WE-SPARK Health Institute 2020-21 Q1 Impact Report

Year 2

Q1 Highlights

May, 2020 – July, 2020

Quarter 1 Highlights A thriving and engaged research community, driving advancements in health

Executive Committee

Year 2 – Achieving More, Together Igniting Discovery, Living Better

Nicole Sbrocca (Chair)

Windsor Regional Hospital

Terra Cadeau

Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare

Caroline Hamm

Windsor Regional Hospital

Marla Jackson

WE-SPARK was officially launched in March 2020. Despite being newly minted, the Institute has been gaining momentum for over a decade and brings together health research and healthcare strengths across our region to work toward a vision of a thriving and engaged community driving advancements in health. In our first year, we UNITED STRENGTHS across our region. The details of our progress from year 1 can be found in our Impact Report.

Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare

Heather Pratt

University of Windsor

Chad Sutherland

University of Windsor

Peter Wawrow

St. Clair College

Lisa Porter

WE-SPARK Health Institute

Karen Metcalfe

WE-SPARK Health Institute

In year two, we are focused on ACHIEVING MORE, TOGETHER. We are establishing pipelines to address pressing health issues, advancing discovery, innovation, technology and community resources. Training is at the heart of all that we do. We are promoting excellence among our health professionals and engaging and empowering our community. We are committed to providing equity, diversity, inclusivity, and support. We aim to inspire and drive change, achieve more and ignite discovery so our community lives better.

Lisa A. Porter, PhD, Executive Director Professor, University of Windsor

The WE-SPARK Team Lisa Porter, Executive Director Karen Metcalfe, Assistant Director Kyle Lago, Translational Research Associate Cathy Mombourquette, Communications and Events Coordinator Marla Rivard, Administrative Assistant

Year 2 - Q1

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2020 2021 What We Do

SNAPSHOT q u a r te r on e h i g h l i gh t s

10

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION TOOLS DEVELOPED

6655

VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENTS (SOCIAL MEDIA & WEB)

1408

229

NEWSLETTER ENGAGEMENTS

NEW MEMBERS

Q1

1

COMPETITION LAUNCHED

14

1

ADDITION TO WE-SPARK TEAM

486

EVENT ATTENDEES

EVENTS HOSTED

NOVEL TRAINING PROGRAM SUPPORTED

1

2

RESEARCHER TOOLS CREATED

Enhancing the health, well-being and care of people through transformative research and knowledge translation.

Organizational Eff ectiveness Building the effective organizational structures and systems we need to achieve our mission.

Re se a rc h E x c e l l e n ce Creating a dynamic research environment that enables, supports and promotes excellence.

Knowledge Tra n sl a t i o n Translating research information to inspire and drive change.

Bu i l d C a p acit y Enhancing understanding and building trust with the community.

Community E n g a g e m en t Securing the resources needed to achieve the WE-SPARK mission.

created by Megan pidgeon Graphic design | St.Clair College

Q1

Organizational Effectiveness Build the effective organizational structures and systems we need to achieve our mission.

Reporting

Year 2 Milestones a) Implement quarterly reporting and tracking mechanisms that leads to the yearly impact report b) Implement budget reporting system c) Facilitate a fundraising plan, including a partner MOU d) Develop MOUs between WE-SPARK partners for, communication and data sharing

Q1

a) Implement quarterly reporting and tracking mechanisms that leads to the yearly impact report The reporting timeline has been established and all meetings scheduled for Year 2 (refer to side bar). This inaugural quarterly report tracks the progress of all WE-SPARK committees on achieving the agreed upon milestones and provides a summary of goals for the next quarter. Quarterly reports will be provided to the Board of Trustees in preparation for meetings.

b) Implement budget reporting system Approved by the WE-SPARK Executive in April, 2020, the Year 2 budget can be found on page 14.

c) Facilitate a fundraising plan Discussions have been initiated with partner Foundations and Major Gifts Officers. The University of Windsor launched a campaign to support student research which led to $3,000 in donor support being routed to WE-SPARK.

Driving Organizational Effectiveness – Governance Committee Next Meeting: September (committee meets quarterly) Lisa Porter (Chair), WE-SPARK Terra Cadeau, HDGH Heather Pratt, UW

Year 2 - Q1

Nicole Sbrocca, WRH Monica Tighe, SCC Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK

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Q1

Research Excellence Create a dynamic research environment that enables, supports and promotes excellence

Year 2 Milestones a) b) c) d) e) f) g)

Host events that build collaboration, grow teams and support professional development Host WE-SPARK Grant competitions Profile and track successes of Core Members Grow membership and consult and support WE-SPARK programs Provide a central hub for research processes and system navigation Address need for a regional Research Ethics Board Provide support for external peer review

a) Host events that build collaboration, grow teams and support professional development Created, Launched and Executed COVID Conversations Series Over the course of 8 weeks beginning April 29th our WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant recipients were part of an engaging series. The 21 multi-disciplinary projects introduced their teams, shared goals, discussed barriers they were dealing with and provided insights and assistance to one another.

Driving Research Excellence – Research Development Committee Next Meeting: September 4th (committee meets every 6 weeks) Caroline Hamm (co-chair), WRH Chris Abeare, UW Jody Ralph, UW Simon Rondeau-Gagne, UW

Year 2 - Q1

Ingrid Qemo (co-chair), UW Jennifer Voth, HDGH Peter Wawrow, SCC Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK Page 5

Research Excellence b) WE-SPARK grant competitions WE-SPARK grant programs are designed to support early stage ideas and development of research (Igniting Discovery Grants) as well as research and researchers, who are close to breaking into large national funding (Incentive Grants). We also have an infrastructure grants program to continue to advance our research landscape. With dedicated WE-SPARK budget, as well as attracting partner contributions, these grants are critical for moving our research ideas forward.

In April 2020, an Igniting Discovery Rapid Response Grant call was quickly launched and 21 projects supported. The projects span across our four partner organizations and out into our local and international communities, involving hundreds of dedicated, engaged collaborators. So far, 3 of these projects have been successful in attracting additional National grant dollars

c) Profile and track successes of core members Select Core Members Successes Below is a snapshot of successes self-reported from our Core members (Principal and Associate). These successes have been shared in our members newsletter, The Spark.

9

8 PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Year 2 - Q1

5 PATIENT’S FRESH TISSUE COLLECTED

EXTERNAL GRANTS FUNDED

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Research Excellence d) Grow membership and consult and support WE-SPARK programs Since inception our membership continues to grow. Quarter one has seen an increase in membership from 146 to 229. Core membership has grown from 47 to 88 (19 Principal Core Members and 69 Core Associate members.

We have begun to formalize partnerships with WE-SPARK programs. As a highlight, WCRG prepares for the 5th biennial conference which will be hosted online in November.

e) Provide a central hub for research processes and system navigation Navigating research can be a time-consuming task at any institution. When conducting research across organizations, the complexity seems that much more overwhelming. WE-SPARK Health Institute is the central hub for health research across our partner organizations. Tools have been developed to help with grant success, research ethics boards, fresh tissue trials and applying for adjunct status. Kyle Lago, full-time WE-SPARK Translational Research Assistant works to help members navigate this space.

Noteworthy from Q1 is the creation, launch and uptake of the Research Registry, providing support for research offices at partner institutions and the initiation of meetings with WECHU to help build a research request portal.

Research Registry Created WE-SPARK Research Registry highlights local recruiting studies conducted by WE-SPARK researchers. Local researchers can submit their studies to have them listed on the WE-SPARK website.

People in the community who are interested in participating in health research can find studies they may be eligible for. In Q1, 4 studies were added to the registry.

Year 2 - Q1

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Q1

Community Engagement Enhance understanding and build trust with the community

Year 2 Milestones a) Launch an Ask the Expert series to support the health-related questions of our community b) Increase engagement on all social media platforms c) Broaden community understanding of WE-SPARK through media relations and distribution of our community newsletter d) Continue to evolve our website capabilities and reach

a) Launch an Ask the Experts series to support the health-related questions in our community Misinformation about health and research impacts the health and safety of our community. We have seen this amplified in recent months by the COVID pandemic. Ask the Experts was created to provide unbiased, fact-based, and up-to-date information to the community. The inaugural series took place in July and highlighted our Igniting Discovery Grant recipients.

b) Increase engagement on all social media platforms @wesparkhealth

Driving Community Understanding - Community Engagement Committee Next Meeting: September 2020 (committee meets every 6 weeks) Marla Jackson (Co-Chair), HDGH Dora Cavallo-Medved, UWindsor Allison Johnson, WRH

Year 2 - Q1

Chad Sutherland (Co-Chair), UWindsor Roseann Danese, SCC Cathy Mombourquette, WE-SPARK Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK

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Community Engagement c) Broaden community understanding of WE-SPARK through media relations and distribution of our community newsletter Media Releases: Demand for Masks and Scrub Caps for Healthcare Workers Outpacing Supply as COVID-19 Restrictions Loosen Creating Meaningful Research Experiences for Students Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health of Children in Windsor-Essex Virtual Events to Answer Public Questions About COVID Volunteer Organization Receives City of Windsor Donations Local Cancer Research Organization Recognizes Ambassadors of Hope

Select Featured Media Stories: In Quarter 1, WE-SPARK was part of 26 Mainstream news stories, 20 stories in partner newsletters and 3 other local/provincial coverage.

CBC: Grassroots group sews 10-thousand masks, scrub caps for Windsor-Essex health-care workers Windsor Star: University of Windsor psych project offers free counselling to hospital workers CTV: Online study to research impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Windsor-Essex children Canada.com: Student researchers brainstorm virtually on how to deal without labs Blackburn News: Separating the wheat from the chaf on COVID-19 information

Community Newsletter Distribution Schedule May 25, 2020 September 21, 2020 January 18, 2021

d) Evolve our website capabilities and reach Website Analytics WESPARKHEALTH . COM

Total Q1 Visits: 5,169 Unique Q1 Visits: 2,919 Most Visited Pages in Q1: Homepage, Speaker Series/Events, Health Research Resource Hub

Top Site Visitors

CANADA

Year 2 - Q1

USA

GERMANY

CHINA

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Knowledge Translation Translate research information to inspire and drive change

Q1

Year 2 Milestones a) b) c) d)

Develop a student research network and launch an education series to support student research Support novel training opportunities in health research Create, implement and maintain a Health Research Resource Hub Develop an online Knowledge Translation Toolkit for our research community

a) Develop a student research network and launch an education series to support student research Knowledge Translation Student Network Intern Successfully secured a $6,000 UWindsor Undergraduate Education Grant to support the hiring of a KT Student Network Intern who will: -

Collaborate with a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research team to build and pilot test a KT tool kit that will disseminate research outcomes to stakeholders.

Build upon a previous undergraduate student volunteer model to design and implement a student KT network. This network includes a mechanism for students to apply, complete training and be matched with health research projects.

b) Support novel training opportunities in health research One Year Masters in Translational Health Research • • • •

Program developed over 3 years in consultations between UWindsor and WRH Coordinator hired August 1, 2020 – Dr. Martin Crozier (first class anticipated April 2021) This program will support translational research project across our WE-SPARK membership A full-time coordinator oversees students allowing researchers to advise as time permits

Recommended Positions Currently Under Review • •

Knowledge Translation Research Associate Medical Student Research Associate

Driving Knowledge Translation – Knowledge Translation Committee Next Meeting: September 8, 2020 (committee meets every 6 weeks) Pete Wawrow (Chair), SCC Dave Andrews, UW Dora Cavallo-Medved, UW Linda DiRosa, HDGH

Year 2 - Q1

Jody Ralph, UW Indryas Woldie, WRH Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK

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Knowledge Translation c) Create, implement and maintain a Health Research Resource Hub Maintain the Health Research Resource Hub Launched at the end of year 1, the health resource hub continues to evolve. It offers statistics, research opportunities, resources for healthcare professionals, mental health supports, local and regional COVID-19 updates and workplace health and safety information. It is a one-stop-shop for researchers, healthcare providers and our community. In Q1, it was one of the most visited pages on wesparkhealth.com.

d) Develop an online knowledge translation toolkit for our research community Virtual Brainstorming Event – June 30, 2020 WE-SPARK hosted a virtual brainstorming event, Creating Meaningful Research Experiences for Students to connect health researchers with students to share ideas on how to provide students with meaningful research experiences during a pandemic.

The tools that were developed can be found at wesparkhealth.com: • Creative Ways to Advance Student Research • Ideas to Help Students Develop Soft Skills

Create, Test and Implement a Knowledge Translation Toolkit A toolkit is being developed and pilot tested to help our researchers with knowledge translation. To date, the 6 tools have been tested. The next step is to finalize and share on wesparkhealth.com • Supporting Successful Collaborations – Translating the Language • Tips for Virtual Teams • Knowledge Translation Process • Tips for Knowledge Translation Planning • Knowledge Translation Planning Checklist • Knowledge Translation Planning Worksheet

Member Newsletter Distribution Schedule June 23, 2020 December 21, 2020 August 17, 2020 February 22, 2021 October 26, 2020 April 19, 2021 Year 2 - Q1

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Q1

Build Capacity Secure the resources needed to achieve our mission

Year 2 Milestones a) b) c) d)

Launch and expand use of data sharing platforms for our researchers Facilitate joint funding plan for large infrastructure grants Coordinate infrastructure planning Initiate discussion on capital plan

a) Launch and expand use of data sharing platforms for our researchers With the number of collaborative, cross-institutional research projects growing, we recognize the need to have shared tools available to all health research stakeholders to enhance collaboration and reduce redundant systems.

WE-SPARK Health Institute, with support provided by UWindsor IT services and ORIS, has acquired REDCap software through a fully executed licensing agreement with REDCap to allow our researchers to collect and store de-identified data with each other seamlessly. It can single-handedly solve the issue of multi-site research data acquisition/sharing.

The REDCap Consortium, a vast support network of collaborators, is comprised of thousands of active institutional partners in over one hundred countries who utilize and support their own individual REDCap systems. There are over 180 institutions across Canada utilizing REDCap. Some notable Canadian institutions also using REDCap are: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Lawson Health Research Institute, University of Toronto.

b) Facilitate joint funding plan for large infrastructure grants NUCLEUS Working Group Chair, Otis Vacratsis is in the initial stages of drafting a plan.

c) Coordinate Infrastructure Planning – NUCLEUS Working Group Meets 4 times per year Otis Vacratsis (Chair), UW Anthony Bain, UW Jody Ralph, UW Kristoffer Romero, UW

Year 2 - Q1

Krista Naccarato, WRH Linda MacDougall, SCC Pete Wawrow, SCC Kyle Lago, WE-SPARK

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Looking Forward Igniting Discovery, Achieving More, Living Better

Reporting Timeline

Q2

Below are a few action items you can expect to see in Q2.

Organizational Effectiveness • •

Develop MOUs between WE-SPARK partners for, communication and data sharing Facilitate a fundraising plan, including a partner MOU

Research Excellence

Q2

• • • • •

Consult with, support and grow WE-SPARK programs Create an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group Provide support for peer review Review and adjudicate Igniting Discovery Grants Provide on-site support to partners to improve research system navigation

Knowledge Translation • • • • •

Develop and launch a KT model, including a toolkit Move forward key deliverables with Student Network Intern Work with Translational Masters program coordinator Work with partners to approve hiring of proposed Research Associates Expand Health Research Resource Hub

Community Engagement • • •

Distribute the Community Connector Newsletter (Sept. 21) Expand the Ask the Experts series Initiate MOU for communications

Build Capacity • • • •

Coordinate infrastructure planning and grow NUCLEUS Support researchers in call for infrastructure grants Pilot REDCap and create training workshops for researchers Initiate MOU for fundraising

ACHIEVE MORE Year 2 - Q1

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Appendix: Year 2 Budget May 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021 ADMINISTRATION Salaries • Research Director Stipend/Teaching Release • Assistant Director Salary • Translational Research Associate • Comms & Events Coordinator – PT • Administrative Assistant - Full Time • Nucleus manager + Medical Student Research Coordinator + Knowledge Translation Research Coordinator + Knowledge Translation Internship (partial grant) Discretionary (exec meetings, office equipment, printing, etc) Marketing & Website (including dissemination) Research Education & Outreach - Cross Institution Education Program Development Infrastructure and Operating Grant Supports (Year 2) WE-Spark Grant Competitions TOTAL Operating Revenue (Partner Contributions) University of Windsor Windsor Regional Hospital Hotel-Dieu Grace St Clair TOTAL

Year 2 - Q1

Proposed 2020-2021 BUDGET $320,000

$25,000 $30,000 $10,000 $15,000 $100,000 $500,000

$200,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $500,000

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