CPCRC Newsletter: February 2026

Greetings

Dear Colleagues,

We hope that the 2026 calendar year and lunar year have started off well for you. This month, we would also like to acknowledge the legacy and contributions of Black people and their communities.

It certainly has been busy for the CPCRC. We’ve appointed our new Governance Board, are in the home-stretch for registration as a Not-for-Profit organization with the Federal Government, are actively working on our new website, iterating on the most optimal governance structure, and applying for new grants. We are also starting to wrap our heads around an in-person Science Learning Day on October 22nd, 2026 in Toronto (just before Trillium) during which we hope to bring together CPCRN supported research projects and other primary care researchers, patient partners and clinicians to showcase their work, present outcomes and lessons learned. Stay tuned for an invitation available on our respective websites.

In this newsletter you will find an update from our Learning Cycle and Town Hall, details for the next call-out for the CPCRC Executive Operations Director and the Executive Scientific Director positions, news from around the network and capacity building opportunities.

Do not hesitate to reach out with suggestions or questions to admin@cpcrc-ccrsp.ca.

As always, thank you for your interest and collaboration.

-CPCRC Executive Team

Organizational Updates

CPCRC Learning Cycles: Winnipeg In-person 2025 & Francophone Virtual 2026

CPCRC gathered as a community, some 60 people strong in Winnipeg last November 4th, 2025, just before FMF. We took the time to discuss the proposed CPCRC work streams and settle upon immediate priorities to focus our efforts in years 1-3. We drafted a report summarizing key take-aways which have since been shared with the CPCSSN and CPCRN Steering Committees as we continue to co-build.

We would also like to extend our thanks to Reseau-1 Québec, who with support from the CPCRC Francophone arm, organized a virtual Learning Cycle this past January 9th, 2026 which brought together some 30 members of our Francophone community. This French-speaking group had the opportunity to discuss the work streams and their priorities and offered some fresh perspectives.

Appointment: Inaugural CPCRC Governance Board

We are pleased to share the composition of our Inaugural Governance Board which had its first Board meeting this past February 3rd, 2026. We are extremely grateful to this dynamic group of professionals who are volunteering their time as we get CPCRC off the ground.

Recruitment: CPCRC Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer

We are pleased to invite expressions of interest for the roles of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Recruitment for these roles marks the next important step in our evolution. We are looking for dynamic, committed team-players who will work alongside the Board to further our mission and shape the future of primary care research in Canada.

Deadline to apply: Friday, March 6th, 2026 to recruit@cpcrc-ccrsp.ca

CPCRC Town Hall

We hosted a Town Hall this past February 18th to update the community on developments since the Learning Cycle in November 2025. The goal was to review the proposed CPCRC work streams and discuss the current version of the governance structure which is still undergoing revision as we seek input from the primary care research community.

CPCTN Update

The Canadian Primary Care Trials Network (CPCTN) has launched a new intake form on their website, making it easier than ever for trialists and investigators to connect, collaborate, and access support for primary care–focused trials. Submit the form to start a conversation and explore how CPCTN can support your work.

CANTRAIN Partnership 

The CPCRC has established a partnership with CANTRAIN and secured free access to the CANTRAIN Clinical Trials Training Program. This program includes essential training resources, regulatory compliance courses, Common Core Foundation courses, career development opportunities, and a collaborative learning environment. If you are interested in accessing CANTRAIN’s clinical trial training, please click below to register and view the list of courses.

Community Updates

News from Réseau-1 Québec

Marie-Eve Poitras and Matthew Meaner, co-Directors of Réseau-1 Québec, are pleased to share that they have just received funding from the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services after more than a year of negotiation. Special thanks to Catherine Hudon, and other partners, who helped make the case for the importance of the work of Réseau-1 Québec. You can read the official announcement here (in French only).

News from TUTOR-PHC Trainee Rosina Cross

TUTOR-PHC Trainees Rosina Cross (University of Exeter, UK) and Susan Saldanha (Monash University, Australia) have been working on a Network Impact manuscript with CPCRN co-Chairs Sabrina Wong and Onil Bhattacharyya. Rosina writes about the work completed to date and the  power of interdisciplinary research in her article for NIHR-School for Primary Care Research.

Patient Council Spotlight

All members of the CPCRN Patient Council members have now completed their TCPS2-Core Training (Panel on Research Ethics). They are working on finalizing and adopting their Conflict of Interest policy, based on CIHR’s, and developing their Narrative CVs. As we continue transitioning to the CPCRC, all of these initiatives demonstrate their commitment to furthering primary care research as committed and knowledgeable persons with lived experience. They are truly doers, learners and leaders and we are grateful for their dedication.

Research Spotlight

Practice Based Research and Learning Network (PBRLN) activity: Canada and beyond

Nataly Espinosa-Suarez, a TUTOR-PHC fellow, is working with Canadian PBRLNs to better understand our capacity for research and learning. Work is ongoing for directors and their staff to fill out information about their capacity across Canada’s 20 PBRLNs.

We congratulate Dr. Shelley Doucet on receiving funding from Research NB for “Building a Practice-Based Research and Learning Network for Primary Care Reform in New Brunswick”. She and the NB team will use the funds to position New Brunswick’s primary care system at the forefront of integrated health care and research by establishing the province’s first PBRLN. Dr. Doucet will be supported by Data NB and the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network and the Canadian Primary Care Research Network to undertake timely evaluations and quality improvement initiatives that respond to emerging needs in primary care.

Internationally, Dr. Alex Singer, along with co-chair Kim Fulda of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) PBRLN, supported a workshop at the 2025 NAPCRG to synthesize research topics suitable for global research. Our colleagues, Drs. Gillian Bartlett (Texas A&M University), who has been involved from the start in the development of PaRIS surveys, Don Nease, Director of Community Engagement for the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, with extensive PBRLN leadership experience, and Anna Dania, will organize a Delphi Panel to define which questions are most important for producing actionable information to improve health through PBRLNs. They seek to clarify the connections between patient reported experience and outcome measures and learning health systems, and to identify how PaRIS can connect with electronic medical record data in order to facilitate a learning health system. Those wishing to participate are invited to email CPCRC at admin@cpcrc-ccrsp.ca.

Francophone Arm Spotlight

CPCRC Francophone Learning Session | March 18th, 2026 | 12:00-1:00 pm EST

(Presentation in French. Closed captions available in English on Zoom)

Meet Expériences: A Francophone Community Dedicated to Health Partnerships in Canada

Panelists

• Karina Prévost, Patient Partner, Co-director Expériences
• Catherine Wilhelmy, Patient Partner, Co-director Expériences

Objectives of Session:

• Raise awareness of the unique model of Expériences, a self-managed Francophone community led by health partners in Quebec
• Foster connections and collaborations among Francophone communities and health partnership stakeholders across Canada

Save the Date

June 3, 2026: Early Career Day at Université de Montréal. (Free)

June 5, 2026: 8th GFISP Symposium will take place at the Longueil Campus of Université de Sherbrooke. There is no fee. There will be keynotes, an international round table, interactive workshops and a networking cocktail. Please use the QR code at left to indicate interest in participation. All activities in French.

Building Capacity Spotlight

BRIC NS – Primary Care Learning Series | March 11th, 2026 | 12:00 pm AST

• Designing Sleepwell for Reach
• Panelists: Dr. David Garner & Andrea Murphy
• TEAMS link to join

CRIC NB – Quest Learning Session | March 24th, 2026 | 3:00 pm AST

Join Norma J Rabbitskin, RN, BN   (Health Director & Knowledge Keeper, Big River First Nation)  and Vivian R Ramsden, RN, PhD (Professor, Department of Family  Medicine, University of Saskatchewan) for an inspiring and practical presentation  on “learning together ways that Big River First Nation and academics have meaningfully engaged using Nation-led, qualitative approaches”.

Webinars

Health Data for all of Us: Our Health Data Journey

• Hosted by HDRN
• April 21st, 2026 | In-person (Ottawa) and Virtual
• Details and registration here

Conferences

Putting Patients First Conference 2026

• Hosted by Health Research BC
• March 3, 2026 in Vancouver, BC (In-person & Virtual)
• Register here
• Please note that the Canadian Primary Care Research Consortium (CPCRC), in collaboration with BC-PHCRN, will be present. Patient partners associated with CPCRC will be recruiting new patients and hosting an in-person gathering.

CHSPR 2026 38th Annual Health Policy Conference

• The Quintuple Aim: Can’t Get There from Here
• Hosted by Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, UBC
• March 12-13, 2026 in Vancouver, BC at UBC Campus (In-person & Virtual)
• Register here

Congrès de l’ACFAS (Francophone Conference)

• Hosted by l’Association canadienne-française pour l’avancement des sciences
• May 11-15, 2026 at l’Université du Québec, Trois Rivières
• Details here

Network Opportunities

Post-doc Fellowship Postings

• Fellowship opportunity with Institut du Savoir Monfort, Ottawa
• Project: Language & Health Research Program
• Deadline: March 2nd, 2026