荔枝视频

Editor's note: For the most up-to-date information about the 荔枝视频's response to the spread of coronavirus, visit 

Three 荔枝视频-led research teams have received over $1.6 million in to accelerate the development, testing and implementation of countermeasures to mitigate the rapid spread of COVID-19, and its consequences on people and communities.

鈥淐anada鈥檚 researchers are some of the best in the world, and this funding will allow them to conduct groundbreaking research on a novel coronavirus,鈥� says Patty Hajdu, minister of health. 鈥淧rotecting the health and well-being of all Canadians is our top priority, and the research conducted thanks to this funding will contribute to mitigating the outbreak of COVID-19.鈥�

• Photo above: Dylan Pillai, right, will collaborate with Byron Berenger from Alberta Precision Laboratories to develop point-of-care testing for use in pandemics like COVID-19. Photo by Riley Brandt, 荔枝视频

Funding was provided to projects exploring medical, social and policy measures to address the outbreak. The research initiative highlights the need for a collaborative approach to Canada's outbreak response that includes all of our public systems.

鈥淯荔枝视频 researchers are bringing evidence-based scholarship to this public health emergency,鈥� says Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor at the 荔枝视频. 鈥淭his accelerated funding will enable them to mobilize quickly to support the safety and well-being of Canadians.鈥�

鈥淭hanks to the Government of Canada鈥檚 rapid action, 荔枝视频 researchers will be making a significant contribution to this critical body of research, with global impact,鈥� says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). 鈥淲e will apply our rigorous research approach to COVID-19, while learning how we can effectively prepare for and respond to future outbreaks.鈥�

Rapid diagnostics

Dr. Dylan Pillai, MD, PhD, will lead a team pursuing development of point-of-care testing for use in pandemics like COVID-19. They are working to create a tool that will enable health-care workers to rapidly identify the virus using portable bedside testing methods. This will allow diagnostic testing to be conducted outside of hospitals and laboratories in order to prevent further transmission and rapidly quarantine infected individuals.

Pillai is a professor in the departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, , and Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases (MIID) in the (CSM), and member of the and the .

This project is funded in part by Genome Canada through the

Assessing Alberta鈥檚 preparedness and response

A team led by Dr. Myles Leslie, PhD, will evaluate how COVID-19 preparedness and response policies are being transmitted to, and implemented in, hospitals and family doctors鈥� offices in Alberta. Through interviews with public health workers, and site visits with frontline clinicians, the team will assess how policies, protocols, and lines of communication are functioning.

This research will create a detailed description of how policies are formed, transmitted, and put into action as the outbreak develops in Alberta. Working alongside public health professionals and clinicians, the team will help identify opportunities for improving response efforts in real time, and for future public health emergencies.

Leslie is the associate director of research at , an assistant professor in the at the CSM and a member of the .

Impact of coronavirus on children and their families

Dr. David Nicholas, PhD, and his team will assess how the COVID-19 outbreak impacts health-care delivery for paediatric patients and their families. Children with pre-existing health conditions are a highly vulnerable population during an outbreak. Those being treated for an illness are at risk for a wide range of concerns including isolation, heightened anxiety around infection, fear, financial hardship for their families, reduced access to services, and challenges related to stigma, and social acceptance. This study will offer recommendations for practice, policy development and health emergency contingency planning.

Nicholas is a professor in the and a member of the O鈥橞rien Institute for Public Health at the CSM.

Educating and empowering Canadians

A fourth project led by  in Nova Scotia includes 13 U荔枝视频 faculty and staff members. This study will develop a national campaign to educate the Canadian public on coronavirus and COVID-19, and empower them to make informed health-care decisions. The team will be led by Dr. Jeanna Parsons Leigh, PhD, assistant professor at Dalhousie University and research assistant professor in the departments of and Community Health Sciences at the CSM, and a member of the O鈥橞rien Institute for Public Health. 

Information on U荔枝视频鈥檚 response to COVID-19 can be found on the Emergency Management website.

Infections, Inflammation and Chronic Diseases

The 荔枝视频 is uniquely positioned to find solutions to key global challenges. Through the research strategy for , top scientists lead multidisciplinary teams to understand and prevent the complex factors that threaten our health and economies.