Scarborough Health Network (SHN) has made bold strides towards the development of a new research institute to further improve population health, health equity and system integration and transform the patient experience through innovation, education and research.
The new Scarborough Health Network Research Institute (SHNRI) is focused squarely on achieving the vision to provide better health through research that matters to the community of Scarborough.
”Our research institute will create a structured system that supports research initiatives within our organization, from the people who care for our communities and intimately understand their needs,” said David Graham, SHN’s Interim President and CEO. “These are the minds best-poised to produce research aimed at finding new, improved ways of delivering the high-quality, equitable care our population deserves.”
The value a research institute brings
Research and innovation in community hospitals like SHN can contribute to many benefits, including improving patient care, ensuring access to new medicines and care models, and attracting and retaining talent. Having a focus on research also achieves the triple aim of enhancing the patient experience, improving the health of populations, and reducing healthcare costs.
In launching SHNRI, our network joins the ranks of the most prestigious health organizations in building a connected, but independently run, entity dedicated to the promotion of novel and impactful research in the healthcare space. Additionally, it aligns us with the provincial government’s planned investments in research and innovation, and positions us to contribute studies and findings that not only translate into improved care here in Scarborough, but that also have applications for health systems across the country.
“In Scarborough, we find ourselves uniquely situated in being a microcosm of Canada’s diverse future, and therefore are able to offer research on population health that forms the cutting-edge of what communities across this country are heading towards,” said SHN Staff Psychiatrist, Dr. Adriana Carvalhal, who serves as the newly-appointed SHNRI Scientific Director.
“I am committed to making SHNRI a tool for disease prevention, and promotion of healthy lifestyle and overall wellness in our communities, and a means to address barriers to health care within our diverse community.”
What SHNRI offers SHN researchers
Our new research institute will provide the necessary site sponsorship for submission to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and will take on the burden of administering grants, freeing our researchers up to focus on the work that means most to them and those it will impact.
Work at SHNRI is geared toward making our organization a globally recognized leader in population health and health equity research, building our credibility and prominence on the most important stages of health care research. This will feed a loop that is created when talent is attracted by the renown we generate, resulting in further attention from more exceptional research we produce, and so on.
SHNRI will soon begin operations in its new office space at our General Hospital. We look forward to sharing coming announcements and updates about research conducted through SHNRI that will make a positive impact on our community.