The 2015 call for submissions into the annual Research Challenge resulted in seven of the 18 successful teams coming from the Richmond Community of Care. Mario McKenna, Research Facilitator for Richmond and Vancouver Community, is hopeful the 2016 Richmond-based submission tally will better last year’s number. Submission Deadline for the 2016 Research Challenge was Monday, Feb. 15.

Research Challenge gains momentum in Richmond

Richmond’s participation in the annual Research Challenge grows larger every year.

During the 2015 Research Challenge, the roster of winning teams from Richmond was “truly inspiring,” said Mario McKenna, research facilitator, Vancouver Community & Richmond. Last year’s call for submissions resulted in seven of the 18 successful teams coming from the Richmond Community of Care – public health, home and mental health, and clinical nutrition.

Now in its 4th year — the call for submissions into the 2016 Research Challenge closed this past Monday – McKenna hopes participation from Richmond teams is just as impressive, if not more so.

Mario McKenna, research facilitator for both the Richmond Community of Care and Vancouver Community.

Mario McKenna is the research facilitator for both the Richmond Community of Care and Vancouver Community.

“Richmond has an ever-expanding health research community in both acute and community care, and this will only service to benefit patient, clients and residents into the future,” said McKenna. We’ll see in a few weeks if the number of 2016 entries from Richmond betters the 2015 entry tally.”

And the winners receive…

Research Challenge winning teams are provided seed money, and are paired with an experienced researcher to guide them through the research process. They have one year to answer their question. At the end of the year, many of the teams present their results to colleagues, departments, or the hospital as a whole – highlighting some truly innovative ideas.

“The Research Challenge aims to help front-line staff and clinicians ask and answer their burning research questions,” said McKenna. “Improved patient care, an enhanced work environment, better use of health care resources, cost savings, and recruitment and retention of health care professions are the resulting beneficial by-products.”

According to Dr. Brenda Wagner, Richmond Research Advisory Committee co-chair, participating in the function of research has made her a better clinician.

“When you participate in research you start to understand how to understand research,” Wagner said. “And once you can interpret it correctly, you can apply it effectively to your patients.”

Richmond’s 2015 Challenge winners 

  • Natalie Choy, Meena Karsanji: Investigating the validity of the Canadian Nutrition Screening Tool (CNST) in a population of community dwelling adults receiving home care services from Richmond Home Health
  • Yvonne Kwong, Natalie Choy, Meena Karsanji, Kim Bourhill: The effects of attending language and culturally appropriate cooking classes on glycemic control, diabetes knowledge and self-management in Chinese-Canadian patients living with diabetes mellitus type two: A pilot study
  • Barbara Murphy, Lisa Halliwell, Cheryl Bodnar: Comparison of protein and energy delivery based on the novel feeding protocol versus the standard enteral feeding protocol in the Richmond Hospital ICU
  • Havi Neeman, Marcy Adler-Bock, Carla Monteleone, Kimberly Eggert, Andrea Gates, Christine Schretlen: Increasing speech sound home practice with preschoolers through the use of a problem solving tool
  • Anne Swann, Jonathan Choi, Jessica Boon, Sabrina Sandhu: Does neighborhood food environment affect food intake and body mass intake
  • Phoebe Tsang, Rosamond Chan: A pilot study of a 9-week mindful parent resilient child (MPRC) program for Mandarin speaking parents of young children with social, behavioural and emotional needs in Richmond
  • Sharon Williams, Pat AgonChen, Scholastica Au, Anne Swann: Understanding the role of the Public Health nurse in supporting Chinese mothers to exclusively breastfeed their newborns

Learn more about the Research Challenge

You can find more information at: http://www.vchri.ca/services/funding-opportunities/research-challenge