2023 Grant Recipients

We fund innovation in Manitoban health care.

2023 HSC Foundation Grant Recipients

The HSC Foundation is proud of the researchers we fund. The work they do ultimately leads to improved patient care at Manitoba’s flagship hospital. Research is the key to deepening our understanding of health matters, and often leads to new technology, medicine, or practices.

 

The HSC Foundation 2023 grants were awarded through four different competitions and applications were reviewed by experts in their fields from HSC.

A doctor attaches electrodes to a patient

Allied Health Grants

Anna Reed, $27,248: “Utilization of Social Work in Canadian Emergency Department: An Environmental Scan”

Synopsis: In addition to medical care, it is important that our EDs be equipped to support non-medical patient concerns related to the social determinants of health. We plan to conduct an environmental scan to explore how the HSC adult ED SW team compares to other emergency SW teams across Canadian EDs. As part of the environmental scan, we plan to complete a literature review, survey medical directors and clinicians in participating EDs, and convene a Community of Practice. In doing so, we hope to contribute to practice, policy, and staffing changes that support improved patient care in Canadian EDs.

 

General Operating Grants

Jennifer Hensel, $69,862.87: “An Innovative Virtual Mental Health Crisis Stabilization Unit: Evaluation of Patient Centered Outcomes”

Synopsis: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, services closed or reduced capacity and public anxiety affected care seeking. For individuals in mental health crisis, the rapid deployment of alternative solutions was essential to ensure access to needed support. Winnipeg Crisis Response Services launched a Virtual Crisis Stabilization Unit (vCSU) on April 1, 2020 as an alternative to coming to stay in a facility. The vCSU offers daily, intensive support to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis while they remain in their homes and communities using virtual communication over telephone, text messaging and videoconferencing. With ongoing high demand and positive impact, the program has been funded by Manitoba Health to continue. This project aims to identify the ways in which the program helps individuals in crisis, and to evaluate those outcomes over 1 year of vCSU admissions. These data will also inform how to improve the program and can be used for future study.

 

Ji Hyun Ko, $70,000: “Non-invasive brain stimulation of the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices to improve cognition in Parkinson’s Disease”

Synopsis: There are about 100,000 Canadians with Parkinson’s disease. About half develop dementia within 10 years of initial diagnosis. There is no cure. A potential therapy is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Several clinical trials have shown that this technique can improve the memory and thinking process (cognitive impairment) in Parkinson’s patients. We believe a new technique called high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), which allows multiple brain regions to be stimulated at the same time, to be more effective than conventional tDCS. In this study, we will test the effect of daily HD-tDCS treatment in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

 

Nabiha Faisal, $69,600: “A Feasibility Study on Integrating and Improving Care for Co-morbid Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol Liver Disease”

Synopsis: Alcohol related liver disease (ALD) is a frequent complication of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Both conditions are associated with high financial and health burden on families, hospitals, and communities. Patient care has been delayed because addiction medical services are separated from other areas of medicine such as general medicine, family medicine and hepatology. Patients with ALD would benefit from combining addiction and medical care to meet the needs of patients and  preferences. The goal of this study is to assess whether integrated care is appropriate and acceptable by the ALD patients/care providers before conducting a definitive trial to test its effectiveness.

 

Don Miller, $70,000: “Development of nanomedicines for prevention of SARS CoV-2 infection in nasal and upper airway of host epithelial cells”

Synopsis: Research aims to advance a series of lipid nanoparticles that are designed to prevent and reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral uptake in the nasal and upper airway, a common site for initial viral infection. The nanoparticles work at multiple points of initial viral exposure pathway to reduce host cell interactions through 1) binding nanoparticles to virus 2) reducing host receptor expression and 3) inhibition of viral replication inside of host cells. The proposed studies will examine efficacy of lead nanomedicines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 viral infection of host cells in the nasal and upper airway. These studies will provide critical translational proof-of-concept for future development of these nanoparticles into a potential therapeutic treatment for SARS[1]CoV-2 and other airborne viruses of interest.

 

Abdullah Al Maruf,$69,996: “Pharmacogenetics of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor-Induced Behavioural Activation in Children and Adolescents (PGx-SImBA)”

Synopsis: Major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are amongst the most common mental health disorders in children. Antidepressants are frequently prescribed for these children. Although these medications are generally effective and safe, some children suffer from adverse effects. One such adverse effect is behavioural activation, characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, or irritability. Unfortunately, we do not currently know why some children develop these adverse effects while others do not. The proposed project aims to identify a panel of genetic variants that could assist clinicians in detecting children at-risk for developing this adverse effect.

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