OCTOBER 29, 1999
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THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA OCTOBER 29, 1999 |
by Patty PittsAmong the announcements in this month’s throne speech was the federal government’s pledge to create Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), described as providing “a model for world-leading research, bringing together for the first time all the researchers who have an impact on health to undertake research priorities.” While the actual institutes are not expected to be announced until spring, behind-the-scenes lobbying has been going on since June, and UVic researchers are among those hoping to influence the direction and structure of these new interdisciplinary institutes. School of nursing director Dr. Jan Storch and centre on aging director Dr. Neena Chappell are among the team leaders submitting proposals for two new institutes, which are designed to improve the inclusiveness of health research in Canada. Their creation is an acknowledgment that the country’s traditional research structure no longer addresses all the issues facing Canadians in the health care system. While the Medical Research Council (MRC, soon to be transformed into CIHR) currently receives 80 per cent of Health Canada’s research funding, projects frequently don’t address other issues arising from advances made in the laboratory or in the operating room. It’s hoped the new institutes will address other aspects of health services delivery. “One of our team members tells a story of being part of a meeting where cloning human embryos was being discussed. The scientists presented their findings on how it could be done, but never discussed whether it should be done. When questioned, they admitted that talking to an ethicist might be a good idea, but they weren’t sure why,” says Storch, outlining one of the reasons her team believes one of the new institutes should address ethics, law, society, culture and health. Chappell’s team submitted a proposal for an institute on aging. Storch’s own discipline, nursing, is a prime example of why what defines medical research needs to be expanded, and will be, through the new institutes. “Nursing looks at the human being’s complete response to treatment, not just the medical response. That’s why nursing research usually falls under social science funding. But there’s still the medical aspect of our work,” says Storch. Other health research issues with an ethical component that wouldn’t normally be addressed under traditional health research guidelines include: decisions regarding who remains on lengthy surgical waiting lists; the effect poverty and language proficiency have on patients’ ability to follow doctors’ treatment orders; and the effect parental behaviour has on a child’s health condition (i.e. asthmatic children with parents who smoke). Even if Storch’s team’s submission is not among those selected to form a new institute, she feels the months of hard work and multiple flights to Ottawa for meetings and presentations have been worthwhile. “UVic researchers were really trying to influence health care in Canada,” she says, admitting that while the proposal is “risky” it was a necessary approach to prevent future health research from being less interdisciplinary and merely “business as usual.” |