Dear Members,
As we look forward to all that will happen in 2025, a reflection on what CPCRN accomplished last year is in order.
What started out as CPCRN kickoff projects have flourished and we see their scale and spread to different places in Canada. We also see these projects have spin-off effects for additional innovations in primary care. One example is an electronic advanced access dashboard updated on a weekly basis by Mylaine Breton and team for practices in Quebec. In 2025, this work will spread to British Columbia and Ontario.
Our revamped CPCRN Learning Series saw an increase in engagement by over 50% at some sessions. The first part of the series focused on creating shared solutions to common problems in our PBRLNs. The second part of the series delved into topics around promising policies for advancing access to primary care. The third section of the series had two sessions concerning primary care integration of care.
We worked to increase our presence in Canada. Our social media reach has increased over the last year. Our LinkedIn community of practice group grew by 35% to around 167 people. Our Twitter (X) account increased to around 300 people and while our YouTube account has few subscribers, some videos have enjoyed high viewership. Additionally, we doubled our newsletter membership to around 420 people.
CPCRN gave out inaugural awards related to patient engagement and mentorship. These awards were presented to Ms. Ghislaine Rouly and Dr. Vivian Ramsden.
Importantly, the CPCRN patient advisory council continues to play an integral part in the network governance structure. Members continue to be leaders in the development of concepts such as relationship equity. More about this value can be found here. CPCRN continues to build a pan-Canadian learning health system where patients, clinicians, researchers and decision-makers come together to learn from each other and work on common issues. CPCRN is helping to build a pan-Canadian consortium where there will be a place for primary care data development and science, clinical research and trials and practice-based research and learning networks. We are excited for 2025!
-The CPCRN Team
Network News
Francophone Arm of the Network
Sharon Johnston (Ontario), Mylaine Breton and Catherine Hudon (Quebec) have set up a Francophone arm of the Canadian Primary Care Research Network to promote French-language research and collaboration within Canada and internationally with the Groupe Francophone international en Soins Primaires. A Canadian advisory committee will be formed, comprised of one or two francophone researchers from the provinces concerned. We will attempt to network interested francophone Canadian researchers, and activities will be organized (webinars, symposium, etc.). If you are interested in joining this initiative, please contact Catherine Lamoureux-Lamarche.
Congratulations to Udoka Okpalauwaekwe!
We are thrilled to extend our congratulations to Udoka Okpalauwaekwe who successfully defended his PhD this past December. His dissertation’s title was “Enhancing Health and Wellness By, With and For Indigenous Youth at Sturgeon Lake First Nation, Saskatchewan”. It was a community driven endeavour using strength-based community engaged methods to drive processes that would enhance wellness within the community.
New CIHR President
We were excited to learn of the appointment of Dr. Paul C. Hebert as the new President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), effective January 2, 2025. Dr. Hébert is currently a Clinical Scientist at the Bruyère Health Research Institute, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and a practicing palliative care and former critical care physician. He is internationally recognized for his critical care research in both adults and children. He is a champion of Primary Care, and we look forward to working with him. Read press release here.
Patient Council Spotlight
For the past year, the Patient Council has been focusing on the deliverables of the CPCRN grant. Following presentations of abstracts at NAPCRG in 2023 and 2024, members of the Patient Council, with the support of Dr. Ramsden, completed a literature review in preparation of a manuscript for publication.
Ghislaine Rouly and Dr. Antoine Boivin are working closely with WHO to embed social participation in health systems globally. At the January 2024 meeting, WHO drafted a proposal entitled, Social participation for universal health coverage, health and well-being, “reiterating the importance of empowering people andcommunities as part of the primary health care approach, which includes the engagement of individuals, families, communities and civil society through their participation in the development and implementation of policies and plans that have impact on health, per the Declaration of Astana, welcomed by the Health Assembly in resolution WHA 72.2 (2019) and building on the Declaration of Alma Ata (1978).”
Also following NAPCRG, the PaCE (Patient and Clinician Engagement) will be hosting a Tea-Time. The topic will be Orientation to PaCE. All patient partners on the Patient Council and on the funded grants are invited to register. Tea-Time is February 25 at 1:00 pm CST. PaCE is actively seeking membership for the PaCE committee. Tea-Time Registration Here.
CPCRN 2025 Learning Series
February 26th, 2025 (12:00 – 1:00 pm ET): Scaling up Integrated Care: Challenges and successes
Despite the potential of integrated care to improve patient experience, population health, team well-being, cost, and health equity, scaling it up raises a number of challenges. Panelists provide key learnings to date from the PriCARE program (V1SAGES approach in Quebec). Learn more here.
March 25th, 2025 (12:00 – 1:00 pm ET): Canadian Primary Care Research Consortium: Strengthening the impact of research and innovation for people and communities
The consortium joins infrastructure, talent and expertise and patient/community voices to create a more cohesive and effective research environment that enhances Canada’s capacity to conduct impactful primary and integrated care research. Learn more here.
Save the Dates – Webinars / Discussion Groups
February 11th, 2025 (12:00 –1:00 pm PST): Cardiovascular Disease in Postpartum Women: Understanding Risk to Optimize Prevention and Management
Presenter: Rubee Dev (Centre for Health Services & Policy Research – UBC)
Globally, the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) related morbidity and mortality in postpartum women has increased. Women who experience adverse pregnancy outcomes have an increased lifelong risk of developing CVD. Yet, CVD amongst postpartum women remains under-studied, under-screened, and under-diagnosed. Early diagnostic testing and risk-based recommendations are required to combat the increasing trend. Register here
February 12th, 2025 (12:00 – 1:00 pm EST): Collaboration Unplugged: How Belonging and Relationships Can Enhance Your Team
Presenter: Stephanie Bartlett (Passerelle)
Join Dr. Stephanie Bartlett, relational leadership consultant, postdoctoral scholar, and sessional instructor at the Werklund School of Education, for an inspiring webinar exploring kinship, land-based learning, and collaborative creativity and design in education. Register here
March 27th, 2025 (9:00 – 10:30 am EST): The Face of Primary Care: the Vital role of Medical Office Assistants
Women’s College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute is organizing a focused discussion group dedicated to exploring the role, challenges, and opportunities of Medical Office Assistants (MOAs) in primary care settings. Email apira.ragunathan@wchospital.ca if interested in participating.
Save the Dates – Conferences
CHSPR 2025 – March 3rd & 4th, 2025 – Vancouver (In-person & Virtual): Primary Care at (A)nother Crossroads
The 37th annual CHSPR health policy conference will confront the primary care crisis. With primary care stretched beyond its limits, it is necessary for provincially delivered and funded systems to learn from each other and more quickly apply evidence to practice. Speakers will engage with approaches that are being implemented to support patients in navigating primary care, address workforce shortages, decrease inefficiencies, and use data to transform care. The event will be offered in hybrid format. Click here to learn more
Canadian Healthcare Navigation Conference – April 23rd & 24th, 2025 – Virtual
The Canadian Healthcare Navigation Conference (CHNC) is hosted in partnership between the Centre for Research in Integrated Care at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John and the Family Navigation Project at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Click here to learn more
CAHSPR 2025 – May 26th-29th, 2025 – Ottawa
The Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) Conference is being hosted in Ottawa once again. The call for Abstracts is now open. Click here to learn more
NAPCRG: Practice Based Research Network (PBRN) Conference – June 2nd & 3rd, 2025 – Reston, Virgina
The theme for this year’s conference is Improving Healthcare Access. Click here to learn more
Family Medicine Forum – November 5th – 8th, 2025 – Winnipeg
Research Project Spotlight
SPIDER Study Essentials
SPIDER has released the “SPIDER Study Essentials: Eight Legs of Success”. This resource presents lessons learned from managing a large multi-jurisdictional Practice-Based Research and Learning Network (PBRLN) Randomized Control Trial (RCT) in Primary Care. The infographic is currently available in English, and will be soon in French too. For more information on study resources please visit the SPIDER website here.
Recommended Reading
On the Importance of Telemedicine by Monica McGraw
In an article published in Le Devoir, Monica McGraw addresses the benefits of telemedicine, particularly in the context of chronic diseases. Read article here (Available only in French)
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