You may remember in January we asked for letters of intent to participate in the 12th Annual PHC Practice-based Research Challenge.

A few weeks have now passed and we are thrilled to share the 21 teams, and their leaders, that have been selected to move forward to the next stage of the program.

The teams bring a diverse set of ideas and are led by staff from a variety of specialities, including nurse practitioners, Indigenous health, transplant, long term care and the Heart Centre.

Zoe Esseiva, RN – Evaluation of Behaviour Support Plans as a violence prevention tool

Karen Tugwell, PT – Involvement of physiotherapists in coordinating post-mastectomy care

Gwyn Narayan, PT – Evaluation of having a physiotherapist in the Emergency Department

Paige Courtice, RD – Exploring the appropriateness of peripheral parental nutrition in St. Paul’s Hospital

Neil Bacon, RN – Teaching mindfulness tools and techniques for intensive care staff

Iris Antonio, RN – Post-operative pain management for cardiac surgery patients

Naomi Watt, RN – Evaluation of on-site hospital overdose prevention sites

Josephine Jung, Providence Research – How is OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) training being incorporated and applied in research?

Josie Mackey, RN and Laura Carroll, SW – Evaluation of a peer-led mentorship program for heart transplant and LVAD patients

Megan Patapoff, NP – Evaluation of primary care providers’ experience in transition of care for cardiac

Iris Lopez Ramirez, RD – Exploring dietitians’ views, experiences, and knowledge gaps in cultural competency, cultural safety, and anti-racism

Lisa Maks, RN – Evaluation of Certified Diabetes Educators’ scope

Julie Carleton, RN – Experience of new graduate acute care nurses use of resources for evidence-based care

Erin Waters, RN – Efficacy of sotrovimab to decrease hospitalization, ICU admission and death in kidney transplant recipients

About the Challenge

The Research Challenge is an annual competition open to all point-of-care nursing and allied health staff and is specifically designed for those without a great deal of research experience. It offers an opportunity for staff to pick a topic of interest, form teams with their colleagues, and if selected to move forward, to engage in formal clinical research under the guidance of an experienced mentor.

What’s next for these 21 teams?​

These teams have been approved to proceed into the workshop phase of the program where they will learn basic research skills, as well as how to write a formal proposal.

They will then put their new skills into practice, with the help of their mentor, by submitting a research proposal in mid-June. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel comprised of scientific and Patient and Family Partner reviewers and the winning teams will be awarded up to $5000 in funding to conduct their research over an 18-month period.

More information

​​The original call for submissions, as well as more information about the Research Challenge, can be found here​.

Stay tuned for more updates! These teams are in the very beginning stages of the program and we are excited to share their progress over the coming months.

People-Forward