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Dr. Kristin Clemens has been selected as the new Site Director for ICES Western, the London, Ontario division of a province-wide non-profit focused on using health-related data to evaluate outcomes. ICES Western is a collaborative initiative between Lawson Health Research Institute, Western University, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London.

Dr. Clemens is a Scientist at Lawson and an Endocrinologist at St. Joseph’s. She is also an Assistant Professor in epidemiology and biostatistics at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Dr. Clemens recently sat down to discuss the impact of the work being done through ICES Western and her hopes for the future.

1.    What are you most excited for as ICES Western’s new site director?

I get to continue to work closely with an amazing group of ICES Western staff and scientists. ICES Western is already a well-oiled machine and home to scientific hubs of research in neurological health, homelessness and socioeconomic disparities, surgery, mental health, kidney disease and more. As a leader, I will not only be able to help harness some of our existing strengths, but have a chance to continue to move our institution forward. For example, Dr. Amit Garg (outgoing Site Director) will be advancing new and innovative randomized controlled trials in London, and ICES Western's going to continue to play a major role in that. There is so much more potential for innovation using our data sources; I think it's going to be a really exciting next few years for us.

2.    Why did you choose to become involved with ICES Western?

I have been with ICES for about 14 years. I have lived it as an ICES trainee as a Medical Student and Resident/Fellow and became an ICES Adjunct Scientist after completing the inaugural ICES Faculty Scholars program hosted by ICES Western. I became more and more engaged with the community as a member of local ICES committees and then started to lead some of the larger research programs at ICES Western. It was the perfect time and really a natural fit for me to embark on a new leadership journey with the institution.

3.    What do you hope to bring to your new position?

I'm an enabling and collaborative researcher and have been fortunate to work with multidisciplinary teams of scientists from across Western and Lawson. What I hope to do is not only support existing ICES staff, scientists, and initiatives, but also attract new researchers to the institution. I think London, Ontario, is such an incredible city for academia. I really want to use my collaborative skills and strong relationships to try to grow and expand our reach.

4.    Has the work at ICES played a role in your research?

Yes, absolutely. My clinical and research focus has been on improving the care and outcomes of patients who live with complex comorbidities and disparities. ICES research allows us to focus on real-world gaps in care in Ontario and it gives us an opportunity to study people and patients who have not been able to participate in randomized trials or traditional research studies. 

5.    What impact does the work at ICES have on research being done in Ontario and across Canada?

ICES is home to one of the world's largest collections of administrative data sets that contain everything from hospital visits and physician encounters to use of medications and long-term care. We also have the unique ability to link data from national surveys or existing cohorts with administrative data. Because of this, ICES is very much at the forefront of improving care and quality for all Ontarians. Our research is shared internationally with both academics and non-academics, and it has changed practice and policy; it's an extremely impactful organization.

6.    What do you see in the future for the organization?

I think in the future we will continue to do what we're already great at, like studying the use of health services and existing hubs of research, but also find ways to use our rich data sources, methods and talented staff to really innovate and advance research in London. With new collaborations in the city, we can also continue to grow and contribute.

7.    What is the most important thing people should know about ICES?

ICES Western is here for London’s community of researchers, health care providers and decision makers. We have more than 20 scientists and dozens of highly qualified staff who are passionate about advancing high-quality, impactful work. ICES Western is a valuable resource for the community.

To mark International Women’s Day, two early career researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute are sharing their experiences as women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). They shared the support they’ve experienced in their careers, the importance of women’s voices in medical research and how to encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM.

Early access and mentorship are key: Dr. Funmbi Babalola

Dr. Babalola is a Paediatric Endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and an Associate Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute. She helped pioneer the start of a Paediatric Rare Bone Disease Clinic at Children’s Hospital in 2022 which provides multi-disciplinary care for patients, so they no longer have to travel outside of London for treatment. As a clinician researcher, her areas of interest are paediatric diabetes and calcium and bone metabolism disorders. She is currently involved in several clinical trials and studies. 

She credits mentorship and the support of educators early in her career journey with encouraging her interest in science and says that is key for being more welcoming to women in STEM.

“In Grade 12 my biology teacher recommended I go to an advanced placement school. That was when I had my first experience with research,” says Dr. Babalola. “When I got to my undergraduate work, I found a woman mentor who was a powerhouse and had a vision, and I was able to publish two papers during that time and had such a positive experience. I went straight to medical school after that and continued to do research. I think I’ve been really lucky with all the people that I’ve worked with and who have encouraged me as I built my research career.”

Dr. Babalola says she is fortunate to be a researcher in a time when women’s voices are finally being heard and welcomed.

“I think my perspective is probably different than women who were starting work 10 or 20 years ago,” she notes. “I think I’m very lucky that I entered the medical research world where a lot of women are at the table. They’re great role models and they really support and help each other.”

But she says support for research in hospitals is also crucial. 

“It takes both good mentors and a culture of research to make it easier to get studies done.”

Dr. Babalola has already started mentoring new researchers, many of them women, who have approached her.

“I’m all about paying it forward. I’ve been super fortunate to have great mentors that are still continuing to mentor me, so I want to pass that knowledge on.”

Women in science are inspirational: Dr. Kait Al

Dr. Kait Al is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, working in a Lawson Health Research Institute lab at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. Dr. Al’s research focus is the role of the microbiome in urological conditions like kidney stone disease. She’s currently looking at how a microbiome with beneficial microbes could help protect healthy individuals from forming kidney stones and how optimizing the microbiome could help prevent stone recurrence in stone formers.

She believes women’s voices need to be included in research so that it is more representative of the world we live in and better addresses everyone’s health needs.

“Women bring diverse experiences and perspectives that have been historically excluded from research, along with many other underrepresented groups.”

And mentors among those voices are one of the best ways to encourage more women to get interested in science, she says, so women can see themselves in those positions.

“Seeing someone like yourself as a role model in a successful position that is passionate and curious about science can be so influential to young people,” shares Dr. Al. “As scientists, it’s important to share your work widely.”

She notes that organizations that encourage and support mentorship, as well as a flexible work culture and networking opportunities, are likely to be more welcoming to women in STEM and benefit from having them as part of the team.

“It is crucial to prioritize an inclusive and supportive mentorship environment for trainees and professionals,” says Dr. Al. “I believe work that lets you balance professional and personal commitments, which can otherwise be biased against women, is key.”

The theme for International Women’s Day in 2024 is ‘Inspire Inclusion,’ and that’s exactly what Dr. Al says she sees in other women in science.

“I am constantly inspired by women in science, from my direct colleagues to world leaders I’ve never met. I have witnessed firsthand my colleagues breaking down barriers, succeeding in challenging areas, and lifting each other up, and it really creates a culture of empowerment.”

In recent years, research has increasingly shown us the importance of bacteria and other microbes in the human microbiome for maintaining health. Now, researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute are pioneering new imaging methods to see these microbes in the human body and open new avenues for health research. Early results of preclinical studies at Lawson have found positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging could allow the tracking and identification of bacteria inside the body and lead to more targeted use of antibiotic treatments.

Accurate targeting of antibiotic treatments can prevent antimicrobial resistance – when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medication. According to a United Nations report, it is estimated that by 2050, antimicrobial resistance could result in 10 million deaths each year – more than cancer. New imaging research could be a gamechanger for treating bacterial infections by allowing us to see bacteria in the body using medical imaging equipment and then targeting the bacteria with specific therapies.

“Traditional imaging of infection means that you're looking at tissue damage; the bacteria have already started the process of inflammation and are wreaking havoc,” explains Dr. Donna Goldhawk, Lawson Scientist at St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s). “Imaging bacteria catches the infection at an earlier stage. When you can image a particular species of bacteria, you can narrow the type of antibiotic that you might want to treat it with – reducing the need for broad-spectrum antibiotics that can lead to antimicrobial resistance.”

Imaging bacteria using PET/MR technology begins with attaching tracer molecules – also called isotopes – to specific bacteria in order to follow the movement of the microbes. A recent study from Lawson used PET/MR imaging to track bacteria labelled with an isotope called Zirconium-89 (89Zr) in a preclinical model. The researchers were able to demonstrate that PET/MR imaging could track ingested bacteria through the gut. 

“Imaging of bacteria is a very new application of how PET/MR technology can be used. Using isotopes like 89Zr to label bacteria would allow you to image the same individual repeatedly and follow the ingestion of specific bacteria from the stomach through the digestive system since those isotopes last a long time,” adds Dr. Frank Prato, Scientist at Lawson and Lead of the Lawson Imaging research program.

This also has the potential to allow imaging of bacteria that migrate to other areas of the body like the brain, bladder, kidneys, and reproductive system. In the future, this technology could allow researchers to identify specific bacteria present and target those bacteria.

Similar research is underway to examine whether bacteria without tracers can also be tracked using MR imaging based on differences in their characteristics, like associations with specific metals. This could allow imaging of specific bacteria in the gut and how they respond when gut infections are treated with antibiotics, probiotics or microbial therapies like fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

With or without tracer molecules, both imaging methods could eventually become important for improving the efficacy and wider implementation of FMT, which introduces healthy microbes from donors into a patient’s gut with the goal of having the healthy bacteria reinstate a balanced microbiome. FMT is currently used to treat recurrent infections of C. diff. (Clostridium difficile), but new applications are expanding with clinical trials looking at its use to treat a variety of diseases, including certain forms of cancer. The ability to see how the balance of bacteria is changing could accelerate the development of effective new therapies.

While more research is needed, these studies are moving the monitoring of bacteria using PET/MR imaging closer to clinical implementation. The research has been made possible in part thanks to collaborations with Siemens Healthineers, Cubresa Inc. and London X-Ray Associates.

Following a labyrinth is a spiritual practice that’s good for body, mind and spirit. 

It leads to increased calm, reduced blood pressure and stress, and improved mental health and well-being, say researchers and patient care experts at St. Joseph’s Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care (Southwest Centre). 

On World Labyrinth Days - May 3 and May 4, staff, patients and residents at St. Joseph’s are invited to join thousands across the globe who “walk as one at 1 pm.” 

While books and movie culture often show labyrinths as places where people get hopelessly lost, ground-breaking studies conducted through Lawson Health Research Institute show labyrinths can be just the opposite: they’re places people can find hope and find themselves. 

Unlike mazes that are puzzles with many choices and many dead ends, labyrinths have continuous lines that lead to and from the centre.  

“Walking a labyrinth is a form of walking mediation,” says Rev. Stephen Yeo, spiritual care practitioner at Southwest Centre and a Lawson researcher. “It is a wonderful way to look after one’s body, mind and spirit. It is a very inclusive practice, regardless of how you engage the sacred in your life and in the world.” 

There are two permanent labyrinths at Southwest Centre – one indoors and one outdoors. In addition, this spiritual tradition is available at all St. Joseph’s sites. The Parkwood Institute Mental Health Care Building has an indoor labyrinth in the Multifaith Room and an outdoor labyrinth as well—all of them suitable for people who walk or wheel.  

In addition, Mount Hope and St. Joseph’s Hospital each have finger labyrinths available for meditation in their multifaith rooms. Other labyrinth opportunities exist across sites including an opportunity to walk a portable labyrinth at the Parkwood Institute Main Building in the Multifaith Room every Friday at noon. 

Southwest Centre in Elgin County also has a portable labyrinth, with lines painted on canvas, that’s often used at other locations. “Have labyrinth, will travel,” Stephen quips. 

For nearly a decade, he has facilitated walking labyrinths at Southwest Centre with larger groups during seasonal times of solstice and equinox, as a purposeful step that’s also part of truth and reconciliation practices with Indigenous peoples. 

“While it may be world labyrinth day this weekend, it’s labyrinth day here at Southwest Centre regularly as something that’s incorporated into our care and practice,” Stephen says. 

The research team’s work examining the benefits of labyrinth-walking in a forensic mental health care setting has been cited globally. 

Says principal investigator Clark Heard, “I see significant benefit in labyrinth-walking in settings such as mental health care facilities, although I would stress that these benefits could also be generalized to any participant in a community setting.” 

“Walking a labyrinth is a regenerative and restorative experience that helps people connect with the personally sacred,” says Clark, who is an occupational therapist at Southwest Centre and is an Associate Scientist at Lawson.  

They promote self-care, hope, resilience and coping. They help connect people to the spiritual side of themselves and to relationships sacred to ourselves and the environment. 

“Our team’s work identified that labyrinth participation can support meaning-making in the most difficult of circumstances, while at the same time making room for important aspects of mental wellness such as the quest for hope and search for meaning,” Clark says. 

Stephen first walked a labyrinth three decades ago during a retreat at a monastery in Winnipeg. It became part of his regular practice of engaging the sacred in his life, and he is now a certified labyrinth facilitator. 

“A labyrinth is so simple that you don’t need someone to lead you through. Whether it's facilitated or not, a person inevitably benefits from walking one,” he says.