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Clinical Trials

Advancing Health has a long history of implementing and supporting clinical trials across a range of disciplines

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Designing data capture instruments and conducting, analyzing, and providing oversight for trials


At Advancing Health, our staff have over 30 years of experience in all aspects of clinical trials, from the design of data capture instruments to database issues, conduct, analysis, and oversight of trials.

15

Statisticians & Methodologists

20

Publications per Year

5

Ongoing International Collaborations

About the Program

Clinical trials are the most rigorous method for addressing clinical research questions; however, they are resource-intensive and require high-level expertise to design and conduct. At Advancing Health, our Scientists and staff have over 30 years of experience in all aspects of clinical trials, from the design of data capture instruments to database issues, conduct, analysis, and oversight of trials.

Our in-house team of clinical trial experts is available to facilitate and assist external investigators with the development and conduct of their clinical trials. View our Clinical Research Support page for more information.

Additional Information

Additionally, many of the scientists at Advancing Health conduct the majority of their research using clinical trials and are well-versed in applying various methodological approaches to answer health outcomes questions.

Program Head Dr. Joel Singer’s primary area of expertise is in methodological and analytical issues in clinical trials, and he has decades of experience with methodological issues in observational trials and cohort studies.

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Examples of Our Clinical Trials

Below is a sample of the types of clinical trials research taking place at Advancing Health.

  • Host response mediators in coronavirus (COVID-19) infection: Is there a protective effect of ARBS on outcomes of coronavirus infection? (ARBs CORONA II)
  • Doxycycline for STI Prevention in gbMSM
  • Optimizing the Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction/Injury in Women (CODE-MI) (Link)
  • Evolution and impact of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority regional reperfusion system for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (Link)
  • Tissue plasminogen activator in cardiac arrest with pulseless electrical activity: a randomized placebo-controlled trial (Link)
  • Randomized trial of a ‘virtual’ cardiac rehabilitation program delivered at a distance via the internet (ClinicalTrials.gov)
  • See our Cardiovascular Health and Emergency Medicine Programs for more information on cardiology-related research at CfAHO.
  • Injectable Opioid Treatments

Although oral medications like methadone can reduce addiction severity and effectively retain some people in treatment, this is not the case for everyone. Over the past two decades, clinical trials research at Advancing Health has been looking for more effective treatments for opioid use disorder. Research like NAOMI and SALOME has shown that injectable opioids like diacetylmorphine (DAM), the active ingredient in heroin, and hydromorphone (HDM), the licensed pain medication is commonly known as Dilaudid, are effective at attracting and retaining people in treatment that have been previously unsuccessful with methadone. This research shows that these treatments are cost-effective, reduce mortality, and improve quality of life while reducing costs associated with health care use and criminal activity.

  • REDONNA (Reducing unnecessary Opioid Prescriptions)
  • A prospective randomized clinical trial of early amniocentesis and mid-trimester amniocentesis: Primary evaluation comparing procedure safety and fetal outcome (The Canadian Early and Midtrimester Amniocentesis (CEMAT) Group) (Link)
  • Impact of early surfactant and inhaled nitric oxide therapies on outcomes in term/late preterm neonates with moderate hypoxic respiratory failure (Link)
  • Control of Hypertension in Pregnancy Study (CHIPS): Less-tight versus tight control of hypertension in pregnancy (Link)
  • WILL (When to Induce Labour to Limit risk in pregnancy hypertension) — a multicentre, randomized controlled trial (Link)
  • A Randomized Trial of Screening for Coronary Artery Disease in Kidney Transplant Candidates
  • Kidney transplant candidates are at high risk for coronary artery disease and currently undergo annual testing to determine if they have developed the disease. As the optimal strategy to monitor and maintain the cardiac fitness of kidney transplant candidates is unknown, this study will determine whether annual testing is in fact necessary. The study is expected to influence transplant practice worldwide, as the results will either a) make better use of scarce deceased-donor kidneys by permitting better waitlist management, or b) save valuable resources due to averting needless and potentially detrimental tests in asymptomatic patients. Advancing Health Scientist Dr. John Gill is a principal investigator on the trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov)
  • A nurse-coordinated based model of care versus usual care for Stage 3/4 chronic kidney disease in the community: A randomized controlled trial (Link)
  • Nutrition- and Exercise-based Interventions for Treatment of Type II Diabetes (Link)
  • Mobile Health Biometrics to Enhance Exercise and Physical Activity Adherence in Type 2 Diabetes (Link)
  • Can Exercise Prescribed According to the International Scientific Spinal Cord Injury Exercise Guidelines Alleviate Chronic?
  • Pain in Adults Living with Spinal Cord Injury? A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial (Link)
  • “Not just another walking program”: Everyday Activity Supports You (EASY) model—a randomized pilot study for a parallel randomized controlled trial (Link)
  • The effect of exogenous beta-hydroxybutyrate supplementation on glucose control in type 2 diabetes
  • Novel Model for South Asian Treatment in Diabetes Trial in Primary Care (NaMaSTe)
  • NaMaSTe is a randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of a novel culturally tailored lifestyle and medication adherence intervention in South Asian patients with poorly controlled diabetes in Canada. Under the direction of Advancing Health Scientist Dr. Nadia Khan, the study aims to recruit 600 participants from British Columbia with type 2 diabetes.
  • South Asians living in Canada and globally have high rates of type 2 diabetes. Despite the burden of diabetes in this population, diabetes management remains poor. South Asian patients are less likely to exercise, follow a healthy diet, participate in exercise programs, and achieve glucose, blood pressure, and lipid targets for diabetes than the general population. Although there is some preliminary evidence that culturally tailored chronic disease models may improve outcomes, the current evidence base is insufficient to justify the system modifications required to provide this type of care across primary care settings in Canada. The NaMaSTe trial, therefore, endeavours to increase the body of evidence to assist in improving the health of South Asian patients in Canada.
  • More information at ClinicalTrials.gov and on the study website.
  • Lyme disease diagnosed by alternative methods: A phenotype similar to that of chronic fatigue syndrome (Link)
  • Validating a Self-Confidence Scale for Surgical Trainees (Link)
  • Sex Matters: Understanding Sex Differences in Exercise Efficacy on Brain Health in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Research Programs

Advancing Health Scientists work across a broad range of disciplines, from health economics to personalized medicine, to decision sciences and much more.

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