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Over 400 learners, faculty and researchers from across London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s) and Western University gathered for London Health Research Day (LHRD) on May 7, 2024. 

LHRD is one of southwestern Ontario’s largest cross-disciplinary health research conferences, and is presented in partnership by Lawson Health Research Institute (the research institute of LHSC and St. Joseph’s) and Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Faculty of Health Sciences. It is an opportunity for students to share innovative research on a wide variety of health topics, practice science communication, network, and learn from an insightful keynote presentation and informative workshops.

“There is an amazing diversity of health research being conducted in London, Ontario right now, all represented at this event,” says Dr. David Hill, Interim Research Executive and Scientific Director for London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). “Looking at all these presentations, the future of health research is bright.”

More than 420 guests, 340 poster presenters, 50 volunteer judges and 24 symposia speakers registered to attend the event held at Western University. 

“An event like this, focused on health research by learners, provides an outstanding opportunity for our trainees to showcase their research and network with peers and leaders in the field,” says Susanne Schmid, Vice Dean of Basic Medical Sciences at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. “As one of the largest health research gatherings in our city, London Health Research Day not only highlights the amazing work being done at Western, LHSC and St. Joseph’s, but also underscores the powerful collaborations that drive our success.” 

Dr. Lisa Porter, Vice President, Research and Scientific Director at St. Joseph’s, was also on-hand to speak with presenters and learn more about ongoing research.

“I am so proud of the great research happening in London,” says Dr. Porter. “This event is a wonderful opportunity to explore the fabulous research and see what the future holds for health care.”

The event was preceded on May 6 with a public lecture by Dr. Mark Daley, Chief AI Officer at Western University, who addressed how artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to change the future of health research and the lives of Canadians. The potential of AI to address ongoing challenges in health care, was echoed by keynote speaker Dr. Laura Rosella, Canada Research Chair in Population Health Analytics at the University of Toronto.

The impact of technology on health research was already visible in many of the projects presented by learners, highlighting the rapid advancement of health research in London, Ontario.

Science communication is a key element of modern health research. From presenting at conferences to sharing research findings with the public, it’s a crucial skill for young researchers to develop. 

London Health Research Day (LHRD) provides the opportunity for hundreds of graduate students, trainees, clinical fellows and postdoctoral scholars to practice science communication through the delivery of poster and oral presentations. At the eighth annual LHRD on April 30, more than 400 learners participated from across Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Faculty of Health Sciences.

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Above: Participants engaging in poster presentations at LHRD 2019

“I love that LHRD brings trainees of all disciplines together to present our work, allowing us to become familiar with the research that is being performed outside of our respective areas. Being recognized with an award for my platform talk made the day even more rewarding,” said Shelby Oke, a PhD candidate working with Dr. Dan Hardy, Scientist at Lawson and Associate Professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. Oke is conducting research to determine how maternal insults during pregnancy, such as a low protein diet, influence fetal growth and development. 

This year’s LHRD keynote speaker, Timothy Caulfield, highlighted how science communication is particularly important in the age of misinformation. Caulfield, author of the bestseller Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything ?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash and host of the documentary TV series A User’s Guide to Cheating Death, presented as part of The Lucille & Norton Wolf Health Research Lecture Series. His talk, titled “Science vs. Celebrity: A Battle We Must Win,” focused on the important role scientists play in the battle against pseudoscience. 

“London Health Research Day is an amazing event. It brings together a unique, engaged and highly interdisciplinary community,” noted Caulfield. “Great energy. Great discussion. Great research. What more do you need? It was an honour to be involved."

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Above: Timothy Caulfield

Caulfield also participated in a panel discussion on science communication alongside local science communicators Ramina Adam, Dr. Lorelei Lingard, Dr. David Palma and Dr. Matthew Teeter. The panel was moderated by Carly Weeks, Health Reporter at The Globe and Mail, and focused on the importance of communicating science effectively and responsibly. 

“The panel created an incredible opportunity to discuss science communication. I think that it was a great starting point to encourage trainees to get more involved in outreach efforts,” said Ramina Adam, a PhD candidate at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. “Having that in-depth discussion about the importance of science outreach was a great follow-up to Timothy Caulfield’s keynote presentation and very encouraging for trainees who are passionate about the topic.”

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Above: Ramina Adam shares her perspectives as part of the LHRD panel discussion on science communication.

From the presentation of research projects to the panel discussion, LHRD 2019 was an engaging day of networking and professional development that highlighted the scope of health science in London, Ontario. 

For a full list of this year’s award recipients and to see the photo gallery, please visit the LHRD website.

Lawson Health Research Institute is again ranked eighth in the country according to the 2020 edition of “Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals List” by Re$earch Infosource. This strong national position has been maintained by Lawson for the past seven consecutive years and keeps the Institute within the top five in Ontario.  

Lawson, the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, has also maintained the top ranking for research intensity among the large tier institutions with $600,000 of research spending per researcher.  

“Now, more than ever, people are understanding the critical importance of hospital-based research and its impact on health care,” says Dr. David Hill, Lawson Scientific Director and VP, Research for London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London.

“We have remarkable people right here in London working on solutions for health challenges that have a worldwide impact. Their knowledge, creativity and dedication never fail to astound.” 

The top 40 list analyzes hospital-based research institutes from across the country on several metrics, including total research income from the previous fiscal year. The ranking looks at funds received from all sources, including both internal and external, to support research at the organization. According to the report, Lawson received $118,796 million in research income in 2019. Despite representing a 4.0 per cent drop from the previous fiscal year, Lawson has maintained its rankings on the national list.  

Hospital-based researchers belong to a health system at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. With close proximity to patients and access to samples, they have mobilized to address COVID-19. Many Lawson research teams are implementing pre-clinical, clinical observational and clinical trial studies to prevent or soften the worst effects for patients with COVID-19. They are also studying the long-term and mental health impacts related to the pandemic.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be one of the most pressing health challenges of our time,” notes Dr. Hill. “Lawson excels in rapid response research and is uniquely positioned to tackle health problems from within hospital walls.”  

Quick summary of Lawson's ranking 

• Rank in Top 40 Research Hospitals 2020: 8 (same as 2019) 

• FY2019 research spending: $118,776 million  

• FY2018 research spending: $123,790 million 

• Percentage change 2018-2019: -4.0% 

• Research intensity: $600,000 per researcher  

• Research intensity - percentage of total hospital spending: 7.0% 

Lawson Health Research Institute is ranked eighth in the country according to the 2019 edition of “Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals List” by Re$earch Infosource. This strong national position has been maintained by Lawson for the past six years and also keeps the institute within the top five in Ontario.  

The results 

The research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), Lawson has also maintained the top ranking for research intensity among the large tier institutions with $612,800 of research spending per researcher. 

“As a hospital-based research institute, our innovation happens where care is delivered,” says Dr. David Hill, Lawson Scientific Director. “Every day, teams of researchers are working directly with clinicians and patients to improve treatments or create entirely new ones. They also find innovative methods of delivering services that drive efficiency and reduce costs.” 

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Dr. David Hill, Lawson Scientific Director. 

The top 40 list analyzes hospital-based research institutes from across the country on several metrics, including total research income from the previous fiscal year. The ranking looks at funds received from all sources, including both internal and external, to support research at the organization. According to the report, Lawson received $123,790 million in research income in 2018, which represents 0.4 per cent in growth from the previous fiscal year.

“We are known across the country and around the world for our high level of research activity and success, despite our size. London punches well above our weight when it comes to health research,” adds Dr. Hill.

“Our position as a leading research institute is the foundation for brilliant research and worldwide partnerships tackling the most pressing challenges in health care.” 

What does this mean for London, Ontario? 

There are millions of dollars every year coming in London from elsewhere in Canada and in the world. Approximately 60 per cent of that is spent on jobs. Lawson employs over 2,000 people in hospital-based research. This is a major source of quality employment for Londoners and people in the surrounding region. Dr. Hill notes that this is one of the real benefits of having a strong biomedical industry associated with the city. 

“Another real benefit of having research directly in the hospitals is that our researchers focus on gaining knowledge that advances our ability to treat patients and find solutions to wicked problems that have been around for a long time.” 

For example, Lawson researchers have been tackling the issue of homelessness from within hospital walls. The No Fixed Address (NFA) strategy reaches and supports patients during the crucial transitional period when they are being discharged from the hospital and re-integrated into the community. Learn more about this successful research initiative. 

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Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Lawson Scientist leading the NFA strategy in London hospitals. 

How are we adapting to the current funding environment? 

While federal funding for research in Canada is slowly starting to increase, this sector experienced over a decade of decreasing funding that placed the country far behind other nations in terms of investing in health research. 

“We have become better at what we do in competing for grants and other funding sources, in particular from the government,” explains Dr. Hill. 

Also, “Lawson has been diversifying our sources of funding. We’ve have engaged in more partnerships with industry and joint research and development projects with companies. Not only does that have the advantage of providing additional resources, but also is often a more practical way of directly delivering our knowledge into salable products”

Strong partnerships 

This year, Re$earch Infosource is showcasing “Building Bridges: Pathways to Building Research Capacity and Discovery through Collaboration.” Health researchers in London have collaborations across many sectors that result in big impacts for the people in this region and beyond. 

As just one example, a group of scientists from Lawson, Brescia University College and Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University provide academic support to London’s Fermented Foods Project that brings together industry partners, the agricultural sector, academic and health institutions, the City of London and the London Economic Development Corporation. 

The goals of this group, funded by the Weston Family Microbiome Initiative, are to support new product development and batch production, enhance customer confidence, quantify health benefits and establish a competitive advantage. 

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Dr. Gregor Reid, left, is one of the researchers for London's Fermented Foods Project. 
 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tangible impact on the mental health and wellbeing of Canadian health care workers, who have faced challenges that include increased workloads, resource constraints and fears of exposure to COVID-19.

Announced today, researchers out of Lawson Health Research Institute's MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, have received $2.8 million in funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to launch a project that will support the mental health and wellbeing of Canadian health care workers. The project is titled “Promoting Resilience and Mental Health: Adapting Canada’s Department of National Defence Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) Program to Support Canadian Health Care Workers.”

The project will adapt the current Road to Mental Readiness Program, created for the Canadian Military.  The aim is to identify mental health and wellness barriers in health care institutions, and create a streamlined framework that will build and promote supportive environments within institutions across the nation. 

“This program has been a personalized approach with the military, and we are now adapting it to focus on Canadian health care workers,” explains Dr. Anthony Nazarov, Associate Scientist at Lawson and the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. “We want to educate institutions to create an environment that supports wellness not just at the individual level, but at the institutional level as well.”

The project, which will span 14 months, will assist in the planning, adaptation and testing of the health care focused Road to Mental Readiness Program.

“One of the main reasons we felt this was necessary stems from a recent study our team conducted that focused on moral distress and the mental health of Canadian health care workers,” says Dr. Don Richardson, Lawson Scientist and Director of the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre at St. Joseph’s. “Our preliminary study results found that many Canadian health care workers have been negatively impacted by the pandemic with conditions such as; posttraumatic stress disorder, stress and depression.” 

Once the research team has adapted the current Road to Mental Readiness Program, they will test it with health care workers to confirm its efficacy.

“We hope to have this type of resiliency program adopted by health care organizations across the country,” explains Dr. Richardson. “If proven effective, this would provide additional tools to health care workers to help them cope, improve their resiliency and hopefully mitigate future staff shortages.”

The funding is part of the federal 2021 budget which has committed an investment of $50 million over two years to support projects that address posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma in frontline and essential workers, and others affected by the pandemic. The nine projects announced, totaling an investment of $28.2 million, is the first round of projects being supported through this Budget 2021 commitment.
 

As part of an initiative called the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research (GCCR), scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University are studying the sudden loss of smell in COVID-19 patients. They are asking individuals with confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19 worldwide to participate in a survey to better understand this symptom.

A sudden loss of smell, called anosmia, has been widely reported as a marker of COVID-19. More research is needed but emerging evidence suggests that more than 60 per cent of COVID-19 patients experience anosmia and that it is often the first symptom of the disease. 

“While a sudden loss of smell is relatively rare, it is most commonly caused by an upper respiratory tract infection. It therefore stands to reason that COVID-19 could be causing anosmia,” says Dr. Leigh Sowerby, Associate Scientist at Lawson and Associate Professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. “Colleagues in the United Kingdom first made note of this with a surge of patients presenting with sudden loss of smell and many of these patients went on to develop COVID-19.”

In the new study, patients with loss of smell will answer questions through a publicly accessible survey. They will be asked about their experiences with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. An immediate goal is to better understand the association between anosmia and COVID-19, and determine if loss of smell is the same in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The team also hopes to determine if loss of smell happens before other symptoms of COVID-19 as it could allow for earlier self-isolation advice.

“As a sinus surgeon, I see many patients who have lost their sense of smell. It really is the forgotten sense; we don’t appreciate smell until it’s gone,” explains Dr. Sowerby, who is also an Otolaryngologist at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. “Smell is a very important part of taste. Imagine if all food tasted like cardboard, and all you could do was make that cardboard taste spicy, salty, sweet or bitter. It can also be a safety concern if you cannot smell a gas leak, burning food or smoke.”

While there are existing therapies that can aid in regaining a sense of smell, it’s currently unknown whether they are effective for COVID-19 patients. 

“We don’t yet know the long-term consequences of anosmia in COVID-19 patients and that’s why this research is important,” adds Dr. Sowerby. “I encourage anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or another respiratory illness to complete our survey if able.”

The GCCR survey is currently available in 10 languages at www.covidandsmell.com.

Lawson Health Research Institute has been awarded over $2 million in federal funding for a project focusing on two unique medical imaging systems designed to give unparalleled insight into brain function and disease.  

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, announced more than $518 million in research infrastructure support through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

“Canada's researchers and scientists are some of the brightest and most skilled in the world. These investments will ensure that they have the cutting-edge laboratories and equipment needed to help us build a Canada that is healthier, greener, and more competitive," says The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. 

In a live conversation, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, shared more about how the funding will support 102 state-of-the-art projects at 35 post-secondary institutions and research hospitals across the country - helping Canada remain at the forefront of exploration, innovation and discovery. 

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“Imaging technologies, such as MRI and PET scanners, have revolutionized our understanding and treatment of major neurological diseases, including dementia and mental illness, by allowing us to study disease mechanisms and their impact on brain health,” says Dr. Keith St. Lawrence, Lawson Scientist and project co-lead. “We are developing and testing two leading-edge systems that will enable imaging of key vascular, metabolic and molecular factors linked to disease.”  

The first system is a head-only PET (positron emission tomography) insert that can be placed in any clinical MRI machine. Combining the molecular specificity of PET with the structural and functional capabilities of MRI, the possibilities for brain imaging will be greatly enhanced. The head-only PET insert being tested in London has been developed by Cubresa Inc., located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  

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“Combined with deep-learning approaches, we could achieve a highly improved sensitivity of the PET insert and reduce the radiation dose by up to 50 times compared to whole-body imaging,” explains Dr. Jonathan Thiessen, Lawson Scientist and project co-lead. “This will be the first commercially available high-resolution brain PET/MRI installed in the world.”  

For example, better diagnosis of different forms of dementias would be possible and researchers could closely compare protein abnormalities in the brain with cognitive function. The low radiation dose allows for long-term studies investigating changes in the brain and neuroinflammation that can lead to major psychiatric diseases and cognitive degeneration or disability. 

The second system uses portable, state-of-the-art optical imaging to increase the reliability of bedside brain monitoring to provide rapid assessment of brain health in restrictive environments.   

“We believe this technology will demonstrate how biomedical optics can improve neurological outcome for surgery and patients in intensive care, provide an accessible technology for assessing neurovascular health, and become a clinically relevant tool for monitoring changes in brain function,” says Dr. St. Lawrence.  

With current systems, the type of data is limited and extremely vulnerable to signal contamination from the scalp which can overshadow signals from the brain. Using the team’s specialized detection approach, the scalp signal contributions could be greatly reduced to get more accurate information on markers of brain activity, such as cerebral blood flow and energy metabolism.  

The team will study use of the system in surgical and intensive-care settings to monitor for cerebral ischemia and metabolic stress, which are the major causes of brain injury. They will also monitor treatment in patients with schizophrenia and study dysfunction in the brain associated with negative symptoms, as cognitive impairment deteriorates with age for some people with the disease. Another goal is to develop a brain-computer interface for patients who are incapable of physical communication. 

“With this funding, we can develop a truly unique advancement that has the potential to test the limits of optics for brain applications,” adds Dr. Thiessen.

These two imaging platforms build on previous investments in Lawson Imaging that now exceed over $40 million in research funds since the initial CFI support in hybrid imaging in 2007. London is home to Canada’s first whole body PET/MRI scanner that was installed at St. Joseph’s Hospital, part of St. Joseph’s Health Care London. 

Building on established excellence in medical imaging, Western University and London’s academic teaching hospitals, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), and St. Joseph’s Health Care London announced today a unique partnership with Canon Medical Systems Canada in advanced Computed Tomography (CT) that will advance patient care, research and teaching in Southwestern Ontario.

This new partnership includes the investment of a $4.5 million dedicated research CT, Angio Suite and portable ultrasound machine to be used for medical imaging research. London will also become home to the world’s largest installation of the most advanced CT platform from Canon Medical.

“London has an international reputation as a leader in medical imaging, and today we are celebrating a partnership that will build on that foundation of imaging excellence,” said Dr. Narinder Paul, Chair/Chief of the Department of Medical Imaging at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, LHSC and St. Joseph’s. “Thanks to Canon’s investment, we will, for the first time, have the same CT equipment being used for patient care as we are using for research.”

CT is used to provide critical diagnostic information through combination of thousands of ultralow dose, high resolution X-ray images to create cross-sectional images of the brain, the heart, lungs, abdominal and pelvic organs, and of the blood vessels. CT provides essential imaging for most medical and surgical emergencies and is the standard of care for routine assessment and evaluation of patients with a wide range of conditions including many cancers. CT is also used to guide interventions for diagnosis through obtaining tissue biopsies, and is used to guide minimally invasive treatment.

Because the research CT will exactly mirror the equipment used clinically, it will allow researchers to more quickly and readily apply their research findings to patient care. The research in London will focus on improving patient safety by finding ways to lower radiation dose, developing faster and more detailed imaging techniques, and personalizing the patient experience.

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This partnership includes the investment of a dedicated research CT, Angio Suite and portable ultrasound machine.

The partnership with Canon Medical also provides the opportunity to establish a training academy and a Canon Medical National Centre of Excellence in London. As new advanced CT protocols are developed and validated here, hands-on training will be provided for medical imaging teams from across the province, the country and the world.

“As Southwestern Ontario’s only medical school, we are very pleased that the partnership also provides for the establishment of a training academy,” said Dr. Davy Cheng, Acting Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. “We expect this training to attract interest from medical learners and professionals internationally, and we will welcome them to London to learn from our clinical and research leaders.”

In addition, LHSC and St. Joseph’s are acquiring six clinical CTs to be used for patient care, which will standardize all of the CT equipment at London’s hospitals. Two will be installed at University Hospital, three at Victoria Hospital and one at St. Joseph’s.

“The investment in these six new machines means a standardization of all CT equipment at London’s hospitals, and more importantly, ensures we will have the best available technology for patients – offering lower radiation doses with each scan, and producing higher resolution images enabling more precise detection and diagnosis,” said Dr. Paul Woods, President and CEO, London Health Sciences Centre.

“London is renowned for its excellence in imaging and has been at the forefront of significant advancements in technology, clinical translation and training over many years. We have been a city of numerous national firsts in imaging dating back decades. Today we take that excellence to a new level with an exciting and innovative partnership that will advance health care, teaching and research in our city,” said Dr. Gillian Kernaghan, President and CEO, St. Joseph’s Health Care London.

Following installation, further research to validate use and drive innovations can be done effectively and efficiently within the clinical setting, done by hospital-based researchers through Lawson Health Research Institute, the research institute of LHSC and St. Joseph’s. 

“London’s integrated health care and research community is well-positioned to make the most of this opportunity, which ultimately means we can continually improve care for the patients and families that we serve,” said Dr. David Hill, Lawson Scientific Director and Integrated Vice President, Research for London’s hospitals.