Greetings
Dear Colleagues,
With Spring finally in the air, we hope this finds you energized after the stress and rush of year-end deadlines.
The last 2 months have been busy at the CPCRC with ongoing work to obtain our not-for-profit status, a 2-day in-person meeting of the Governance Board for strategic planning, recruitment of our Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officers (stay tuned for announcements coming soon), organizational planning, fund-raising and website development.
We are excited to share that CIHR officially announced our partnership with them and HEC to accelerate practical, evidence-based improvements in primary care, via their PRIME initiative. Our research teams across the country are working with close to 50 practices to help them achieve this.
We are also pleased to announce that our Science & Learning Symposium will take place in Toronto, on October 22nd, 2026, the day before the Trillium Conference. Save the date. Details are below and a registration link will be forthcoming next week. We hope you’ll be able to join us.
Please 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 Team
Organizational Updates
PRIME Grant Update
We are proud to announce our partnership with CIHR and HEC on the PRIME (Primary Care Reimagined through Impact, Mobilization & Engagement) Project which entails us working with close to 50 practices across Canada, evaluating the implementation of QI initiatives in 2 areas: primary care access improvement and enhanced integrated care. The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced the initiative in Ottawa last month, alongside Dr Paul Hebert, President of CIHR and Jennifer Zelmer, President of HEC.
Save-the-Date
Science & Learning Symposium | Toronto| October 22nd, 2026
Save the date and join us for our inaugural Science & Learning Symposium. We are excited to gather with our pan-Canadian community in Toronto this year, just ahead of the Trillium conference, for a day of scientific keynotes, poster presentations, a panel discussion, workshops and small group meetings. We will be spotlighting the 8 CPCRN kick-off projects which are near completion and ready to share findings.
Agenda and registration link will be shared next week.
CPCRN & CPCRC Awards
The CPCRN will be presenting its 2026 Engagement and Mentor Awards in October at our Symposium. At this time, the CPCRC will be presenting its inaugural Researcher of the Year Award.
Details and Nomination Process and Requirements will be shared soon.
CPCTN Update
The CPCTN Primary Care Trials Training Program is a hands-on initiative designed to support clinicians and early-career researchers in building skills in clinical trials – from idea to proposal. Through structured learning and mentorship, participants gain practical experience in developing and refining a study proposal.
Eco-System Updates
Call for Participation in our Online Eczema Trial
The CPCRC is working with Dr. Aaron Drucker on a new clinical trials initiative for eczema (atopic dermatitis) called Online Trials for Eczema in North America (OTEN). OTEN, based at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, is a fully online randomized trial program to evaluate low-risk, patient-led lifestyle interventions for atopic dermatitis. The first trial will assess whether avoiding dietary dairy has an effect on eczema among adults.
The ask of PBRLNs:
- CPCRC Networks/PBRLNs will help you identify the number of adults with eczema and will provide a draft recruitment message.
- Share a short recruitment message (via email) with potentially eligible patients.
- Display/share a study flyer in your clinic.
- Estimated time: <5 minutes of your time. Once they have the study link, patients can proceed through the trial from start to finish without any physician visits or assessments.
The benefit for clinics within PBRLNs:
- Support for your patients who may have questions about dairy and eczema.
- At the end of the trial, if dairy avoidance is effective, you will have access to patient-facing materials on how to avoid dietary dairy.
The benefit for patients:
- Ease of participating in a trial online.
- An understanding of how dairy affects eczema.
Why does this matter?
- Most eczema trials focus on medications, but research on diet and lifestyle triggers is limited. OTEN is designed to answer these questions.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at admin@cpcrc-ccrsp.ca.
Bravo Réseau-1 Québec
Congratulations to our colleagues at Réseau-1 Québec who participated in the development of a new Primary Care Policy for Quebec. It highlights the importance of research, innovation and data science as levers to drive quality improvement. Read the policy here (available in French only for the moment).
PASSERELLE Launches New Guide: Onboarding in Patient-Oriented Research
PASSERELLE is pleased to share a new practical guide designed to support the onboarding of new members in patient-oriented research teams.
Co-developed with partners with lived and living experience, this guide offers a practical and flexible approach to help build strong, inclusive, and effective collaborations from the start. It includes tools, reflective prompts, and resources to support trust, clarity, and shared goals throughout the onboarding process.
Whether you are a researcher, a patient partner, or a member of a research team, this guide is here to support successful patient-oriented research collaborations.
Diagnosing Diabetes in Children
Colleague Celia Laur, of WCH Toronto, is involved with a project at SickKids which seeks to raise awareness among healthcare professionals who may see children presenting with signs of diabetes to take immediate action and prevent delays in medical treatment. They have developed an infographic to amplify the message and share guidance on next steps.
Access to Healthcare for Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit Persons
The Sexual Health and Genito-Pelvic Pain Knowledge Empowerment Hub (SHAPE) led by Dr. Lori Brotto at the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is conducting a national study on barriers that Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit persons face in accessing care for sexual dysfunction and genito-pelvic pain. The objective is to develop resources that will support both patients and healthcare providers in managing these conditions as well as to make recommendations to provincial Ministries of Health on how to improve access to care for persons facing these conditions.
Patient Council Spotlight
The CPCRN Patient Council hosted a Trainee Learning Series this past April 22nd, 2026 with the goal of tracing their history, sharing their stories of lived experience and highlighting the importance of patient engagement in primary care research.
Research Spotlight
SPARK Project
The SPARK team assessed the implementation of the SPARK tool in primary care clinics in five Canadian provinces, testing different modes of EMR integration, and exploring clinic workflows that support data collection. There recent publication captures eight implementation outcomes to capture practice change, primary care provider behaviour, patient response, and inform systemic and routine data collection.
CanTreat COVID Publications
Results from two clinical trials CanTreat COVID, (led by the Upstream Lab at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto), and PANORAMIX (led by Osford University) inform treatment of COVID-19 with Paxlovid demonstrating that “Paxlovid does not reduce hospital admissions or deaths in vaccinated adults at a higher risk of sever COVID-19, but it does help people recover a few days faster.”
Francophone Arm Spotlight
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.
CPCRC Learning Sessions
Practice-Based Research and Learning Networks in Canada | Tuesday 26 May 2026 | 12 – 1:00 PM EST
- Global Lessons to Local Impact: Advancing Clinic-Driven PBRLNs in Canada
- Panelists: Jennifer Rayner, Machelle Wilchesky
- Link to details and registration
Building Capacity in Patient-Oriented Research | Tuesday 9 June 2026 | 12 – 1:30 PM EST
- PASSERELLE, Canada’s National Bilingual Hub for Capacity Development in Patient-Oriented Research
- Panelists: Annie Leblanc, Yvonne Pelling, Émilie Grenier
- Additional 30 min Q&A for Trainees and early career researchers
- Link to details and registration
Getting to Patients’ Goals | Wednesday 17 June 2026 | 12 – 1:00 PM EST
- Getting to Patients’ Goals: How Clinician/Patient Partnership Can Move the Dial
- Panelists: Antoine Boivin, Ghislaine Rouly
- Link to details and registration
Webinars
Women’s College Hospital – Audit & Feedback Metalab Webinar Series | Tuesday 2 June 2026 | 12 – 1:00 PM EST
- Audit & Feedback and Team-Based Care
- Panelists: Morgan Price, Janet Curran
- Link to details and registration
- View past recordings of the series here
Network Opportunities
Post-doc Fellowship Posting
- Francophone Fellowship opportunity with Université de Sherbrooke
- Project: L’évaluation d’innovations qui transforment les soins primaires au Québec
Job Posting
- Dr. Ian McWhinney Chair in Family Medicine
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
- Deadline: 1 July, 2026
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