CHS Student Seminar 2011 - 2012

March 2011 Updated Schedule

2011-03-15T09:10:00.001-07:00

February 26th Updated Schedule

2011-02-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

Please note we are in the process of arranging a date for Dr. Deborah Marshall to come and speak about Literature Reviews. Stay tuned.

Seminar Update February 2011

2011-01-28T10:37:00.001-08:00

Please see the updated Student Seminar Schedule. Please note, we are in the process of setting up a seminar date with Dr. Marilynne Hebert.

January 2011 Updated Seminar Schedule

2011-01-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Please see the most recently updated Student Seminar Schedule. Please note that we may be adding in extra days as needed.

Thanks!

Jane and Alex

Supplemental Meeting Tuesday November 23rd

2010-11-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Dr. Doig will be presenting on "The Future of CHS" Tuesday November 23rd at 11:30 am to 12:20pm in room HS 1405A

There will be Coffee, Juice and Pastries to enjoy during Dr. Doig's presentation.

Please try your best to attend. Hope to see you all there.

Jane and Alex

Student Seminar Schedule - Updated November 16 2010

2010-11-16T13:33:00.000-08:00

Please see recently updated CHS Student Seminar schedule above.

Karen Leung - Apr 16th

2010-04-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Developing an expectations questionnaire for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias: Phase I qualitative exploration

Background: Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive declines in cognition and functioning. Caregivers often bear much of the responsibility for providing daily care and seeking services on the patient’s behalf. Thus, understanding their preferences and expectations of the treatment and prognosis is necessary. However, few studies have examined caregivers’ subjective beliefs regarding the probable disease progression, or the types and intensity of care they anticipate will be needed by the patient and themselves.

Methods: Using a purposive sampling approach, seventeen caregivers were recruited through snowballing, the Alzheimer’s Society and Seniors Health, and participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences and expectations of the disease progression and dementia care. Ten health professionals (5 physicians, 5 allied clinicians) have also been recruited and will be interviewed about their perceptions of the expectations and anticipated needs of caregivers. An analytic inductive approach to the analysis was adopted.

Findings & Discussion: Caregiver expectations were often tied to dementia-related transitions such as confronting driving cessation, accepting Home Care, and relocating to residential care. Regarding medical care, caregivers expected a thorough and accurate assessment of the patient’s cognition and functioning, but they believed this is challenging due to symptom fluctuations and time constraints on health professionals. Moreover, many caregivers did not expect to receive psychosocial support for stress from their family physicians, although this is recommended in the consensus guidelines for dementia. Expectations are often shaped by the participants’ experiences, knowledge of the disease trajectory, and awareness of services.

Rose Geransar & Amy Johnston - Apr 9th

2010-04-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Rose Geransar, Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary

“Triangulation”, “theoretical saturation” and other conceptual blunders in qualitative research: Explored through the example of a collective case study

The qualitative research literature on methodology is riddled with terminologies that are metaphors from the natural and mathematical sciences, used to convey concepts of scientific “rigour” analogous to those employed in the natural sciences. An example of this is the concept of “theoretical saturation”, typically meant to indicate the cessation point for data collection by qualitative researchers. Another concept, “data triangulation”, is the reliance on multiple sources of evidence to ensure that data “converge” to “corroborate the same fact or phenomenon” (e.g. Yin, 2003). Yet another is the idea of “bracketing” one’s own biases as a researcher involved in the qualitative research process.

Drawing upon my own experience of engaging in qualitative case study as well as basic philosophy of social science, I will argue that these terminologies are based on conceptual mistakes. As such, they lead to confused understandings of qualitative research. They threaten to undermine the interpretive tradition of qualitative research and can be misleading insofar as they are employed uncritically.

I will briefly describe an example of a collective case study of cord blood banks used to explore the meaning and significance of consent from the perspective of parents who donated cord blood for therapy and/or research. My analysis focuses on the ways in which the meaning of consent from the perspective of participants diverges from the classical ways in which consent is conceptualized and justified in bioethics and the legal context. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews are used to draw insight from donors’ perspectives. On-site cord blood bank tours and document analysis, and informal interviews with key informants are also used to shed insight on the consent process. The theoretical framework proposed by bioethicists O’Neill and Manson is used to analyze data, centered on the concept of consent as a limited waiver based on intelligent placement of trust on part of donors. This work is part of my Ph.D. dissertation and is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Amy Johnston

Introduction: The culturally-rooted understanding of health held by many Aboriginal populations extends beyond the dimension of physical health. Health by definition is holistic; an interconnected relationship with nature, society, community, and family. This perception is misaligned with the biomedical model of health, generating a need to assess the cultural impact of existing services. Programming that does not align with Aboriginal health beliefs may have low uptake and limited effectiveness. Although social and health inequalities among Aboriginal children are well-documented, little research has focused on improving these inequalities. Further, there has been limited assessment of the cultural impact of the research.

Research Question: What current programs or practices represent promising practices in improving outcomes for child health and well-being in Aboriginal populations?

Methods: A synthesis review of recent peer-reviewed literature was completed through a systematic search of published literature and critical appraisal of actionable programs or practices for methodological rigour, cultural alignment, and cultural sensitivity. Twenty two factors were used to assess cultural impact including service delivery, capacity building, and cultural understanding. The Sioux Lookout First Nations Medicine Wheel, a symbol of the holistic health model, was used to provide a culturally grounded conceptual framework in which to better understand programming from an Aboriginal perspective

Results: The majority of the 21 programs or activities reviewed addressed contextual and environmental contributors to health. Nine promising practices that improved the health or well-being of Aboriginal children were identified. Improved health outcomes included: healthier lifestyles, better oral health, and increased literacy. Eight of these practices were also culturally sensitive and aligned. Four emerging issues to further improve the well-being of Aboriginal children were also identified, including the use of telehealth services and divergent understandings of health risk. A further issue raised was a potentially divergent understanding of parenting as a shared responsibility with extended family and community, and its importance in planning. In this capacity, programs and interventions aimed at improving family and community health are understood to also promote child health.

Conclusion: Enhancing cultural sensitivity and alignment in adopting promising practices may generate momentum to create sustained improvements in Aboriginal children’s health.

Dr. Marja Verhoef -Mar 26th

2010-03-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Publication Based Thesis: An Option?

Writing a PhD thesis based on publications has increasingly has become an option in Canada as well as abroad. However, this option is often poorly described and the criteria differ widely. In order to make a choice it is important to have a good sense of what it involves and what the advantages and disadvantages are. This issue is equally important for (potential) supervisors and committee members to ensure an effective process.

The objectives are:

To get a better sense of what is involved in writing a publication based thesis;
To be aware of the challenges; a
To facilitate making a choice for students and their supervisory committees.

Manuscript Examples :

Geerte van de Pol: The influence of psychological factors on pregnancy related pelvic symptoms (2006)
Johanna Hök: Use of complementary and alternative medicine in the context of cancer (2009)

Mixture -Mar 19th

2010-03-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

The schedule for this Friday is a bit of a mixture of things. Here is the planned agenda:

Surprise cake and coffee for Sabrina Anderson 12:45-1:15

Dr. Ardene Vollman – Writing Skills – What do you need? 1:15-1:45

Dr. Marilynne Hebert – Results of Student Survey; What areas should we work on? 1:45-2:00

Jenine Leal -Mar 5th

2010-03-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

Development (and Validation) of a Novel Electronic Surveillance System for Monitoring of Bloodstream Infections

Objective: Electronic surveillance systems (ESS) that utilize existing information in databases are more efficient than conventional infection surveillance methods. We developed an ESS for bloodstream infections (BSI) and assessed its agreement with traditional manual chart review.

Methods: An ESS was developed by linking data from regional laboratory and hospital administrative databases. Definitions for excluding contaminants and duplicative episodes were developed and applied. Infections were classified as nosocomial (NI), healthcare-associated community onset (HCA), or community acquired (CA). A random sample was then compared with independent chart review.

Results: Among the 306 patients selected for comparative review, ESS identified 323 episodes of BSI of which 107 (33%) were HCA, 108 (33%) were CA, 107 (33%) were NI and 1 failed to be classified. In comparison, chart review identified 310 episodes of which 116 (37%) were HCA, 95 (31%) were CA, and 99 (32%) were classified as NI. True episodes of BSI were concordant by ESS and chart review in 302 cases. Of the 21 discordant cases further identified by ESS, 17 (81%) were classified as contaminants by chart review. Of the 8 discordant cases further identified by chart review, most were due to classification as repeat or poly-microbial episodes of disease. There was an overall 85% agreement between ESS and chart review (kappa=0.78, standard error 0.04) for classification as to location of acquisition.

Conclusion: Our novel ESS identifies and classifies BSI with a high degree of accuracy. This system requires validation in other cohorts and settings.

Rhonda Fur- Feb 26th

2010-02-23T17:49:00.001-08:00

Title: The Use of Social Network Analysis to Quantify the Importance of Social Venues in an Infectious Syphilis Outbreak in Calgary, Alberta: A pilot study

Objective: Places where people meet sex partners may play an important role in the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. The primary research objective of this network survey study was to explore the use of social network analysis as an epidemiological tool to determine the relative importance of venues where people meet sex partners to the transmission of infectious syphilis.

Methods: During routine public health measures of infectious disease control, cases and named contacts of infectious syphilis, aged 18-75 years were identified and enrolled at an Alberta Sexually Transmitted Disease clinic, between April-August, 2009. In addition to standard contact tracing information, participants were asked to list all venues attended in the last six months where sexual partnering occurred. Sexual affiliation networks were constructed by linking individuals to sex partner meeting venues. Graph-theoretic algebraic calculations of network position and permutation statistical methods were used to determine what type of venue connected the most individuals infected with syphilis.

Results: A total of 154 network members comprised of 46 cases of infectious syphilis and 108 named sexual contacts were identified in the sexual affiliation networks. A densely connected network of 94 gay men linked together by 21 venues was identified. In this sexual affiliation network, Internet venues had significantly higher degree centrality than non-internet venues (p<0.05). The three most central Internet venues, connected two thirds of all infectious syphilis cases in the network.

Conclusion: Network analysis identified key venues that connected individuals who were infected with syphilis. These venues could provide public health officials with an epidemiologic target for prevention and intervention strategies to prevent further dissemination of disease.

Ghazwan Altabbaa - Feb 12th

2010-02-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

None provided

Geeta Modgill - Feb 5th

2010-02-01T14:05:00.001-08:00

"Migraine Increases Risk of Major Depressive Episodes: Results from a 12-year Canadian National Population Health Survey."

Stephen Duckett - Jan 29th

2010-01-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

This week during seminar, students are invited to sit down with the CEO of Alberta Health Services, Stephen Duckett. This event will be taking place in the new TRW building, room 3D42. Topics and questions for discussion should be forwarded to Jenine Leal prior to seminar. Food and Drinks will be provided. Please RSVP if you are planning to attend.

Research Integrity Day - Jan 22nd

2010-01-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY – SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY DAY

Friday, January 23, 2009 - Theatre One

12:30 – 4:30 pm

A G E N D A

12:00-12:30     Registration
                              Outside Theatre One
1:00 – 1:45    Welcome/Introduction/Why this day?
                              Dr. Glenys Godlovitch
                              Clara Christie Theatre
1:45 – 2:30    Overview of Ethics
                              Dr. Glenys Godlovitch
                              Cases 1, 2, 3 and 4   - Full Group Discussion

                              Questions and Comments

2:30 – 2:45    Break
2:45 – 4:00    Cases 5, 6 and 7 – Full Group Discussion
4:00 – 4:15    Full Group Discussion and Debriefing
4:15 – 4:30    Conclusion of Session

Cheryl Barnabe - Jan 15th

2010-01-05T21:16:00.001-08:00

Assessment of Bony Damage Using High Resolution Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (HR-pQCT) in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Presenter: Cheryl Barnabe, MD FRCPC

Advanced imaging techniques enable detailed assessment of joint anatomy and damage in inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and may assist in determining which patients benefit from an aggressive treatment approach. This thesis project investigates high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) in a ‘proof of concept’ pilot study in RA using age and sex-matched cases and controls. First, we determined that HR-pQCT is feasible for use in the clinical setting and provides adequate visualization of bony damage. HR-pQCT images will be analyzed quantitatively, with determination of joint space width, erosion quantity and location, and periarticular bone density. Finally, results obtained from HR-pQCT analysis will be compared to those obtained from plain x-ray. Additional diagnostic and prognostic information from HR-pQCT may ultimately guide disease modifying therapy in RA, with the goal of yielding superior patient outcomes while minimizing side effects of treatment.

Stephen Wilton - December 11th

2009-12-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

Non-pharmacological therapies for patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation: rationale for and design of a randomized clinical trial.

1. Review the pathophysiology and epidemiology of two important chronic cardiovascular diseases: heart failure and atrial fibrillation
2. Describe Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy for heart failure, and report outcomes of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in patients with versus without atrial fibrillation in a local cohort.
4. Describe curative catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, and its potential application in patients with heart failure, supported by a systematic review and meta-analysis.
5. Introduce and describe a randomized clinical trial assessing benefit of curative catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure undergoing Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.

Val Kiss - December 4th

2009-11-30T08:56:00.001-08:00

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HEALTH SERVICES UTILIZATION BY REFUGEES IN CALGARY

Research regarding refugee health and access to health services in Canada is limited, despite evidence indicating that their health may be worse than the general population. The objective of this study is to compare the use of physician, hospital and emergency department services by refugees in Calgary to the general population. This will provide novel information on the similarities and differences in health service use between refugees and the general population in Calgary - an important first step in determining whether refugees have equitable access to health care, informing health program planning for refugees, and ensuring that they are supported in achieving optimal health.

A retrospective follow-up study will be conducted using patient chart information on refugees collected from the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic and routinely collected administrative data from Alberta Health and Wellness. Refugees residing in Calgary with an active Alberta Health Care number, along with a randomly selected matched control group from the Provincial Health Insurance Registry, will be linked to physician claims, emergency department services and inpatient hospitalization databases. Both groups will be followed up for a two-year period – from April 1^st, 2007 to March 31^st, 2009 – and rates of health services use will be evaluated to determine if any differences exist.

The primary outcome of this study is health care utilization. 3374 refugee patients have been collected over about a five-year period. We hypothesize that physician and hospital services will be utilized to a lesser extent by refugees than the general population; however, that emergency department services will be utilized more by refugees than the general population. Independent variables that constitute the major determinants of utilization rates will also be analyzed. These include: age, gender, socioeconomic status, immigration category, world region and years in Canada.

Mohammed Y Al-Hindi -November 27

2009-11-24T08:31:00.001-08:00

Title: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants with Retinopathy of Prematurity

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative disorder of the eye affecting premature infants. There are few studies that directly assessed the association of ROP with neurodevelopmental outcome and those identified had variable results.

Objective: To examine the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants <29 weeks gestation or with birth weight <1251 g who developed severe forms of ROP.

Design/Methods: Retrospective cohort study with prospective neurodevelopmental follow up at 36 months corrected age. It included all infants admitted to NICU at Calgary Health Region, Alberta, Canada, between 1996 and 2004. Infants who had congenital abnormalities or who died were excluded. All infants had ophthalmic screening examinations as per the Canadian Screening Guidelines for ROP by Pediatric Ophthalmologists. The severity of ROP was recorded according to the International Classification ROP. Infants were included in the Perinatal Follow up clinics that involved longitudinal multidisciplinary assessments including Ophthalmologic examinations. The primary outcome was the rate of severe neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) defined as presence of one or more of the following: severe cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness or cognitive delay> 2 SD on the WPPSI.

Results: Initially, 1065 infants were identified. There were 311 infants who were missing or did not have 36 month assessment. Of the remaining 745 infants, 50% infants had no ROP, 32% had mild ROP (stage III, plus or zone I disease). Maternal variables differed only in that the percentage of Caucasian and who received antenatal steroids were significantly lower in the severe ROP group. Infant's morbidities were significantly increased in the severe ROP group. These included lower gestation and birth weights, increased prevalence of severe brain injury, patent ductus arteriosus, necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Infants with no ROP and mild ROP were compared with infants with severe ROP. The risk of developing severe NDI in the severe ROP group was 31%, while it was 9.2% in no/mild ROP group, risk ratio 3.4 (95% CI 2.32 - 4.98, p <0.001). Blindness was not a major contributor to severe NDI as it was rare. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, only severe brain injury and severe ROP were independent risk factors for severe NDI.

Conclusions: Severe ROP and severe brain injury are major determinants of severe NDI.

Adam Thomas - November 6th

2009-11-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

TITLE: Health Promotion @ The Animal-Human Interface: Exploring Cultural Perceptions of Human and Animal Health Amongst the Maasai of Northern Tanzania, East Africa

INTRODUCTION: This project sought to explore how the Maasai perceive the link between their own health and the health of their animals using brucellosis as a zoonotic exemplar.

METHODS: All participants were sampled by either chain-referral or purposive sampling approaches. Participant observation was combined with 3 types of interviews: focus group interviews (n=70), key informant interviews with local human and animal healthcare personnel (n=9), and individual interviews with patients confirmed to have brucellosis (n=4).

RESULTS & Discussion: Maasai participants did not identify brucellosis as a priority disease nor did they identify brucellosis as disease affecting animals (data from focus group, key stakeholder and individual patient interviews). Conversely, local healthcare staff and government representatives listed brucellosis as a priority disease for both animals and humans. Varying descriptions of causality and initial use of traditional medicine were also found. These findings could have serious implications for future intervention design and implementation within this population.

CONCLUSIONS: The Maasai of Ngorongoro do not perceive their animals as a potential reservoir for brucellosis. This could be due to the differing clinical presentation and symptom profile in humans versus animals. This work may provide some explanation for why previous education based interventions have failed within Maasailand for zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis. More work in this area is required for future intervention design and implementation.

___________________________________

Adam Thomas recently completed the Bachelor of Health Science's Health & Society stream, with a concentration in Anthropology. Currently, he is enrolled in the Leaders of Medicine program here at the University of Calgary, taking a MSc in population & public health. Under the supervision of Dr. Melanie Rock and Dr. Jennifer Hatfield, Adam’s project is a component of a larger multi-institutional research program currently underway in Tanzania.

Adam has been awarded a 2009 Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship and the Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada.

Research Interests: HIV/AIDS, prevention research, zoonotic disease, global health, health promotion, complex interventions, community-based intervention design and evaluation.

Heather Rowe - October 30th

2009-10-27T22:19:00.001-07:00

EXPLORING SOCIAL SUPPORT IN YOUNG-OLD COMMUNITY-DWELLING SENIOR VOLUNTEERS

This study explores volunteerism as a health promotion activity for seniors aged 65-74 and how it affects their perceptions of social support. Positive impacts on senior volunteers have been shown, including increases in health and well-being. While there is evidence of improved health outcomes associated with volunteering, further qualitative research is needed to understand the relationship between volunteering and social support, and to further realize the contributions of social support as a determinant of health.

This study uses an instrumental collective case study design, and appropriate sampling, recruitment, data collection and data analysis strategies will be discussed. Recruitment and interviews are conducted through the Kerby Centre, a senior centre in Calgary.

This research, supported by CIHR, will provide critical feedback on the role of volunteerism on social support, as part of a population health promotion approach for seniors aged 65-74.

Heather Rowe is a Master’s student in the Public/Population Health Specialization. Her supervisor is Dr. Lynn Meadows.

Emmanuel Ngwakongnwi -October 16th

2009-10-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

Wellbeing and Health Services Utilization among Francophone Immigrants and Non-Immigrants Residing in Calgary

Introduction: Immigrants choose

Canada

for various reasons including economic, fleeing persecution, etc. Education, work experience, and knowledge of official languages is key to being selected. French speaking immigrants with little or no knowledge of English may come with expectations of being able to function and integrate well into the Canadian society irrespective of where they live. In addition, there are expectations to fulfill promises of a better living in

Canada

. No studies have examined the well-being of immigrants with respect to these expectations. The objective of our study was to qualitatively describe the experience of well-being and health services utilization among Francophone immigrants compared to non-immigrants.

Methods: Descriptive qualitative design was adopted. We used purposive and criterion sampling to recruit participants. Participants included resident Francophones, 18 years or older, who used health services within the last 12 months. In depth interviews were audio-recorded, interpreted and transcribed directly into English text. Analysis involved line by line coding, memoing, developing categories and identifying emerging themes.

Results: A total of 26 interviews were conducted. This included 16 (61.5%) immigrants and 10 (38.5%) non-immigrants. Age range of participants was 26 – 86 years old. Our participants described well-being as having a good education, eating well, having a balanced life, being able to interact with family, being active. Integration, fulfilling primary needs, weather was uniquely identified by immigrants as factors that influence their well-being. Three themes emerged as the main elements of well-being: health, access to care, and language; and influenced the health of participants in various ways: lack of physical exam, lack of healthcare in French, potential for medical errors.

Conclusion: There are similarities and differences between Francophone immigrants and non-immigrants in their perception of well-being and health service utilization. Immigrants emphasize integration, meeting primary needs in their description of well-being. The difficulties in access to healthcare services identified by immigrants are not different with other immigrants.

Welcome !

2009-09-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

This website is designed to coordinate the seminar series for the graduate students of the Department of Community Health Sciences. At the top of the page is the current month's schedule. Down the right hand side of the page is the upcoming months schedules. If you would like to change/add your presentation day you need to e-mail Leah (ljricket@ucalgary.ca) & Kat (kmlinton@ucalgary.ca). (Students who are presenting in the Winter semester should expect to be doubled-up, 20 min ea.)

Ten days prior to your date (i.e. the Wednesday before) you must send your presentation, topic and bio to the coordinators. This will be posted (here) on the website for all the students to view. Any additional important notes will also appear here (alike the announcement section in blackboard).

There will no longer be weekly e-mails sent out to all the students as this dynamic website is accessible to all. Please check it often as the schedule is still changing. We are also working on a way to record attendance (as it is mandatory), if anyone has an idea please let us know. (You can leave a comment by clicking on the comment button below). All students must present at a CHS-SS before graduation (students planning on graduating this academic year will have priority).

Thanks for your participation ! See you Friday-
Kat & Leah