Our research priorities

The Office of Innovation and Research focuses on participating in applied research that improves the way we deliver patient care at GRH.   

Our research priorities are: Cancer, Chronic Disease Management, Ageing Well, Care of Older Adults, Innovation in Healthcare, Patient and Family Experience with Care

GRH 2019 – 2024 Innovation and Research Priorities

Cancer will continue to focus on the continued participation in clinical drug trials to contribute to the body of evidence required for Health Canada approval (and other regulatory bodies) commercial availability. Enrolment of patients with cancer in clinical drug trials dually allows patients to participate in contributing to the body of evidence but to also potentially receive access to otherwise unavailable experimental cancer treatments. 

Education is a significant factor in prevention and minimizing the impacts of cancer achieved through preventive measures, screening, earlier detection, among other strategies. 

GRH will further probe and investigate the potential for nanotechnology and quantum physics in cancer care; specific to quantum physics, the interactions on the quantum scale of cancerous and health cells, and how quantum physics could be utilized to improve the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.  The former will have progress measured in the time frame of multiple years and the latter, progress measured in the time frame of decades.  

Chronic disease management will focus on renal disease and mental health and addictions, investigating and innovating, together with patients and their families, for today’s health and health care challenges as they live with chronic disease.  With its partners, GRH will seek to discover better diagnostic tools, prevention strategies, treatment solutions, access to care improvements, and more. 

Ageing well  will focus on healthy living, social connections, and ageing in the right place for patients, their families and caregivers.  This priority draws attention to the need for investigation and solution finding for patients as they transition out from the hospital back to their residential living location and the ongoing management of their health. 

Care of the older adult addresses management of diseases and disorders associated with aging including (but not limited to) frailty, cognitive impairment, falls prevention, and stroke.  The often identified demographic change with the growing proportion of people who are 65 years and older in our population is a pressing matter.  GRH will participate in innovation and research that will make health and health care systems responsive to the specialized needs of older adults. 

Innovation in health care  is a major growth area for GRH covering a broad range including  (but not limited to) medtech, process and systems, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and quantum physics. “Health research plays an important role in feeding the innovation pipeline with the very best ideas, from discovery to application.”[1]  GRH will work closely with our partners who are world-renown scientists, innovators, and business leaders to encourage creativity and entrepreneurial activity to improve care and services to patients and to make a contribution to the broader health care sector. 

Patient and family experience with care is of paramount importance to the creation of effective health-giving and health care delivery solutions.  We will learning from and with patients, their family, and caregivers to achieve greater and more effective inclusiveness in the care process, problem identification, solution finding, and validation and testing of solutions are focal areas that run through priorities I – V above.  The voice of patients, their family, and caregivers with the lived experience must inform the identification of solutions that will be responsive to their needs. 

[1] Canadian Institute of Health Research