Emergency Medicine Research
The Emergency Medicine Research Team would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.
Emergency Medicine Research Group: 5-Year Strategy 5-Year Strategy
Emergency Medicine Research
The Emergency Medicine Research Group exists to improve patient and family care and health system efficiency through actionable research, collaboration and mentorship.
Dr. Kathryn Crowder Research Director
Dr. Eddy Lang Senior Researcher
Dr. Stephanie VandenBerg Associate Research Director
https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/stephanie-vandenberg
Dr. Jessalyn Holodinsky Data Scientist
Christina Cherian Research Coordinator
Christina Cherian is the Research Coordinator for the Calgary Zone Emergency Departments. She specializes in ethics application, study start-ups and assisting in research activities. Christina is a Research Coordinator with experience in both clinical trials and academic research projects. A native of the Greater Toronto Area, she has had the opportunity to work in spinal cord injury research in Toronto and more recently, worked at University of Calgary with the Department of Neurosciences. She brings 5+ years of experience in research ethics, assessing and enrolling patients into studies and study coordination for multicenter projects.
Jill Vandenbrand Research Administrative Assistant & Site Chief Support
Jill Vandenbrand is returning to the Department of Emergency Medicine as the Research Administrative Assistant and Site Chief support. She is a Research Administrator with ten years of experience as a Research Admin, and 15 years of experience as a Medical Administrator within Alberta Health Services and the University of Calgary. Jill has extensive experience in multi-site ethics applications, research budgeting, contracts and research accounting. When not in the office Jill thrives on coffee, heavy metal and gardening.
Stacy Ruddell Research Coordinator
Stacy Ruddell works as a casual research coordinator for the Calgary Zone Emergency Departments. She specializes in patient enrolment and follow up, and has expertise in research ethics, study start-ups, database management, research finances and research contracts.
Stacy has a vast clinical research background. She started doing research in her Master's of Science degree which she completed at the University of Calgary in the Sports Medicine program. She has been employed by Alberta Health Services from over ten years working on numerous types of studies. She started her career in Pediatric Ophthalmology, and then went to Adult Critical Care Medicine. Currently she is back in pediatrics, however now focusing on oncology research. In her spare time, she is also a dance instructor at the EDGE school for athletes.
Stacey Lobos Research Coordinator
As a casual Research Coordinator for the Calgary Zone Emergency Department, Stacey is responsible for overlooking projects with a focus on research ethics, quality control, and training research personnel.
She draws from an extensive background in research labs at the University of Calgary spanning from studying biomechanics in the Department of Kinesiology to neurosciences in the Department of Pediatrics. These projects involved cadaveric work, CT imaging analysis and database development.
Stacey is now delving into direct patient care through Respiratory Therapy. In her spare time, you will find her pursing outdoor activities including downhill skiing, climbing and ultimate frisbee.
Emergency Medicine Researchers
| Name | Position/Research Area | UofC Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Charles Wong | CCFP EM Residency Program Director | https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/charles-wong |
| Dr. Catherine Patocka | FRCP EM Residency Program Director | https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/catherine-patocka |
| Dr. Colin Bell | ||
| Dr. Miles Hunter | ||
| Dr. Katie Lin | ||
| Dr. Chris Lipp | ||
| Dr. Patrick McLane | ||
| Dr. Kelsey Ragan | ||
| Dr. Stuart Rose | ||
| Dr. Fareen Zaver |
Consulting Our Research Team
Consulting Our Research Team
A friendly group of senior emergency medicine researchers who meet on the 2nd Thursday of every month (with the exception of summer months).
If interested in collaborating with the Department of Emergency Medicine Research Group, we invite you to email our research administrator to arrange a date & time to attend an EMRAC meeting and present a short, informal summary of your research project. Receive assistance with development of a research question, study design, statistical analysis, study population & recruitment strategies as well as general questions/assistance.
We host R.I.D. rounds on the fourth Thursday of every month during the school year as an opportunity for our research community to informally propose new research ideas or research projects that are under development and have not yet received ethics approval or funding. It is an opportunity to brainstorm ideas and support one another to develop innovative research in Calgary!
To best assist you with your research needs, please fill out and submit the following form:
Responsibilities of a Principle Investigator
PI’s working with the Department of Emergency Medicine will be expected to complete the following independently (with resource support from the Research Coordinator/Administrator)
- Develop study protocol and statistical analysis plan (SAP)
- Design Audit Protocols
With the expectation of auditing 10% of data collected - Design and sign off on Chart Review Forms (CRFs)
- if applicable - Submit own ethics, amendments and yearly renewals
- as needed - Design online data entry form, if applicable, prior to study initiation
For example, using the REDCap online platform
https://redcap.ucalgary.ca/
CHREB Documentation
For assistance with documentation required for consent, please see the University of Calgary's Forms and Documents including the CHREB Oral Consent Script template.
Study Team Research Certification
EXPIRY: Every 3 Years
Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2: CORE)
(Most physicians in the Calgary Zone will already have completed the following and are required submit their certificates of completion)
Health Information Act and Freedom of Information and Protection Act Training
Research Ethics and AHS Health Systems Access Assistance
We have compiled a repository of successful ethics application to assist you in completing your own.
Please login into the SharePoint website using your UCalgary credentials or email our research administrator for access permission.
All Emergency Medicine CHREB applications require the signature of the Department Head, Dr. Eddy Lang. Please fill out the following form with your project details and send to Dr. Lang and Jillian Vandenbrand for review and approval prior to submitting to ethics. This document should then be uploaded under "Documents" on the CHREB IRISS portal.
Please visit the University of Calgary's Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board for information about accessing IRISS, ethics forms, templates and contacts.
For IRISS account set up, please visit: https://www.ucalgary.ca/iriss/
If your study is funded, please also ensure you include a budget form and upload it under the "Documents" section in the CHREB IRISS portal.
Submission Concurrent with Your REB Application is Approved
AHS Resource Request (submitted concurrent with your REB application has been approved): You will automatically receive an email from Health Systems Access Assistant, giving you the next steps for obtaining AHS approval to access AHS data, if you require it for your study. This includes access to platforms such as SCM (if research based, you cannot use your clinical Connect Care access but must request Research “view only” access) and any electronic paper charts.
Lately, this email has been delayed by a few months so please email jill.vandenbrand@albertahealthservices.ca directly if you require AHS approvals in an expedited manner (otherwise it could take six months from the time you receive REB approval to when you are granted approval to access AHS data).
Please note: Paper chart requests from Health Information Services (HIM) are $3.00 for each chart, plus applicable taxes. Please ensure you have a valid University of Calgary Project ID/Fund with which to pay the HIM invoice for chart pulls.
After Ethics Approval
Other Research Resources
Required for study contracts and funding agreements related to multi-site research projects
Contact: csmlegal@ucalgary.ca
CSM benefits from a dedicated team of 5 full time staff to review any legal documents where the University of Calgary is a party or University of Calgary facilities and resources are involved. Legal, Research Services, Cumming School of Medicine (CSM Legal) provides legal review of contracts and agreements for the Cumming School of Medicine. They assist with the drafting, negotiation and execution of all types of research-related agreements (non-disclosure agreements, consulting agreements, clinical trial agreements, industry sponsored clinical trial, data sharing, material transfer agreements, service agreements, and research grants).
Internal Peer Review:
Disclaimer: You will need to login with your UofC credentials to access this internal link.
https://uofc.sharepoint.com/sites/IPR/SitePages/LearningTeamHome.aspx
External Peer Review opportunities:
National Committee Emergency Researchers (NCER). Accepts and reviews protocols in development at annual NCER conference.
https://ncer.ca/ncer-endorsement/
The Research Service Office requires that grants to external agencies (ie. CIHR) be submitted for review at last 7 business days in advance of the grant’s deadline. The electronic submission tool to send applications to RSO is below.
Funded Projects
For assistance with funding set-up including project account initiation, please contact our research administrator: jillian.vandenbrand@albertahealthservices.ca
Applies to fully funded projects employing different levels of research staff
Screening Only
- Ability to identify eligible patients based on study inclusion criteria with basic emergency department visit demographics accessible via the electronic emergency medicine dashboard Sunrise Emergency Care (SEC).
- Ability to pull daily lists of emergency department visit by primary CTAS score and triage complaint (generic list of 15+ complaints)
- Ability to use daily lists of emergency department visits to identify missed/control candidates to ensure reliability and minimize selection bias
Cost/Fee structure: Available upon request. Initial Research Assistant Orientation to the study usually takes approximately 2 hours plus hourly rate for research assistant plus/minus support for research coordinator role
Screening and Recruitment
- In addition to the above, research assistants will be trained in study protocol, eligibility criteria and consent procedure for your specific study
Cost/Fee structure: Available upon request. Initial Research Assistant Orientation to the study usually takes approximately 2 hours plus hourly rate for research assistant plus/minus support for research coordinator role
All fees can be discussed on a sliding scale basis for those who are interested in research but unable to meet the fee scales needed, exclusive of industry sponsored initiatives - full fees are applicable.
Members of the Department of Emergency Medicine (including Emergency Medicine Residents, Faculty and Staff clinicians/nurses and allied health professionals) In Kind
Members of other Departments within the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine:
- Assistance with Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board forms and submission: $60/hr
- Startup costs and Research Assistant Orientation: $250-$500 depending on the scope of the research project
Departments and Groups external to the University of Calgary Cumming School Of Medicine:
- Assistance with Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) forms and submission: $100/hr in addition to CHREB fee for review (in case of industry sponsored research, the cost of CHREB review is $4000)
Startup costs and Research Assistant Orientation: $250-$500 depending on the scope of the research project
Active Studies - Department of Emergency Medicine
EMED: Evaluating Microdosing in Emergency Departments: A randomized controlled trial of buprenorphine/naloxone microdosing vs. standard dosing
Objective: The primary objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of ED-initiated buprenorphine/naloxone take-home standard dosing and microdosing interventions for patients with opioid use disorder at BC and Alberta EDs, with regard to successful completion of the induction period.
PI: Dr. Jessica Moe (UBC)
Co-PI: Drs. Kathryn Crowder (U of C), Kathryn Dong and Robert Wittmeier (U of A)
Multi-centre cluster-randomized implementation of Canadian Syncope Risk Score based practice - Recommendations for Emergency Department Syncope Management
Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new clinical pathway for patients with undifferentiated syncope involving structured risk assessment and 15-day wearable cardiac monitors.
PI: Dr. Andrew McRae
Co-PI: Dr. Stephanie VandenBerg
Physiotherapy care in Emergency Departments for patients with musculoskeletal disorders: A pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial and cost analysis
Objective: To analyze the outcomes in a physio-led approach to minor musculoskeletal injuries in the ED would improve outcomes for patients in the ED.
PI: Dr. Kathryn Crowder
Co-PI: Dr. Stephanie VandenBerg
RACE study: Rapid, Accurate and Cost-Effective analysis of Glial Fibrillary Acid Protein using a hand-held biosensor for patient with concussion in acute care and at home monitoring
Objective: Compare blood Glial Fibrillary Acid Protein (GFAP) concentrations from the nano-biosensor to the gold-standard SIMOA in patients diagnosed with uncomplicated concussion until recovery.
PI: Dr. Chantel Debert
Co-PI: Dr. Kathryn Crowder, Dr. Amir Sanati Nezhad
RAFF4 Trial: Vernakalant vs. Procainamide for Acute Atrial Fibrillation in the Emergency Department
Objective: To compare intravenous (IV) vernakalant to IV procainamide for the ED management of acute atrial fibrillation patients.
PI: Dr. Andrew McRae
Co-PI: Dr. Kathryn Crowder
Our Contact Information
Address
Emergency Medicine Calgary Zone
Cumming School of Medicine
Foothills Medical Centre
1403 29 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2T9
Email: Jillian Vandenbrand