Spotlight on Research
Advocating for compassionate opioid treatment in the North
The opioid crisis in Northern Ontario touches many lives and communities. Defined by high rates of opioid-related deaths, overdoses, and substance use disorders, the crisis is made worse by limited access to health care in remote and rural communities. As a researcher of Opioid Use Disorder and Opioid Agonist Treatment, Dr. Kristen Morin knows that stigma can prevent people from seeking help and treatment. For nearly 15 years, Dr. Morin has studied how people with substance use disorders utilize the health-care system and access services. She is a research scientist with the Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) and an ...
Read more about Dr. Kristen Morin's research.
Spotlight on research: NOSM University researchers work on cancer care equity
For many people living in the North, access to cancer care can be difficult to access, due to geographical hurdles. Access to clinical trials is even more limited. Drs. Stacey Santi and Lacey Pitre, medical oncology researchers at the Health Science North Research Institute (HSNRI), are working to change that. Using the Canadian Remote Access Framework for Clinical Trials (CRAFT) model, patients who live far away from Health Sciences North (HSN) can access potentially lifesaving clinical trial treatments through a hospital or clinic in their local community. The site chosen for the first trial was in Timmins. Having receive...
Read more about Drs. Santi and Pitre's research.
Huntsville, Parry Sound, and Bracebridge Local Education Groups make research possible for clinicians
It is a truth universally acknowledged that good research needs a lot of time and resources. For clinicians working full time in small communities, doing everything required for research is almost impossible. This is where Dr. Lisa Allen comes in. Dr. Allen, who holds a BSc and PhD in Biomolecular Science, is the research coordinator for the Huntsville, Bracebridge and Parry Sound Local Education Groups (LEG)—a position she has held for about 10 years. She works with a variety of clinicians including family doctors, surgeons, internists, anesthesiologists, physiatrists and more. Dr. Allen does the complex but important wor...
Read more about how LEGs make research possible for clinicians.