January is a time of renewal. At Advancing Health, we’re reflecting on the key moments from the past year and looking forward to a productive 2026. In that spirit we’re kicking off our first editorial of the year with a look back to some important stories and announcements from 2025.
Starting with an Evidence Speaks milestone… In August, we celebrated the 100th edition of Evidence Speaks. For over twenty years, this series has been summarizing science in a way that’s accessible to everyone. This article shares some fun behind-the-scenes tidbits from the communications team while reflecting on the rich history of our Centre.
We also highlighted the cutting-edge research being conducted by our esteemed scientists, highlighting topics including long-term care and health policy and economics, mental health and cardiovascular diseases. Starting with a conversation with Advancing Health Program Head, Dr. Jason Sutherland, whose work strives to understand health care wait times in Canada and the implications on patient outcomes. “We need to reconsider precisely how we organize waitlists and triage patients,” said Sutherland.
In June of last year, we sat down with Advancing Health scientist Dr. Amanda Slaunwhite to discuss her new role as the Scientific Director, Correctional Health Services at BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Dr. Slaunwhite highlighted the importance of lived experience in improving care for incarcerated individuals with substance use disorders and in ensuring systems of support for reintegration into society. “I work with people with lived experience of incarceration to be able to identify what types of research we should be doing,” she said.
To drive home the importance of effective mental and substance use disorder treatment, we covered an integral study conducted by Advancing Health scientist Dr. Daniel Vigo. Through his role as Chair of the Mental Health Services Workgroup at WHO, his research examined world mental health surveys to identify the proportion of people with common mental and substance use disorders who received effective and adequate treatment consistent with international guidelines.
Lastly, our very own Associate Director, Dr. Amy Salmon, whose work spans long-term care, mental health and evaluation, shed some light on her work building new mental health guidelines being adopted by organisations like BC-based Foundry. She also spoke to us about the role these guidelines play in improving care by implementing a toolbox of intervention options across various intensity levels
What’s up next at Advancing Health? Over the next few months, stay tuned for new announcements, collaborations, and pioneering research from our expert scientists, staff, and trainees.
