Today SHRF announces the latest funding results for the 2020-21 Establishment Grant competition. This funding program assists researchers who are new or newly resident in Saskatchewan in establishing an independent program of health research in the province. Past recipients often credit this funding as the support that helped them launch their research careers and achieve the productivity necessary to obtain major funding from national and other external agencies.
Kickstarting careers may be one benefit of this funding program but the real impact potential comes at the local level when considering the health challenges these researchers are delving into with their programs of research.
Many of this year’s recipients will tackle mental health and addictions issues, looking at related emergency room visits; the delivery of services, related cost and health outcomes; and factors influencing and optimizing opioid use disorder treatment services. Others will look at developing a deeper understanding on such topics as breast cancer screening program rates; facilitators and barriers to breastfeeding practice of immigrant mothers; and mental wellness and health risk behaviours among young Indigenous men.
Other newly funded researchers are focusing on disease diagnosis and prevention, such as looking at using saliva for the diagnosis of periodontal disease, something that affects 21% of Canadians and 43% of the First Nations population; and preventing the transmittal of herpes simplex virus infections from mother to newborn. Disease care and management will also be addressed with the development and evaluation of a multiple sclerosis rehabilitation model of care; and the investigation of a new diabetes management program.
Applications to this competition were submitted prior to the declaration of a global pandemic. Though much research focus in recent months has been necessarily shifted to COVID-19, these projects will address ongoing provincial health concerns now and in the wake of the pandemic in the future. SHRF is proud to support this research and knows that the impact of these projects will improve the health of Saskatchewan people.
For more details on these and other SHRF-funded research, search our Results database.
2020-21 Establishment Grant Recipients
Maureen Anderson University of Saskatchewan
Health Services and Policy Research for Mental Health and Addictions in Saskatchewan: A population-health approach
Cheryl Camillo University of Regina
Maximizing Saskatchewan Breast Cancer Screening Program Rates through Patient-Partnered Research
Kristen Conn University of Saskatchewan
Investigation of ICP4 interaction with and regulation of chromatin
Elizabeth Cooper University of Regina
Nurturing Warriors: Understanding Mental Wellness and Health Risk Behaviours among Young Indigenous Men
Sarah Donkers University of Saskatchewan
Building towards a neurorecovery model of care for multiple sclerosis physical rehabilitation in Saskatchewan
Shela Hirani University of Regina
Facilitators and Barriers to Breastfeeding Practices of Immigrant Mothers in Saskatchewan
Hua Li University of Saskatchewan
Addressing Mental Health and Addiction Related Emergency Department Visits in Saskatoon
Rohit Lodhi University of Saskatchewan
Drop-out, retention and recovery in opioid use disorder treatment
Walter Siqueira University of Saskatchewan
An innovative chair-side diagnostic method for detection of periodontal disease activity based on histatin 5 degradation rate
Julia Totosy de Zepetnek University of Regina
Nutrition and Exercise on Cardiometabolic Health and Food Intake Regulation in Type 2 Diabetes
Related Stories