Three years ago, the three Canadian research institutes dedicated to women’s health research—WHRI, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute (Edmonton), and Women’s College Research Institute (Toronto) came together for a summit to explore how we collectively could strengthen relationships among ourselves, to engage the public in a conversation about the importance of women’s health research, and finally how we might create a pan-Canadian Women’s Health Research collaborative. Over the next two years, we hired a Director, Dr. Tamil Kendall, developed our mission and vision, operational structure, and PWHR—or the Partnership for Women’s Health Research Canada—was born. We recognized that there was more we could do collaboratively than separately in the space of supporting women’s health research, and in particular, in providing training and mentorship opportunities for students. Within a year, IWK Health joined our partnership, and a few months after that, the Women’s Health Research Cluster joined PWHR as an associate member.  

The WHRI recognizes that partnership, collaboration, and opportunities to leverage support from one another is one strategy in addressing the longstanding inequities that have plagued women’s health research (and its researchers). For the WHRI community, the trainee and mentorship opportunities created by PWHR have added value to existing WHRI supports, and the seminar series has showcased success stories in knowledge mobilization, implementation science, and partnership with policy makers to advance the women’s health research agenda (recordings available at https://pwhr.org/seminar-series/). 

In the future, we see PWHR as a partner on research initiatives that require a pan-Canadian presence, a voice to advocate for increased support for women’s health research, and a vehicle for preparing the next generation of women’s health researchers.

I encourage you all to bookmark www.pwhr.org and sign up for the next seminar on March 1, 2023 "Digital innovations in abortion care—national and global perspectives.” 
Register here.

Lori Brotto, PhD, R Psych

Executive Director | Women's Health Research Institute
Professor | Department of OBGYN, UBC
Canada Research Chair | Women's Sexual Health

RAPID: Research Agenda for Perinatal Innovation & Digital health

The RAPID project is a collaboration between WHRI members, Perinatal Services BC, Provincial Health Services Authority, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. The project aims to bring together a multi-stakeholder group, composed of patient partners as well as research, government, and health care decision-makers to co-develop a research agenda for digital innovation in perinatal health.

If you are a care provider or connected to care providers in BC who provides perinatal health care, check out website to see how you can get involved. 

Lead with Us – Assistant Director, WHRI

Supporting the next generation of women’s health scholars is a commitment of the WHRI. It guides the work towards our Strategic Priorities through the Strategic Framework for Trainees and Mentorship. We are looking for an Assistant Director to lead key activities related to supporting trainees through our mentorship events, award programs, and catalyzing new opportunities. This position can be held virtually.

Please see the full posting here.

The position will be open until March 1st, 2023.

Please do forward this broadly through your networks.

Did you know we're part of a national partnership for women’s health research?

‌

We sat down with Dr. Tamil Kendall, Director of PWHR, to learn more about the partnership, its goals, and how they support research from coast to coast.

Good luck, Melissa!

In 2017, the WHRI submitted an opportunity for a Communications Co-op Student through Simon Fraser University and were introduced to Melissa Nelson. Melissa immediately and continuously has brought communications expertise, change, and connection to what we do. While Melissa started as a Co-op Student, her trajectory to a Communications Assistant then Communications Coordinator show how she has helped grow and support our community. Melissa’s journey with us has come full-circle and her time with the WHRI (as a staff member) will come to close on February 15th. Melissa will be taking time to focus more on her Master of Library and Information Studies at UBC, which she started in September of 2022.

A note from Melissa:

It is with very mixed emotions that I say goodbye to this role, the WHRI, and all of you. Thank you all for making this space so vibrant and welcoming (and for always being up to the task when I emailed you with a comms request!) - to say I am grateful for my time here is an understatement. I have learned so much over the past five years, and I look forward to carrying the passion for women's health that you've all helped to ignite forward with me, wherever I end up next. If you'd like to keep in touch, please send me a request on LinkedIn.

Melissa, you will be missed. We look forward to engaging with you in that capacity and profiling your work!

Summer Student Research Program Applications are Open

The Faculty of Medicine Summer Student Research Program (FoM SSRP) provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to explore their interest in health research by undertaking a summer project supervised by a Faculty of Medicine researcher.

Last year, the Women’s Health Research Institute was a sponsor of the 2022 FoM SSRP that contributed to 4 summer student research projects in the areas of endometriosis and HIV. You can read student testimonials and summaries of their projects on our website. 

Applications for the Summer 2023 program are also open. The deadline is February 15, 2023 [4:00 pm PST]. 

New partnership offers REDCap access to researchers throughout BC

Last month, the BC SUPPORT Unit announced a new partnership that will offer access to REDCap "for a broader range of projects, including health research studies, clinical trials, learning health systems projects and improvement initiatives."

The partnership involves the BC SUPPORT Unit (part of Michael Smith Health Research BC), BC Children’s Hospital, the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation (C2E2), Interior Health, Island Health, and Population Data BC.

Summary of changes to TCPS-2

TCPS 2 (2022) includes consideration of broad consent for data repositories and biobanks, streamlining multi-jurisdictional research, research involving cell lines, and research involving totipotent stem cells. Details of the updated policy are summarized below.

1. Broad consent for the storage of data and human biological materials for future unspecified research (Chapters 3 and 12)
• Introduces the concept of “broad consent”, defined as “an indication of agreement by an individual, or their authorized third party, for the storage and use of their data and human biological materials for all types of future unspecified research, subject to specific restrictions.” Broad consent is allowable and distinct from blanket consent, which is not permitted under the TCPS.
• Broad consent applies to data repositories and biobanks,and must include specific components listed in new article 3.13. The difference between specific consent for a particular project and broad consent for a repository or biobank is that various details of future research are uncertain at the time of consent. An important part of the consent process therefore is informing participants of areas of uncertainty that may be relevant to their decision to participate.
• There is a need to ensure mechanisms to maintain informed and ongoing consent are in place, particularly in the context of evolving capacity (i.e., developing, diminishing, fluctuating, or only partially developed capacity).
• Researchers, data repository authorities, and future researchers share the responsibility of ensuring the terms of participant consent are respected and that privacy and confidentiality are protected.
• REB review is required for the creation of a data repository or biobank, and governance of the repository should clearly outline mechanisms to ensure future use of data and human biological materials that align with the original terms of participant consent.
• When seeking consent for a specific research project at the same time as seeking consent for a data repository or biobank for future unspecified research, prospective participants must be provided with an option to consent to each separately, either through separate consent forms or separate sections on the same form.
• Other updates: Revised definitions of “biobank” and “consent”, and new definitions of “blanket consent”, “broad consent”, “repository”, “research data repository”, and “whole-genome sequencing”.
2. Streamlining multi-jurisdictional research ethics review of minimal risk research (Chapter 8);
• TCPS strongly encourages institutions to streamline ethics review, and asserts that duplication of ethics review that is not anticipated to provide additional protections for research participants can rarely be justified for research of all risk levels, and particularly for minimal risk multi-jurisdictional research. This version also introduces a new ethics review model that encourages streamlining multi-jurisdictional ethics review of minimal risk research without a requirement for official agreements amongst institutions.
• As background, the original recommendation from the Tri-Agency Panel on Research Ethics included a mandatory requirement for single ethics review of multi-jurisdictional minimal risk research. Upon consultation, this requirement was softened to strong encouragement. Additional information about the original proposed guidance can be found here, and more details regarding the feedback received can be found here.
• Other updates include: clarification on supremacy of provincial legislation and policies regarding review models; REB responsibilities in selecting review models; documentation of the process for selecting alternative review models; and clarification on the role of the REB in disagreements in selecting an alternative ethics review model.
3. Research involving totipotent stem cells (Chapter 12, Section F)
• Introduces the concept of totipotent stem cells, defined as “a cell that can become all the cell types that are found in an implanted embryo, fetus, or developed organism, including embryonic components of the trophoblast and placenta”.
• Clarifies the types of stem cell research that is not permitted under Canadian legislation (Article 12.10)
• Researchers may use a more streamlined approach to consent whereby the initial consent for donation would include the option to donate for research purposes (i.e., broad consent). Therefore, subsequent consent will only need to be sought again if future use constitutes a substantive deviation from the original terms of consent (Article 12.12)
• Circumstances that make it impossible or impracticable to withdraw a participant’s data or biological materials must be clearly articulated to the participant during consent process (Article 12.13(b)).
• Other updates: Revised definitions of “human embryonic stem cell (hESC)” and “pluripotent stem cell”.
4. Review of research involving human cell lines (Chapter 12
• Clarification that de-identified human biological materials includes both those that have been anonymized or coded.
• Two new articles that introduce exemptions from REB review for (1) research that relies exclusively on the re-use of de-identified human somatic cell lines (Article 12.21) and (2) research that relies exclusively on the re-use of identified human somatic cell lines in the public domain (e.g., HeLa cell line) (Article 12.22)
• Other updates: New definitions of “cell line” and “re-use”.

Summary
The recent updates to TCPS 2 (2022) include contemplation of:

1. Broad consent for inclusion of data or human biological samples in a data repository or biobank for future unspecified research;
2. Strong encouragement of single REB review for minimal risk multi-jurisdiction studies;
3. Research involving totipotent stem cells; and
4. Review of research involving human cell lies, including new exemptions from REB review for research that relies on the re-use of de-identified human somatic cell lines and identified human somatic cell lines that are in the public domain.

WHRI Reading List

This month we received a publication from a special online virtual issue of the International Journal of Cancer in recognition of World Cancer Day.

The publication, Experiences with thermal ablation for cervical precancer treatment after self-collection HPV-based screening in the ASPIRE Mayuge randomized trial, is co-authored by several WHRI members.

New episode of @WomensResearch

‌

A xennial, millennial, and zillennial talk the Tok! 

In this episode, Nicole Prestley and Melissa Nelson chat with Brynn Lavery (Communications Coordinator, UBC Sexual Health Research) about ways that TikTok is changing the game for research communications.

Join us for the Eighth Annual Women's Health Research Symposium!

Wednesday, March 8 | 8:30 am – 12:30 pm | In-person (Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre) + Virtual

Theme of this year’s event is Advancing Women’s Mental Health through Research.

This year’s event is being co-hosted by the WHRI and the BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services Research Institute. Dr. Lori Brotto and Dr. Jehannine Austin (as Executive Directors of both Research Institutes) are co-leading the symposium planning committee.

Please note that we will be hosting a mentorship and networking event for trainees engaged in women’s health research after the main symposium program.

Open Data Workshop at BCCHR

Come learn about open data sharing for qualitative and quantitative data from experts in the field. Join Dr. Srinivas Murthy and Maggie Woo-Kinshella on February 14, 2022 from 12 – 1pm for a fun interactive workshop and case discussion of Open Data use in clinical research.

In this 1-hour workshop our expert speakers will provide real world examples of Open Data sharing for both qualitative and quantitative data. Workshop attendees will learn:
1. Primary challenges and successes when sharing quantitative and qualitative clinical research data.
2. Platforms available for open data sharing.
3. Ways to troubleshoot data sharing and publish from open data.

Speakers:
Dr. Srinivas Murthy, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC, Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
“Data sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic”

Maggie Woo Kinshella, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
“Our experience with Open Data for the “Integrating a neonatal healthcare package for Malawi" project.”

Creating a Data Visualization Dashboard of the
African, Caribbean, and Black Community PHAC-funded COVID-19 (APCI) Study

Join SFU Faculty of Health Sciences and BC Centre for Disease Control on Friday, February 10th for a special BCCDC Grand Rounds presentation.

From SFU:

The public health response to COVID-19 has disproportionately affected key communities. However, the absence of national race disaggregated data has limited understanding of the specific challenges faced by African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) people in Canada. The APCI Study was undertaken in collaboration with community stakeholders to rectify the scarcity of data on the impact of COVID-19 on the social determinants of health and access to healthcare services in ACB communities across the country.

A key objective of the APCI Study was to provide access to study data about ACB communities in Canada to those who need it. The Data Visualization Dashboard was developed as essential knowledge translation of the findings of the ACPI Study. This tool features visualizations of data collected from 1,556 people who completed the APCI survey of the impact of COVID-19 on access to sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (STBBI) and related health services in ACB communities in Canada.

By creating this Data Visualization Dashboard, the APCI Study hopes to enable and inspire community members, researchers, policy makers, front-line service providers, and other stakeholders to use this data to inform programming, policy, research, and advocacy to improve the health and well-being of ACB people across Canada.

Featuring Dr. Angela Kaida, Jillian Anderson, Dr. Josephine Etowa, Dr. Zainab Jerrett, Dr. Egbe B. Etowa, Dr. Shamara Baidoobonso and Wangari Tharao

Join the UBC Academy of Translational Medicine for their upcoming research rounds

Title: Tips and tricks for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) applying to interdisciplinary grants and seeking collaborations

Speaker: Juzer Kakal

Learning Objectives:

1. Which grant application resources are available to early career researchers.
2. Tactics to increase collaboration and participations across disciplines.
3. How to respectfully consider equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as well as sex/gender in funding applications.

Summary: 

This talk will speak about the funding landscape and resources available to Early Career Researchers to apply for grant funding. The discussion will touch on how to cultivate collaborations and participate in interdisciplinary grant applications; meaningfully addressing questions pertaining to EDI and sex/gender considerations in your proposals; and resources available to you to help you succeed in preparing funding applications.