Sherilyn Houle, Nancy Waite, Kelly Grindrod and Jonathan Blay
In early 2017, several School of Pharmacy faculty have received grants and established partnerships supporting research.
Kelly Grindrod and Catherine Burns – NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant (CRD)
School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Kelly Grindrod and Professor Catherine Burns from Systems Design Engineering received an NSERC CRD for $237,000 (CAN). The funding supports their work with TELUS Health. Together, they investigate the ways in which technology influences physician-pharmacist relationships. Pharmacies and medical clinics both rely on health-related information that is documented electronically. However, this information is used in a variety of work environments meaning the information has to be adapted to different contexts. This contextual information is often not documented electronically but nonetheless can impact decision making. Currently, Grindrod and Burns are identifying new contextual measures that may benefit decision making and efficiency of work processes.
Jonathan Blay – Algae Dynamics Corp Research Agreement
Algae Dynamics Corp, a company that develops unique health products and pharmaceuticals, has partnered with the University of Waterloo to perform research on cannabis oils. The goal of this research is to explore the development and treatment of various types of cancer. Professor Jonathan Blay of the School of Pharmacy, an experienced cancer researcher, is the project’s lead investigator. Algae Dynamics is contributing $200,000 (CAN) a year, and the sponsored research agreement spans 2017-2020.
Sherilyn Houle – International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM)
Assistant Professor Sherilyn Houle received approximately $13,000 (CAN) from the ISTM to explore the association between pharmacist ability to give injections and patient adherence to multi-dose travel vaccine regimens. Working with Professor Dean Eurich from the University of Alberta, Dr. Houle will use Alberta administrative data because pharmacists in that province have been able to administer any drug or vaccine by injection since 2007. Their work examines multi-dose vaccines typically used for travel, such as hepatitis A and B, rabies, and Japanese Encephalitis, and aligns with the ISTM’s goal of promoting healthy travel worldwide.
Nancy Waite – Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) grant
Professor Nancy Waite along with University of Toronto co-investigators Assistant Professor Lisa McCarthy and Professor Lisa Dolovich received a CIHR grant to investigate implementing and embedding quality improvement practices in community pharmacy settings. Through this funding, the team aims to embed quality improvement thinking into Canadian pharmacy culture to improve medication use, management, and outcomes for older patients in their communities. They will meet with researchers, stakeholders and knowledge users to discuss the topic and will pursue related exploratory activities.