Year 4 - Reaching New Heights - Q4 Fixed

Year 4 – Reaching New Heights

Q4 Highlights

February 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023

Quarter 4 Highlights A thriving and engaged research community, driving advancements in health

Executive Committee Peter Wawrow (in-coming Chair)

St. Clair College

Jonathan Foster

Windsor Regional Hospital

Caroline Hamm

Windsor Regional Hospital

Alison Murray

Year 4 – Reaching New Heights Igniting Discovery, Living Better In our first three years we established a strong common vision, united our strengths and accelerated our research activities. We continued to expand and build efficiencies within our health research ecosystem, made diversity and inclusion a priority and supported researchers at all stages of their career.

We ended our year by hosting a celebratory event that focused on the impact of health research and what can be accomplished when we focus on succeeding together. The details can be found in our Year 3 Impact Report.

Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare

Heather Pratt

University of Windsor

Neelu Sehgal

Erie Shores HealthCare

Chad Sutherland

University of Windsor

Jennifer Voth

Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare

Lisa Porter

WE-SPARK Health Institute

Karen Metcalfe

WE-SPARK Health Institute

In Year 4, we are focused on continuing to support the people that drive health research in our community and accelerate research to become successful funded projects. We are focused on growing health innovation and critical infrastructure, creating an environment that is attractive to the brightest minds and demonstrating the importance of health research for the economic development of our region. We aim to ignite discovery, reach new heights and live better.

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

The WE-SPARK Team Lisa Porter, Executive Director Karen Metcalfe, Assistant Director Kyle Lago, Translational Research Associate Ryan Palazzolo, Student Network Coordinator

Year 4 – Q4

Cathy Mombourquette, Special Projects-Media Relations Niklas Pizzolitto, Administrative Assistant

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Q4

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

Reporting

Year 4 Milestones a) Continue quarterly reporting and tracking that leads to the yearly impact report b) Monitor and adapt budget reporting c) Implement a fundraising plan d) Develop MOUs between WE-SPARK institutions, as needed e) Review current terms, policies and reporting mechanisms to identify and respond to changing needs f) Implement the next strategic planning cycle

HIGHLIGHTS a) Continue quarterly reporting and tracking that leads to the yearly impact report All committees reviewed, revised and finalized the Year 5 Milestones that will guide WE-SPARK action items from May 1, 2023 to April 31, 2024.

Year 5

f) Implement the next strategic planning cycle The formal bidding process and adjudication of applications was complete. All partners were included on the selection panel and chose Stiletto as the successful company.

The consultants will be engaging stakeholders over the next few months with the Executive Committee planning session set for June 19th. Please look out for opportunities to provide input.

Driving Organizational Effectiveness – Governance Committee Next Meeting: July 13, 2023 (committee meets quarterly) Lisa Porter (Chair), WE-SPARK Alison Murray, HDGH Heather Pratt, UW

Year 4 – Q4

Nicole Sbrocca, WRH Neelu Sehgal, ESHC Monica Staley Liang, SCC Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK Page 4

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

Year 4 Milestones a) Host events that build collaboration, grow teams and support professional development that moves local research excellence forward b) Continue to host the WE-SPARK Grant competitions to support local researchers to elevate grant success at the national level c) Profile and track successes of Core Members to elevate the academic profile of Windsor-Essex d) Provide opportunities for research mentorship e) Consult and grow WE-SPARK programs f) Provide a central hub for research processes and system navigation g) Monitor the progress toward a regional Research Ethics Board (REB) h) Provide support for external peer review i) Initiate and continue to evolve the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) action plan j) Bring together local experts to develop position papers that advocate for change

HIGHLIGHTS a) Host events that build collaboration, grow teams and support professional development that moves local research excellence forward Hosted 3 In-Person Events and 5 Virtual In Q4 we hosted 3 WE-SPARK After Dark events including a Don’t be Fooled Trivia night on April 6th. Windsor Regional Hospital continued Virtual Grand Rounds with 1 presenter each month. We kicked off our 2023 Think Tank series, allowing people to make connections, present research ideas and mobilize next steps. Six researchers presented their ideas with the April Think Tank focused on public health. A summary of outcomes can be found on the Think Tank landing page. Our next session will be on June 23rd, is open to anyone who is interested and requires registration.

Driving Research Excellence – Research Development Committee Next Meeting: May 26, 2023 (committee meets every 6 weeks) Caroline Hamm (co-chair), WRH Chris Abeare, UW Jessica Bennett, WRH Kyle Jackson, SCC

Year 4 – Q4

Balraj Jhawar, WRH DJ MacNeil, HDGH Jody Ralph, UW Simon Rondeau-Gagne, UW Ingrid Qemo, UW

Jennifer Voth (co-chair), HDGH Peter Wawrow, SCC Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK

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Research Excellence Think Tank Success

Q4

Think Tanks include a spotlight on past presenters and how their projects have progressed. Since presenting and 2019 and 2021, Dr. Rahim and Dr. Kichler have secured grant funding, presented and published findings, added new collaborators to project teams and created a peer support network.

b) Continue to host the WE-SPARK grant competitions to support local researchers to elevate grant success at the national level The 2023 grant competition was launched in February with over 30 Letters of Intent received. Full applications are due on May 5, adjudication will take place on June 6th and 7th and awards will be announced in July.

New this year, Dr. Ingrid Qemo, Health Research Coordinator, Office of Research and Innovation, University of Windsor offered a WE-SPARK Grant Writing Workshop to guide applicants through each section of the Igniting Discovery Grant application and provide tips for success. Time was set aside to answer questions and provide one-on-one consultation. Over 20 people participated.

f) Provide a central hub for research processes and system navigation There are now 104 active app accounts, 110+ messages in WE-SPARK central and a Daily digest sent to users every Monday to update on missed posts. @mentions and reaction buttons are now available to encourage interaction. As our research network grows, this app will be critical to staying engaged and connected. Be sure to sign up now! Not sure how you could use it, see it in action by checking out the promo video.

Year 4 – Q4

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Research Excellence c) Profile and track successes of Core Members to elevate the academic profile of Windsor-Essex We continue to add new members to our research ecosystem, surpassing 1,000! We now have 1,078 members.

Highlighting Member Profiles, Projects and Successes Our research activities are driven by our Principal and Core Associate Members who are actively engaged in research on a daily basis. Members profiles, projects and successes continue to be shared on social media, newsletters and added to the WE-SPARK website.

Members are asked to submit research activities and successes for the bi-monthly newsletter. They are distributed to our research community and archived on our website. The newsletter for Q4 highlighted:

• • •

Over $1 Million in new funding 15 publications 5 awards

Local physicians and healthcare providers need academic appointments to build their research programs.

In Q3, WE-SPARK facilitated 6 Adjunct Appointments in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Windsor for the following members: Clinical Assistant Professor Appointments: Dr. Jennifer Voth, Dr. Larry Jacobs, Dr. Reema Ray, Dr. Kiran Tatlay and Dr. Ross Lepera. Professor of Practice Appointment: Christine Wellington, R.D., MS., BSc..

Publishing Dates June, 2022 December, 2022 August, 2022 February, 2023 October, 2022 April, 2023

f) Provide a central hub for research processes and system navigation Fresh tissue trials continue to move forward with patient tissue collected at WRH transported to research labs at UWindsor. In Q4, 20 patient blood samples were included as part of the collection process. WE-SPARK’s Translational Research Associate, Kyle Lago is coordinating and documenting study processes in preparation for expansion.

Year 4– Q4

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Community Engagement Enhance understanding and build trust with the community

Q4

Year 4 Milestones a) b) c) d)

Create workshops, series and/or events that engage the community and build the profile of WE-SPARK Showcase research facilities and projects happening in the community Maintain social media engagement while continuing to refine messaging to target audiences Broaden community understanding of WE-SPARK through media relations, our community newsletter and speaking engagements, locally, regionally and provincially e) Continue to evolve our website capabilities and reach f) Implement the WE-SPARK Engage program to invite the community to join our research efforts

HIGHLIGHTS a) Create workshops, series and/or events that engage the community and build the profile of WE-SPARK On April 20th, over 125 people came together for our annual fundraiser, Cheers to Hope. Thanks to our generous supporters, we have raised $275K for the WESPARK grants program, just shy of our $300K goal. For more information on the grant sponsors, the research projects featured at the event, grant metrics, and how to donate, visit our website.

e) Continue to evolve our website capabilities and reach WESPARKHEALTH . COM

Total Q4 Unique Visits

Most Visited Pages in Q4

Driving Community Understanding - Community Engagement Committee Next Meeting: May 10, 2023 (committee meets quarterly) Dora Cavallo-Medved, UW Stephanie DeFranceschi, SCC Allison Johnson, WRH Year 4 – Q4

Chad Sutherland (Chair), UW Maciah Telfer, HDGH Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK Page 8

Community Engagement c) Maintain social media presence and engagements, while continuing to refine messaging to target audiences

@wesparkhealth continued to engage the community on all social media platforms during Q4. Our social media intern, Waffa Bakheet did an amazing job at adding new content, videos and formats, taking the advice of the Community Engagement Committee and adding the faces of research to more posts. The Cheers to Hope thank you video was a definite highlight! Here are a few sample posts:

d) Broaden community understanding of WE-SPARK through media relations and community engagements locally, provincially and nationally Select Featured Media Stories In Q3, WE-SPARK was part of 22 local mainstream news stories, 53 stories in partner newsletters/communications and 13 in national/other media. Sample stories: CBC News: UWindsor scientists get $750K toward potentially lifesaving fatty liver research NGBIgIdeas: Dr. Porter shares her perspective on the growing life sciences sector in Windsor Essex. As Dr. Porter points out, if you're part of Canada's life sciences sector and you do not have Windsor on your radar, you should.

CTV News: ‘Without research hope is just a word’: WE-SPARK to host fundraiser Thursday HRI Portal: Research study seeking to reframe experiences of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Research Canada: Researchers working to learn from COVID pandemic and prepare for emerging global pathogens Research Canada: Regional health institute marks three-year milestone as one-of-a-kind WindsorEssex innovation

Expanding our Network and Making Connections WE-SPARK expands our network by speaking at events, providing sponsorship and collaborating on initiatives locally, regionally, provincially and nationally. Some connections made in Q4:

Year 4 – Q4

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Knowledge Translation Translate research information to inspire and drive change

Q4

Year 4 Milestones a) Expand the student research network and integrate with existing student programs and services at St. Clair College and UWindsor b) Expand, promote, and streamline management of our Health Research Resource Hub c) Expand and promote the Knowledge Translation Toolkit, including tools for commercialization, and increase awareness to our research community d) Support student experiential learning, novel training opportunities and professional development e) Develop and implement a plan for increasing engagement with industry and community partners

HIGHLIGHTS d) Support student experiential learning, novel training opportunities and professional development in health research A record number of Schulich-UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) applications were received this year and in Q4, 10 successful grants were awarded. A formal announcement will be made in May and projects will begin in June.

Masters of Science in Translational Health Science finished the program with a colloquium to showcase all research projects. Three projects were sponsored by Invest Windsor-Essex to share their work at Cheers to Hope The first class will graduate on May 30th. The new cohort is ready to begin on May 8th with a record number of applications and the program almost doubling in size.

Driving Knowledge Translation – Knowledge Translation Committee Next Meeting: May 11, 2023 (committee meets quarterly) Linda DiRosa (Co-Chair), HDGH Dave Andrews, UW Beckie Berlasty, SCC Allison Brooks, ESHC Martin Crozier, UW Mason Leschyna, ESHC Year 4 – Q4

Dora Cavallo-Medved (Co-Chair), UW Noeman Mirza, UW Peter Wawrow, SCC Indryas Woldie, WRH Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK Page 10

Knowledge Translation a) Expand the student research network and integrate with existing student programs and services at St. Clair College and UWindsor In Q4, the student leadership team continued to support WE-SPARK priority areas, dedicating significant hours to projects and representing WE-SPARK at outreach events.

Thank you to our leads!

• • • • • • •

Fundraising Lead - Mackenzie Burnett Conference Lead - Megan Thorne Outreach Lead - Fatima Kadri Research Admin Assistant - Amy Llancari Grant Program Intern - Amy Llancari Research KT Intern - Aya El-Hashemi Cancer Program Lead - Eddie Grimmett

WE-SPARK leads finish their placements with providing feedback on their experience. This is what a few of them had to say:

Year 4 – Q4

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Build Capacity Secure the resources needed to achieve our mission

Q4

Year 4 Milestones a) Support and expand use of data sharing platforms for our researchers b) Create research ecosystem maps to facilitate clear reporting and communication pathways for WESPARK members, staff and committees c) Facilitate joint funding plan for large infrastructure grants by creating multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary teams in preparation for large infrastructure grant competitions d) Explore and evolve infrastructure planning and a capital plan, including a research infrastructure map of Southwestern Ontario e) Implement the NUCLEUS plan, including collecting key core facility metrics and developing promotional content to inform our members and the community about research infrastructure

HIGHLIGHTS a) Support and expand use of data sharing platforms for our researchers REDCap continues to be a popular data sharing platform for our health researchers. Two factor authentication has been implemented for improved security and a Service Level Agreement has been drafted. Plans are moving forward for a Mock Disaster REDCap Instance Recovery and Joint WESPARK/ITS presentation around RDM to provide updates and answer questions from partners.

REDCap USE Training and Support

191 Users

Driving Research Capacity – NUCLEUS Committee Next Meeting: To Be Determined Renee Biss, UW Arezoo Emadi, UW Jackie Fong, UW Wendy Foote, SCC

Year 4 – Q4

Phil Karpowicz, UW Kyle Lago, WE-SPARK Krista Naccarato, WRH Michelle Nevett, UWindsor Ken Ng, UW

Ming Pan, WRH Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Jody Ralph, UW Chad Sutherland, UW Pete Wawrow, SCC Page 12

Build Capacity BUILDING CAPACITY - REGIONAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT A key strategic objective of WE-SPARK is to create efficiencies across the health research ecosystem, increase the critical mass of health researchers and create an environment that allows the health research environment to grow within organizations and as a collective. Every quarter, WE-SPARK’s Executive Committee meets to report on committee progress, ensure transparency and agree on metrics to be reported.

They also provide reports on institutional research progress. A few highlights are provided: Movement of personnel and new positions continue to be added to research teams across the partner organizations. ESHC has created a new research coordinator position with the successful candidate beginning May 1st. HDGH hired a new research assistant, applied for funding for a full-time research coordinator dedicated to clinical trials has a new student research intern starting May 1st. WRH had some movement within the hospital with Dr. Gina Bulcke now overseeing the corporate office of Research, taking over for Jessica Bennett and Dr. Caroline Hamm is moving forward with recruitment for a Breast Cancer Fellow. The University of Windsor has added a new Director of Research Partnerships and have announced the new VPRI Dr. Shathi Johnson who will be starting on July 1st. SCC is excited to expand their research personnel and have new members added to all WE-SPARK committees.

Major projects across the partners continue to connect with conversations focused on building infrastructure and services that better serve our region. Play for a Cure exceeded fundraising goals with their efforts tied to a research institute infrastructure. WRH is embarking on new research with the Windsor Family Health Team in collaboration with the mental health department and Ernst and Young was awarded the contract for the Health Innovation Park.

Increased research activity continues including collaborative grant submissions, upcoming funding announcements and award nominations. A few noteworthy updates: • WRH – Number of independent clinician led projects continues to increase, development of a research mentorship program and progress towards achieving academic status • HDGH – 15 active research projects are currently underway with 13 funded • SCC – submitted a Mobilize Grant with the goal of supporting SCC research department to increase partnerships and student training in all research areas.

• UWIN – Submitted 6 CIHR grants and are a major partner in one of the 5 federal research hubs, Canadian BioMedical Research Fund • ESHC – initial steps being taken to capture the research activity already taking place and creating standardized pathways to support future growth Student involvement in research projects continues with important contributions being made to publications and conference presentations. The mix of undergraduate, graduate and medical students on project teams provides a rich learning environment for all. Q4 saw the Masters of Science in Translational Health Sciences students showcase research projects included members from across the partnership.

Year 4 – Q4

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YR5

Looking Forward Igniting Discovery, Reaching New Heights, Living Better

Reporting Timeline

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

Organizational Effectiveness • •

Work with external consultants to launch a regional health research strategic planning process, including stakeholder consultations and a strategic planning session Draft the Year 4 Impact Report

Research Excellence • • •

Adjudicate the 2023 grant competition including an onboarding session and 2 peer review panels Continue to promote local health research through Research Canada Launch the 2023 Health Research Conference website

Knowledge Translation • •

Onboard the new Knowledge Translation Research Associate In collaboration with University of Windsor, VPRI and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, announce the recipients of the 2023 SWORP competition

Community Engagement • •

Transition the 2023 Cheers to Hope event website to the 2024 campaign and share a save the date Finalize the Year 5 social media plan and prepare for implementation

Build Capacity • •

Streamline metrics collection across partners to better report on the growth of health research capacity in our region Contribute to the Research Data Management strategies being developed across the partners

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS @wesparkhealth

Year 4 – Q4

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Appendix: Year 4 Budget May 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023 ADMINISTRATION Salaries • Research Director Stipend/Teaching Release • Assistant Director Salary • Translational Research Associate • Administrative Assistant • Nucleus Manager • Medical Student Research Associate • Social Media and Communications Coordinator • Student Network Research Associate • Innovation Research Associate • Conference Coordinator Discretionary, Supplies and Consumables (meetings, office equipment, printing, Professional Development, software licenses, etc.)

Marketing & Website (including dissemination) WE-Spark Grant Competitions TOTAL Operating Revenue (Partner Contributions) University of Windsor Windsor Regional Hospital Hotel-Dieu Grace St Clair Erie Shores Healthcare TOTAL

Year 4– Q4

Proposed 2022-2023 BUDGET $380,000

$40,000 $30,000 $100,000 $550,000

$200,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $50,000 $550,000

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