TRANSFORM HF is excited to announce the opening of our third annual Collaboration Starter Grant competition! By supporting members of the TRANSFORM HF community in the development of new projects, these grants aim to advance our mission of digital innovation for health equity in heart failure care.
These grants also foster new research partnerships and expand our network – something Dr. Jay Shaw has been able to do on a national scale through his pan-Canadian policy analysis of virtual care technologies.
A Pan-Canadian Analysis of Policy Frameworks to Promote Health Equity in Virtual Care
Dr. Shaw received a TRANSFORM HF Collaboration Starter Grant in 2022 to strengthen his multi-province research team and further develop policy-focused research on digital health equity.
Specifically, the starter grant enabled a series of discussions between research and policy leaders across Canada, as well as support from University of Toronto doctoral student researcher Joseph Donia. Through these discussions, Dr. Shaw’s team was able to develop relationships with groups in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec and prepare a collaborative CIHR Catalyst Grant proposal. The team expects to hear back about the CIHR grant in March.
Alberta Virtual Care Coordinating Body (AVCCB) – a multi-stakeholder effort to advance equitable virtual care in Alberta – is a new partner that stands to serve as a model for changes in policy and practice elsewhere in Canada. The AVCCB, led by Dr. Ewan Affleck, includes a digital health equity working group on which Dr. Shaw sits.
This collaborative group of researchers and policymakers are currently exploring opportunities for larger funding proposals to support their work on digital health equity, led by Drs. Jay Shaw and Caroline Tait.
For more information about the Alberta Virtual Care Coordinating Body, please contact Dr. Ewan Affleck at ewan.affleck@cpsa.ab.ca.
Jay Shaw
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto; Research Director, AI, Ethics & Health, Joint Centre for Bioethics; Scientist, Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions & Virtual Care
Caroline Tait
Professor, Faculty of Social Work & Cummings School of Medicine, University of Calgary; Citizen Metis Nation-Saskatchewan
Ewan Affleck
Senior Medical Advisor, Health Informatics, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta; Chair, Alberta Virtual Care Working Group; Physician, Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority
To learn more about our Collaboration Starter Grants, visit our opportunities page. Get inspired by reading about some of our other funded projects!
