Year 5 – Driving Results
Q3 Highlights
November 1, 2023 – January 31, 2024
Quarter 3 Highlights A thriving and engaged research community, driving advancements in health
Executive Committee Karmie Dhillon
St. Clair College
Jonathan Foster
Windsor Regional Hospital
Caroline Hamm
Windsor Regional Hospital
Alison Murray
Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare
Year 5 – Driving Results Igniting Discovery, Living Better In our first four 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. Local funding for health research has grown significantly. We ended our year by hosting Cheers to Hope, a fundraising event that focused on the impact of health research and what can be accomplished when we focus on reaching new heights. The details can be found in our Year 4 Impact Report:
Heather Pratt
University of Windsor
Neelu Sehgal
Erie Shores HealthCare
Chad Sutherland
University of Windsor
Jennifer Voth
Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare
Lisa Porter (Interim Chair)
WE-SPARK Health Institute
Karen Metcalfe
WE-SPARK Health Institute
In Year 5, we are focused on listening to our health research community and implementing our new strategic plan. Our mission is to elevate regional health research and to advance the translation of findings into evidence-based interventions and policies that positively impact the health and well-being of communities throughout the Windsor-Essex region and beyond. We aim to ignite discovery, drive results and live better.
Lisa A. Porter, PhD, Director Distinguished Professor, University of Windsor
The WE-SPARK Team Lisa Porter, Director Karen Metcalfe, Assistant Director Genesis Flores, Knowledge Translation Research Associate Jillian Calandra, Translational Research Associate Danielle Gyemi, Research Associate – NUCLEUS & Innovation Ryan Kristin Bradshaw, Administrative Assistant Pallavi Prashast, Translational Research Associate Cathy Mombourquette, Special Projects-Media Relations Mohamed Farjalla, Research Associate Year 5 – Q3
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Year 5 2023-2024
SNAPSHOT quarter three highlights
1153
MEMBERS
47 MEDIA STORIES
29 MEMBER AWARDS
18,416 VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENTS (SOCIAL MEDIA & WEB)
EVENTS/WORKSHOPS HOSTED
Q3
4 OUTREACH EVENTS
1025 EVENT ATTENDEES
311 ACTIVE REDCap USERS
4
254 STUDENT VOLUNTEER HOURS LOGGED
$35K CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIP
Q3
Organizational Effectiveness Build the effective organizational structures and systems we need to achieve our mission
Reporting
Year 5 Milestones a) b) c) d) e)
Continue quarterly reporting that leads to the impact report Monitor and adapt budget reporting Implement a fundraising plan Develop MOUs between WE-SPARK institutions, as needed Review current terms, policies and reporting mechanisms to identify and respond to changing needs f) Complete the next strategic planning cycle g) Create research ecosystem maps to facilitate clear reporting and communication for WE-SPARK members and committees
HIGHLIGHTS Initiated actions needed to migrate to the new strategic plan (Milestone e) The Governance Committee is providing critical direction for changes needed to support transitioning to the new strategic plan. Recommendations include adjustments to the governance structure and committee membership, the creation of a Service Level Agreement and customized reporting.
Executive Committee finalized the strategic plan in preparation for review by the Board of Trustees (Milestone f)
Driving Organizational Effectiveness – Governance Committee Next Meeting: April 2, 2024 (committee meets quarterly) Lisa Porter (Chair), WE-SPARK Alison Murray, HDGH Heather Pratt, UW
Year 5 – Q3
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 5 Milestones a) Continue to 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. Collect metrics and assess outcomes to better understand the impact of the research on our local community 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) Develop and implement a plan that advocates for change in areas of interest to our partners
HIGHLIGHTS Hosted the 2023 Health Research Conference and 3 Networking Events (Milestone a) In Q3 we hosted 3 WE-SPARK After Dark events and the Health Research Conference. The conference included over 300 participants, 100+ posters, 45 oral/panel presentations and 18 student awards ($1,800). We hosted our first panel session: Engaging people with lived experience in research projects” and piloted our LEARN initiative, inviting 10 lived-experience individuals to attend. Feedback from participants was extremely positive with an overall 4.5/5 rating. “This conference allowed you to put a face to a
name. It illustrates the vast success and capabilities in WindsorEssex and the potential for future collaborations.”
Driving Research Excellence – Research Development Committee Next Meeting: February 16, 2024 (committee meets every 6 weeks) Caroline Hamm (co-chair), WRH Chris Abeare, UW Gina Bulcke, WRH Kyle Jackson, SCC
Year 5 – Q3
Balraj Jhawar, WRH DJ MacNeil, HDGH Jody Ralph, UW Simon Rondeau-Gagne, UW
Ingrid Qemo, UW Jennifer Voth (co-chair), HDGH Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK
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Research Excellence Conference in pictures
Q3
More event pictures can be found on our conference website
Planning has already begun for the Spring 2025 conference.
Year 5 – Q3
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Research Excellence Tracked membership growth and profiled successes of Core Members (Milestone c) We continue to add new members to our research ecosystem with a total of 1153 members (adding 104 members from Q3 last year).
Highlighting Member Profiles, Projects and Successes Our research activities are driven by our 37 Core Principal Members and 186 Core Associate Members who are actively engaged in the research field 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 Q3 highlighted:
• • •
$338,375 in new funding 6 publications 29 awards Publishing Dates June, 2023 December, 2023 August, 2023 February, 2024 October, 2023 April, 2024
Prepared for the 2024 WE-SPARK grant competition The 2024 grants competition is ready to be launched on February 26th. The updated guidelines and application package have been finalized and review panels confirmed. A new grant portal will be used this year to make submissions easier and support the creation of real-time analytics on grant metrics and outcomes. All 85 projects funded by our grants program over the past 4 years can be found on our website.
Year 5 – Q3
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Community Engagement Enhance understanding and build trust with the community
Q3
Year 5 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) Continue to develop the purpose and plan for the WE-SPARK Engage program to invite the community to join our research efforts
HIGHLIGHTS Elevated our research profile by sharing local research stories, expanding our network and supporting fundraising for research (Milestone d) Select Featured Media Stories In Q3, WE-SPARK was part of 3 local mainstream news stories, 23 stories in partner newsletters/communications and 11 in national/other media. Research Canada: Grant to boost search for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease Calgary Herald: Unconventional treatments may provide emotional freedom WRH The Pulse: Virtual Think Tank to provide opportunities for input into health research CTV News: Research project aims to safeguard Great Lakes and your drinking water from harmful toxins UWindsor Daily News: Cancer survivors support work toward cure Research Canada: Grant to fund exploration of causes of blood cancers
Expanding our Network and Supporting Fundraising for Research WE-SPARK meets with groups interested in expanding research efforts, speaks at events, sponsors events and fundraises for local charities. In Q3 we re-connected/made news connections with:
Driving Community Understanding - Community Engagement Committee Next Meeting: February 7, 2024 (committee meets quarterly) Dora Cavallo-Medved, UW Stephanie DeFranceschi, SCC Allison Johnson, WRH Year 5 – Q3
Chad Sutherland (Chair), UW Maciah Telfer, HDGH Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK Page 8
Community Engagement Engaged the community at local events and showcased latest research projects (Milestone a and b) WE-SPARK staff and volunteers participated in and helped organize 4 in-person outreach events advocating for the importance of research and translating the latest statistics and projects. Over 650 people were reached.
Increased the WE-SPARK social media presence and reach (Milestone c)
@wesparkhealth continued to engage the community on all social media platforms during Q3 increasing our followers by over 1,140 people since Q3 last year. We are focusing on highlighting events and successes of our research community and promoting knowledge translation around relevant health topics. Below are a few of our posts with the highest engagement this quarter.
Expanded our reach by engaging more people through the WE-SPARK website (Milestone e) WESPARKHEALTH . COM
Total Q3 Unique Visits
Year 5 – Q3
Most Visited Pages in Q3 Conference, Member Profiles, Cancer Research
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Knowledge Translation Translate research information to inspire and drive change
Q3
Year 5 Milestones a) Clearly define and formally integrate the student research network with existing programs and services at St. Clair College and UWindsor b) Promote, update and streamline management of our Health Research Resource Hub c) Update and promote the Knowledge Translation Toolkit, including tools for commercialization, and increase awareness to our research community d) Support and profile student experiential learning, novel training opportunities and professional development e) Develop and implement a plan for increasing engagement with industry and community partners
HIGHLIGHTS Supported student experiential learning and professional developed through lectures and consultation (Milestone d) WE-SPARK staff are available to share their expertise with students. In Q3, staff provided over 50 hours in student engagement, including guest lectures, consultations and novel training opportunities. 2024 Schulich-UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) awards were launched and are due February 26. Details of the competition can be found online. On November 30th and December 6th, 60 students enrolled in the UWindsor (BIOM 3750-1) Cancer Undergraduate Research and Education (CURE) course completed their final presentations. CUREs is a hands-on learning experience that exposes students to the importance of multidisciplinary research and brings them together into collaborative teams to design tools to communicate cancer research to multiple audiences. Students showcased their community outreach projects to 100 invited guests and judges.
Driving Knowledge Translation – Knowledge Translation Committee Next Meeting: February 1, 2024 (committee meets every 6 weeks) Dave Andrews, UW Beckie Berlasty, SCC Allison Brooks, ESHC Martin Crozier, UW Mason Leschyna, ESHC Year 5 – Q3
Dora Cavallo-Medved (Chair), UW Noeman Mirza, UW Indryas Woldie, WRH Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Karen Metcalfe, WE-SPARK Page 10
Knowledge Translation Coordinated and participated in community outreach events, providing our student volunteers with unique research opportunities (Milestone d) Our student volunteers participated in outreach events showcasing to the public: the value of health research, member’s latest research successes and the importance of critical infrastructure to the health of our region. This quarter, WE-SPARK had 1 service learning student and 2 interns working with our team.
Event Highlights
Year 5 – Q3
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Build Capacity Secure the resources needed to achieve our mission
Q3
Year 5 Milestones a) Support and expand use of data sharing platforms for our researchers b) Facilitate joint funding plan for large infrastructure grants by creating multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary teams in preparation for large infrastructure grant competitions c) Explore and evolve infrastructure planning and a capital plan, including a research infrastructure map of Southwestern Ontario d) Implement the NUCLEUS plan, including the development of a centralized database to collect key metrics on the current research infrastructure in Windsor-Essex; and a ‘go-to’ online resource that increases access to and promotes the work of our core research facilities
HIGHLIGHTS Supported and expanded the use of REDCap for our researchers (Milestone a) REDCap continues to be a popular data sharing platform for our health researchers. Monthly REDCap ‘tips and tricks’ and reminders regarding best practices for backing up projects are sent to all users. In Q3, we began to track the use of REDCap features that improve accessibility and security. Reporting on these provides critical metrics and serves as a way to showcase the tools available to researchers who are using REDCap for their projects. 4 projects utilized the text to speech functionality and 17 used the electronic consent framework.
REDCap USE Training and Support
311 ACTIVE Users
Driving Research Capacity – NUCLEUS Committee Next meeting: February, 2024 (this committee meets monthly) Tricia Carmichael, UW Dora Cavallo-Medved, UW
Danielle Gyemi, WE-SPARK Lisa Porter, WE-SPARK Dan Mennill, UW Chris Weisener, UW Nick Vukotic, UW NOTE: currently, NUCLEUS is 85% funded by UWindsor. Once the pilot project is complete, expansion will include other organizations and members Year 5 – Q3
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Build Capacity Continued the development of a NUCLEUS infrastructure database, began consultations and planning of a website (Milestone d) With funding support from UWindsor VPRI, Faculty of Science and WE-SPARK, Dr. Danielle Gyemi continues to move forward the NUCLEUS plan. Updates include:
Continued development of the NUCLEUS equipment inventory database • • •
REDCap is being used to construct and pilot test the database, focusing on existing health research infrastructure in the Faculty of Science, UWindsor. 4 core facilities are participating in the pilot data collection. 29 equipment records are undergoing the data entry process.
Ongoing consultations • •
Discussions with core facility managers and technicians are ongoing to optimize the data collection platform and identify metrics that will support a coordinated effort with standardized facility reporting and a sustainability plan. Completed a survey-based assessment of current infrastructure management software in the Faculty of Science.
Designing NUCLEUS website •
Initiated development of the NUCLEUS website development.
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: New positions/appointments directly related to health research reported at UWindsor, SCC, ESHC. Strategic planning for research and moving ahead with Academic Research Committees is taking place at all hospital partners. Research activity continues to be reported. A few highlights: • ESHC – participating in 20 different studies, 16 active, 3 completed and a manuscript accepted for publication • HDGH – Submitted 7 grants; official partner on the CAN Stroke Recovery Trials Network • WRH – Accelerating Clinical Trials consortium is moving forward clinical trials related to stroke and ICU; Partnering with Windsor Family Health Teams on projects. • SCC – Welcomed new Director, Research and Innovation, Dr. Karmie Dhillon • UWindsor – Working with the new Research Security Coordinator on sensitive technologies and affiliations policies. Will share lessons learned. Faculty of Science is in the process of a Dean search. Department of Biomedical Sciences is developing an onboarding event and materials for Clinical Adjunct Professors. Note: Code Grey starting on October 23rd had a significant impact on the hospital partners research programs for all of quarter 3 Year 5 – Q3
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Looking Forward Igniting Discovery, Driving Results, Living Better
Reporting Timeline
Q4
Below are a few action items you can expect to see in coming months.
Organizational Effectiveness • • •
Initiate development of operational action items in preparation for implementation of the new strategic plan Migrate governance structure to align with expected outcomes for the next 5 years Develop a Service Level Agreement for the collaborative
Research Excellence • • • •
Launch 2024 Grants Competition Transition Responsible Conduct of Research training from UWindsor REB to WE-SPARK Create a plan to support research pillars identified in the strategic plan Initiate an advocacy plan
Knowledge Translation •
•
In collaboration with Schulich and UWindsor, Office of Research and Innovation, onboard a new Health Research Associate Showcase new KT materials at HDGH Geriatric Conference
Community Engagement • •
Showcase research facilities and projects through social media Continue to roll out research stories on national networks
Build Capacity • •
Work with NUCLEUS committee to complete pilot project Streamline REDCap administration and training and create a manual that captures all processes, SOPs and maintenance scheduling
DRIVING RESULTS @wesparkhealth
Year 5 – Q3
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Appendix: Year 5 Budget May 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024 ADMINISTRATION Salaries • Research Director Stipend/Teaching Release • Assistant Director Salary • Translational Research Associates • Knowledge Translation Research Associates • Administrative Assistant • Research Associate – NUCLEUS and Innovation • Interns Discretionary, Supplies and Consumables (meetings, office equipment, printing, 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 Health Care TOTAL
Year 5 – Q3
Proposed 2023-2024 BUDGET $415,000
$75,000 $30,000 $80,000 $600,000
$200,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $600,000
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