Meet the 2025-26 MSSU Trainee Support Program Recipients | | |
We are excited to announce the funding recipients of the 2025-2026 Trainee Support Program. This year, 15 exceptional trainees engaged in patient-oriented health research across the Maritimes have been selected to receive funding, with a total investment of $150,000.
These trainees, representing Master’s and Doctoral students, are dedicated to advancing health research that prioritizes patient perspectives. Under the supervision of MSSU Scientists, their research will address key health priorities in their respective provinces, ensuring that their work is both impactful and relevant.
| | Applying for a CIHR grant this fall? | | |
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) recently released new funding opportunities with a strong focus on Patient-Oriented Research (POR): Catalyst Grant: Partnering for Impact and Project Grant: Fall 2025 Priority Announcement.
These opportunities align with CIHR’s 2025–26 Departmental Plan, which emphasizes that research should be co-produced with people and communities with lived experience, policymakers, clinicians, and other partners—with the goal of moving evidence into practice and improving the health of all Canadians.
The MSSU can support you in designing and conducting meaningful POR that reflects these national priorities. From connecting with Patient/Public Partners to strengthening study design, our team is here to help. If you are developing a project with POR at its core, we invite you to request a consultation with us today.
| | Introducing DataNB: New Brunswick data centre gets a rebrand | | You may know it as New Brunswick Institute for Data, Research and Training (NB-IRDT) but as of August 22, our data partner became DataNB. DataNB is the province's official data repository and research centre for government administrative, social, health and education linked data. They work with policymakers, researchers, clinicians, and governments to design and execute research, monitoring, and reporting for deeper insights and better decision-making. | |
September is Childhood Cancer Month
To recognize this month, we're highlighting some of our past Trainee Support Program recipients whose patient-oriented research aims to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer and their families.
Aidan Nolan (2023-24) is exploring whether a preoperative virtual home-based exercise program can help pediatric and adolescent oncology patients build strength and resilience before surgery. By working closely with local pediatric oncologists and families, Aidan hopes to support sustainable, lifelong health habits for young cancer survivors—addressing long-term risks like cardiovascular disease caused by treatment.
Louise Bell (2022-23) is testing an online psychoeducation and social support intervention for parents of children with cancer. In other words, how social media support groups affect mental health of families with a child with cancer. By helping parents cope with stress and isolation—especially those who must travel outside New Brunswick for care—this project aims to improve both parent well-being and children’s quality of life. If you know someone who may be interested in participating, please share the survey link.
Past MSSU-supported research by Perri Tutelman has also deepened our understanding of childhood cancer pain, with published studies examining pain prevalence, parent management strategies, and the lived experiences of children post-treatment.
We’re honoured to support these researchers as they work to create better outcomes for children and families affected by cancer.
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Health Effects During Extreme Heat
Exposure to extreme heat has been linked to negative health outcomes, including increased need for health services and, in severe cases, death. Climate change events are becoming more frequent. This is especially true in New Brunswick, which has an aging population with pre-existing health conditions and is therefore more vulnerable to extreme heat. This study, led by MSSU researcher Sandra Magalhaes, aims to help improve New Brunswick’s Heat Alert and Response System (HARS) and guide interventions to protect New Brunswickers during heat events.
Read the report
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Left Behind by Medicare: The Impact of Rare Disease Exclusion on Access, Experience, and Outcomes in Nova Scotia
This study looks at the experiences of people living with rare diseases and their caregivers. The goals is to better understand how having a rare disease affects everyday life, relationships, and access to healthcare. MSSU Associate Scientists Dr. Katie Aubrecht is supervising St. Francis Xavier University student Abby Hopkins in this research that includes patients and caregivers in shaping the study.
Contact researchrare2025@gmail.com to learn more
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Dr. Ellen McGarity Shipley: Designing care with patients at the centre
MSSU Scientist Dr. Ellen McGarity-Shipley is bringing patients and community members to the table to transform primary care in Nova Scotia. Her work focuses on integrating social determinants of health—like income and access to food—into everyday healthcare through an approach called social prescribing.
“There’s no point in designing a system without the input of the people who will be impacted,” says Ellen. “Engaging patients as true partners leads to solutions that matter.”
Read the full Q&A to learn how Ellen’s team is co-designing change and why she believes patient engagement is worth the extra effort.
| | | Opportunities are available for the those with the following lived or living experience: | | Have you ever served in a leadership or oversight role? | | |
The Patient Advisors Network (PAN) is exploring ways to support patient/caregiver partners in oversight and governance roles. As part of this initiative, they are inviting patient /caregiver partners to take part in a short Canada-wide survey by September 5. The results will inform our go forward plans.
The Patient Advisors Network (PAN) is a Canadian national grassroots community of Patient/Caregiver Partners and advisors. PAN supports and helps build the abilities of Patient/ Caregiver Partners. PAN helps to share our collective insights with those in healthcare. Learn more at www.patientadvisors.ca
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Are you recruiting patient partners?
If you have an opportunity to engage patients or the public from the Maritimes in your health research, we can help! We will share it on our website and with our network of Patient/Public Partners.
Submit an opportunity
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Policy and Practice
Learning in Action: Transforming National Guidance in Pediatric Pain into Local Impact
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September 10, 2025 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. AST
Online | ENGLISH
In this session you’ll hear the story behind the CAN/HSO13200:2023 Pediatric Pain Management standard—why it was needed, how it was developed in partnership between Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP) and the Health Standards Organization, and what it means for improving care for children across the country. Then you’ll learn how the standard is being applied in Nova Scotia through a collaborative approach involving IWK Health and rural hospitals across the province. Featured speakers: Dr. Katie Birnie, clinical psychologist and associate professor, University of Calgary and Patti Douglas, clinical implementation specialist in pediatric pain management.
| | Learn how to access health data for your research | |
November 12, 2025 | 12 p.m. AST
Online | ENGLISHopy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for (audience)? Why should they care (benefit)? What do I want them to do (call-to-action)?
In this Lunch and Learn session, we provide an overview of the data services provided by Health Data Nova Scotia (HDNS), DataNB (formerly New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data, and Training) and the Secure Island Data Repository (SIDR) for researchers, trainees, and data partners.
| | MSSU Patient-Oriented Research Practicum | | |
September 25, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. AST
Online | ENGLISH
Join us for a free, 2.5-hour virtual training workshop that builds on the CIHR-IMHA’s e-learning: A How-to-Guide to Patient Engagement in Research. This hands-on session helps participants apply core concepts from the e-learning modules to real-world contexts, with a focus on the Maritimes.
Co-led by a Patient/Public Partner, each session includes practical tips, examples, and opportunities for discussion. You’ll learn how to plan for meaningful engagement and address common challenges. See the full 2025-26 schedule.
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