Last fall, the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation donated funds to support the work of the Office of Research and Innovation.
There are many exciting research projects planned and underway already that will impact healthcare in our communities including the following:
There are 2 new clinical trials being initiated with Dr. Marcus Newton. These studies are looking at a lung disease (Pulmonary Fibrosis), and testing a new drug and its ability to help these patients. This is a very serious disease with limited treatment options. This is an exciting opportunity for our local patients to trial a new drug to help them, without having to travel several hours to an urban center!
A very specific type of CT scanner image was required, and the scanner in Owen Sound hospital did not meet the technical specification requirements so, we were thrilled that the new CT Scanner in Saugeen Shores did and allowed Brightshores to be eligible for this study.
Dr. Rami Shasha, Brightshores Ophthalmologist is performing 2 studies that are examining a new technique for performing cataract surgery. He has been invited to present these 2 studies at a major conference in Boston in April 2024!
Brightshores is engaging in a number of industry partners to explore options of adopting new technologies to help provide care to patients in rural communities. Some of these technologies allow remote or mobile assessments and monitoring of patients. The focus is to find technologies that can meaningfully provide tools to help our workers, and tools to help care for our patients.
Some innovation projects are exploring new ways of training healthcare workers.
Dr. Ali Rassouli and Dr. Sunil Mehta are exploring the potential of training specialized surgical skills to emergency physicians in rural locations. This training involves practicing techniques on cadavers (donated bodies from an University Anatomy Lab).
Sometimes traumas occur in remote and rural regions where there are limited access to resources or specialists, and not enough time for transfer. Providing special training to these doctors will enhance skill and confidence, and best of all: save lives!
