys were targeted to administrators, physicians, nurses, therapists and support care workers on the quality of care provided to patients and on working conditions in the hospitals.
The initial baseline results of the nationally funded study, Managing Quality in Canadian Hospitals, found that quality ratings of providers were significantly associated with technical and staff capabilities, the way work is organized, levels of distress, sense of accomplishment by providers of care, recognition by patients, administrators and colleagues, satisfaction with performance of duties, and organizational culture.
Most important to administrators was the finding that management factors account for 36 per cent of the providers’ ratings of quality, meaning that the efforts of capable providers using the best methods and equipment in well designed facilities can be undermined by poor management.
- Human Testing Made Ethicalshow
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What if you could test the effects of environmental toxicants on humans? You would be right to question the legalities and ethics of such testing. After all, you wouldn’t offer to expose a pregnant woman to high levels of a potentially dangerous substance, only to study the effects on her child some 20 years later.
“There is another way,” says Dr. Ali Honaramooz, “and it’s an entirely unique system that only we’ve developed. It exposes those potential environmental toxicants to human tissue without using humans.” Honaramooz is waiting to see if his application will be accepted for a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He proposes to conduct his research on human tissue, but in an animal’s body.
It started years ago when Honaramooz pioneered the development of a model to study the biology of testes cells. He was able to graft small pieces of testis tissue from farm animals onto mice. In time, the grafts developed complete spermatogenesis; that is, they produced viable sperm that came from that original donor.
The achievement was groundbreaking and it wasn’t long before the results were published in Nature, and newspapers in several countries.
An establishment grant from SHRF in 2005-06 made it possible for Honaramooz to go further. He moved to grafting human testis biopsies. Donors were limited to adult males who were either undergoing a sex change or being biopsied in the course of infertility treatments. As it turned out, the adult human donors did not get the same results as the younger farm animals. “This was actually a good thing,” says Honaramooz, “because it provided the means to study spermatogenesis from the very beginning and opened up the possibility to overcome infertility issues in children undergoing cancer treatments.”
When an adult male is treated for cancer, semen samples are often frozen in case he is unable to produce sperm later in life. For young males not yet producing sperm, there has never been an option. With Honoramooz’s system, a testis biopsy could be frozen. Viable sperm could then be produced years later. The next step for Honaramooz is to use his system to test the effects of environmental toxicants on humans. “We know the concentration of sperm now in most males is almost half of what it was in the forties or fifties,” he says. “One possible reason is because of the plastics we use.” He proposes to graft testis samples from aborted fetuses. By exposing each sample to various levels of toxicants, he will be able to determine the effect they have on sperm count.
If Honaramooz is successful, the potential for his system could be far-reaching. In addition to identifying harmful substances, it could pave the way for the development of life-saving drugs. It could provide a short cut to test the safety of these drugs on humans – tests that would otherwise require years of clinical trials.
- Promoting Physical Activity for People With Arthritisshow
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There are obvious barriers to physical activity for people in all walks of life – lack of motivation, poor weather conditions, time restrictions. But there are also less obvious constraints, those that are specific to a certain population. Will identifying those hurdles make them easier to leap? Will understanding those challenges encourage people to overcome them?
It is this type of thinking that is leading Dr. Nancy Gyurcsik to explore the barriers to physical activity among people who live with arthritis. “I want to get an even better understanding of not only the traditional barriers, but the more specific factors that have to do with arthritis and that could also influence their activity,” says Gyurcsik. She intends to examine variables extending from arthritis pain intensity to pain acceptance, to determine the influence they have on activity levels.
Gyurcsik is applying for project funding, with co-investigators Dr. Larry Brawley and Dr. Kevin Spink, to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Their success thus far has stemmed from parallel lines of research: an earlier study of physical activity promotion in people with arthritis, under a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the development of an innovative approach to promoting physical activity in first-year university students, under a two-year New Investigator Establishment Grant awarded from SHRF in 2005-06.
“We were the first to show that beyond the similar barriers we all have to being active, there are unique ones to particular populations,” says Gyurcsik. “I would say that was the key contribution as a result of the grant.”
Gyurcsik’s research under the SHRF grant aimed at promoting physical activity in first year university students because she noted, “It was a key transition point in younger persons’ lives where physical activity declines.” The first year of the grant explored what made it challenging for these young people to participate in regular physical activity, while the second part of the project included the creation of an intervention program to help young people become more active.
Two groups of female first year university students were assembled. Both received twice-weekly instruction on using the U of S Fit Centre and being active. The first group received no other guidance, becoming the control group. The second also learned to identify their unique barriers and had opportunities to talk about ways to manage them. They also discussed the benefits of scheduling a regular activity and continuing it independently, after the program.
The activity levels of both groups were tracked over the six-week period of the program and for an additional three months. The research indicated that it is not enough to make physical activity programs available to first year students; it is also necessary to provide the psychological tools required to be active on their own. Gyurcsik is now applying her findings to her research on the unique barriers to physical activity for people with arthritis. By applying the same principles, she hopes to identify their specific conflicts, then to overcome them. Through a process that builds the psychological skills of the participants and allows them to be more active, Gyurcsik believes she can improve the lives of people living with arthritis.
2009-10
- Recruiting the body’s own defences to battle HIVshow
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Those living with HIV must take a plethora of medications that attempt to control the virus and prevent it from developing into full blown AIDS – acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
It’s a deadly game of chemistry and viral counter-attack. People living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) must switch medications often as the virus develops resistance. So far, the best modern medicine can achieve is a holding action, with the virus poised to attack again as soon as it can.
But what if there was a way for the body to fight off the virus naturally? Dr. Linda Chelico, a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, thinks this may be possible. “There are only so many different combinations we can come up with for anti-virals to combat resistance,” Chelico says. “If the body is able to naturally fight the HIV virus, it is more likely that the virus won’t develop a resistance to it like other medications.”
Chelico is studying a human enzyme called APOBEC3G that can suppress replication in certain strains of HIV. Discovered in 2002, this natural human protein can mutate the HIV genome and cause the virus to die. Unfortunately, HIV currently degrades this protein. Dr. Chelico hopes through her research to better understand the APOBEC3G protein in order to develop therapies to manage HIV better.
While she says HIV sufferers may still have to take medication to manage their HIV, their bodies will also be fighting it on their own. Eventually, if a drug is developed that can help the APOBEC3G protein function properly, a way might be found to harness the immune system’s own resources to eradicate HIV entirely.
- Iron and creatine: a prescription for aging?show
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We’ve all heard about the benefits of exercise, but can it help slow the effects of aging?
Dr. Darren Candow, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, thinks it’s an idea worth exploring.
Candow is working on a project that combines creatine supplements and resistance training – a common combination for many athletes. Creatine, a naturally occurring substance found in red meats and seafood, may have the potential to enhance quality of life and reduce health care costs related to aging.
“As we age, we experience a reduction in muscle and bone which inevitably decreases strength and the ability to perform tasks of daily living such as gardening, carrying groceries and climbing stairs.” Candow says. “Health costs associated with aging muscle and bone loss are in the billions of dollars.” Most of us get creatine from our diets and from what our bodies produce naturally. Athletes sometimes take creatine supplements to enhance their performance.
“Creatine basically increases the ability to exercise longer and at a higher intensity, leading to an increase in muscle mass and bone,” Candow says. His latest research, done in collaboration with Dr. Phil Chilibeck at the University of Saskatchewan, will look at people 50 and older who combine regular resistance training with creatine. This is the first international study to examine the impact of long-term creatine supplements on muscle and bone in older adults. “The reason we chose age 50 is because that’s when bone and muscles start to deteriorate significantly.”
Each volunteer will participate in supervised resistance training – such exercises as leg presses, back extensions, and bicep curls – at the U of R or U of S three times a week, and take low-dose creatine supplements daily.
Their bone density and muscle mass will be checked with Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) before, during and after the year. As participants will start at staggered intervals, the study will take two years to complete.
Saskatchewan has one of the highest proportions of older adults in the country. Fifteen per cent of the population is 50 years or older, three per cent higher than the national average. Our province also has one of the highest rates of osteoporosis in Canada.
- Using synchrotron light to improve cancer treatmentsshow
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Anyone who has watched a loved one battle cancer or has gone through it themselves knows the misery that comes with chemotherapy.
The problem is chemotherapy drugs are toxic, attacking all cells, both good and bad. Ideally, healthy cells are able to resist the chemotherapy, while the cancer cells selectively die. But while healthy cells may survive, they don’t survive unscathed. Hence the hair loss, nausea, fatigue, and susceptibility to infection.
Dr. Sean Dalrymple, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Saskatchewan, is using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron in an effort to potentially ease this suffering.
“If we are able to get this to work as we are hoping, the side effects of chemotherapy treatment could be far fewer,” he explains. “Optimistically, we are trying to get to the point where patients may not even become sick at all.”
Dalrymple works under the supervision of Dr. David Palmer, who leads the SHRF-funded Molecular Design Research Group based at the University of Saskatchewan. The group uses the advanced analytical tools of the Canadian Macromolecular Crystallography Facility (CMCF) at the synchrotron, the only such resource in Canada.
Dalrymple is using the synchrotron’s ultra-bright X-rays to determine the shape and structure of GUS, an enzyme used in a new type of anti-cancer treatment known as Antibody-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (ADEPT).
One of the major problems with employing the human version of GUS in ADEPT is that it only retains about 10 per cent of its effectiveness at the pH levels that exist in the body. In contrast, GUS derived from E. coli bacteria performs significantly better.
By comparing the two versions of GUS, Dalrymple hopes to understand their structural differences. This knowledge can then be used to redesign the administered human GUS for a new, improved version of ADEPT. This “optimized” version would be much more potent attacking only cancer cells while leaving the surrounding healthy cells alone.
This type of research could make a large difference in the lives of many, which is what drew Dalyrmple to the field of biochemistry from his initial field of inorganic chemistry. “I wanted to conduct research that would impact people directly,” he says. “That was the deciding factor in me switching my focus to health related research in biochemistry.”
- (SUPERVISOR: CARL D’ARCY) Country Mind, City Mindshow
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Is it better for your mental health to live in the city or in the country?
Dr. Changgui Kou, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Saskatchewan, hopes to find out. While lifestyles of rural and urban Canadians differ greatly, there is currently little information on how the mental health of country folk compares to their city cousins.
Might the often solitary work of rural life and lack of educational opportunities increase mental health problems in rural or remote communities? On the other hand, could the small town’s strong sense of community, personal relationships, and less time pressure promote better mental health? We just don’t know.
“Rural and urban areas differ substantially in several ways, ”Kou says. “We do not yet know that rural areas necessarily need more mental health services, but through this research we hope to gain an understanding of the use of mental health resources in rural areas.”
Mental health can refer to a multitude of issues, including various manias and schizophrenia. However, Kou will focus on common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
Kou is looking to Statistics Canada datasets to help understand what determines mental health status in both rural and urban Canada. This information will be accessed through the Saskatchewan Research Data Centre (SKY-RDC), which offers access to surveys and census data in a secure environment at the University of Saskatchewan. He will be the first to analyze the data in this way.
Kou works under the supervision of Dr. Carl D’Arcy, academic director of the SKY-RDC and director of applied research in the Department of Psychiatry at the U of S College of Medicine.
By tracking rural and urban trends from the last two decades to understand the rates of depression, Kou hopes to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mental health of rural Canadians by looking at mental disorders themselves, as well as the resulting disability, psychological distress and positive psychological well-being. He will also look at the need and use of mental health resources in rural areas, knowledge which will inform development of rural mental health policies.
Kou, who has come from China to complete his postdoctoral research, hopes the information gleaned from this study can be used as a basis for similar work back home. He also hopes that upon his return to China he can be involved in collaborative health research projects between our two countries.
- TISSUE ENGINEERING GROUP Building bridges for healingshow
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It happens to millions of people every year - an accident, major or minor, that crushes or severs nerves and causes loss of sensation or even movement in the affected limb. Since peripheral nerves have limited ability to heal themselves, the return of sensation and function is almost never complete.
Dr. Daniel Chen and the Tissue Engineering Research Group hope to change this with biomaterial “scaffolds” that help healing nerve cells find their way – essentially giving them a bridge to guide them across damaged sections.
Chen and his team at the University of Saskatchewan are working to develop these implantable scaffolds to improve the repair of both nerves and joint cartilage. The team is building on research done in the first phase of the project, where they discovered that it was feasible to manipulate living cells using a bio-manufacturing system. In phase two of the project, the team is working to manufacture scaffolds with living cells and growth factors built right in. The scaffolds will help new tissue regenerate while gradually degrading themselves and disappearing once their job is done. The team is working with culture dishes, and later animal models, to test how well the scaffolds work.
“Our goal is to develop living cell scaffolds for use in nerve and cartilage tissue engineering,” Chen says. “If we achieve success in the animal models, we will be able to use these scaffolds for the repair of human nerves.”
The team also hopes to develop a synchrotron-based medical imaging technique that could be used to monitor the success of scaffolds in promoting nerve and joint cartilage repair in humans.
The near-term goal is to help those living with peripheral nerve injuries and to help heal the cartilage damage associated with osteoarthritis. Over the longer term, knowledge and technologies generated through this research may find other applications in bone repair and repair of spinal cord injuries, offering new hope to those living with paralysis.
- SAFE WATER FOR HEALTH RESEARCH TEAM Troubled watersshow
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For most Canadians, quenching thirst is as simple as turning the tap and filling a glass from the kitchen faucet.
We take it for granted and we shouldn’t, according to Dr. Lalita Bharadwaj. For many of us, that kitchen faucet must be viewed with suspicion as a possible source of disease. “The amount of people drinking untested water is a lot higher than people might realize,” she explains. “Understanding the effects of this water on human health is critical.”
Bharadwaj, together with Dr. Cheryl Waldner, leads the Safe Water for Health Research Team (SWHRT) at the University of Saskatchewan. SWHRT is a diverse group, with expertise in microbiology, epidemiology, environmental toxicology, environmental assessment, resource management, water policy and governance. Typically it is people living in marginalized communities such as those in rural and remote areas that suffer from a variety of health problems from drinking contaminated water. About 90 people die every year, right here in Canada, from waterborne illness.
Although there is clearly a link between water quality and health, there has been little research to examine the connection between the two. This makes it critically important to build capacity for research into water and health in rural and remote Saskatchewan.
The SWHRT team uses participatory research, which involves working with communities as partners in the research right from the beginning, for example by engaging community members in gathering information through interviews and focus groups. This approach aims to both foster more interest in the research and make sure it is relevant to community needs.
Ultimately, the team hopes to develop the critical knowledge necessary to inform evidence-based decisions about water policy to promote the health of all Saskatchewan people. The longterm goal is to help develop sustainable water management strategies that promote the health of people in rural and remote Saskatchewan communities.
- PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTshow
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Sit down, relax, log on. Your therapist will see you now. For those living in rural and remote communities, getting help for mental health problems such as depression, panic, or anxiety can be difficult or impossible. But what if the help we need could come right to our homes?
Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos and her team at the University of Regina are working to make this happen through Internet-Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (I-CBT). Using a computer, patients access a therapy website where they use materials such as text or video online. Regular email contact with a live therapist provides encouragement, guidance and direction.
“Offering therapist assisted online therapy is actually the first of its kind in Canada,” Hadjistavropoulos says. “We’ll be collaborating with groups in Sweden and Australia, both of whom have similar websites and are quite advanced in this area.”
She explains that I-CBT has proven itself under research conditions, and is regarded as an evidenced based approach to therapy. The next step is to find out what it will take to have I-CBT offered more widely in Saskatchewan.
To this end, Hadjistavropoulos is working with health professionals from Saskatchewan Health, the University of Saskatchewan and five health regions, including Cypress, Five Hills, Regina Qu’Appelle, Sun Country, and Sunrise. “Research so far shows people do want to use (I-CBT) and they can develop a relationship even over the Internet,” Hadjistavropoulos says. “But this is in very controlled studies and specialized units. Will this hold true when you try to put this into broad use by many therapists?”
One of the unknowns is whether I-CBT will be effective with patients that have multiple or more complex mental health issues. Another challenge is to develop training for the therapists – a very diverse group that includes everyone from psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists, to nurses. The research team is developing training sessions on I-CBT, followed by test cases to see how they do.
“These training sessions assume broad background knowledge and build on the skills therapists already have,” Hadjistavropoulos says. “Will this be enough to assist therapists in competently using I-CBT?”
The promise of I-CBT is manifold. For people in rural and remote areas, it provides access to professional therapists anywhere in the province. It also provides a channel for training local therapists who are familiar with the culture and environment of their home communities. Hadjistavropoulos and her team hopes their work with I-CBT will inform and enrich provincial policy on how mental health care is delivered in Saskatchewan, and serve as example for other health care providers across the country to emulate.
- REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
Bird brained: Using pigeons to understand aging brain hemispheresshow -
“Where did I put my car keys?” Grandma asks. “I don’t know – where did you put them last?” “Well if I knew that, I wouldn’t be asking you, would I?”
Grandma’s inability to remember where she put her keys (and let’s be honest, Grandma’s not the only one) can be cause for both amusement and consternation. But what’s really going on? According to Dr. Debbie Kelly, it may be that our aging brains simply need more resources to get the job done. Kelly’s research at the University of Saskatchewan reveals that aging can affect how the two hemispheres of the brain complete specific tasks. Tasks that previously could be completed using primarily one hemisphere of the brain now require both. This means it may take longer for senior brains to complete specific mental tasks than when they were younger.
Using avian models – in this case, pigeons – Kelly is trying to understand how aging affects the brain. In the process, she hopes to better understand how aging affects our abilities to learn and remember.
“Pigeons actually have fewer connections between the two brain hemispheres compared to mammals,” she explains. “Because of this, we are able to test each hemisphere simply by covering one eye at a time.”
The work has implications far beyond finding our car keys. Aging has been found to affect how seniors encode featural and geometric cues. (Featural cues are colours and textures, whereas geometric cues refer to relations between objects such as the distance from an object to the individual.)
“For example, if an older adult sees a blue house in the distance, she may have trouble remembering that she must turn south before that house to get to the grocery store ,” Kelly says. “This leads to confusion and disorientation.”
