We are pleased to announce the Knowledge Translation (KT) Canada Summer Institute to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from June 17-19, 2025. It’s being held at the Simon Fraser University Harbourfront Centre. The theme for this Summer Institute will be “KT and learning health systems”.
In the context of a learning health system (LHS), expertise in knowledge synthesis and implementation practice/evaluation are essential. This is illustrated in Figure 2 of this document from the Ontario SPOR Support Unit, which presents the Learning Health System Action Framework. An LHS environment also provides opportunities for KT scientists to address research questions that advance KT/implementation science, e.g., they might explore the contexts that enable meaningful patient engagement in implementing stroke management guidelines in a health authority.
The Summer Institute incorporates both the science and practice of KT. Trainees from the Summer Institute may pursue careers in KT science, KT practice, or both, across various settings.
With the theme of KT and LHS, we will feature a career panel that includes KT/implementation scientists working in LHS environments. They will share how their KT training has shaped their work.
The Summer Institute provides participants with the opportunity to increase their understanding of knowledge translation research as well as opportunities and challenges in this field. The Summer Institute will also provide participants with the chance to network with colleagues including national and international KT experts.
The Summer Institute is aimed at graduate students, post-doctoral and clinical fellows, junior faculty who study issues relevant to KT, and those who want to learn more about how to advance their research skills in this area. We encourage applications from a wide range of disciplines that span all of CIHR’s research themes (clinical, health services, and population health).
Registration
Registration fee for trainees and fellows will be $480 CAD
Registration fee for junior faculty and research staff will be $1,075 CAD
Please note, accommodations are not included in the cost. We have reserved space with several hotels in the area.
Email Meghan.Storey@UnityHealth.to with questions.
Speakers will be a mix of KT Canada faculty and local experts. We will be adding speakers to this page as we get closer to the event.
Dr. Skye Barbic is a registered occupational therapist, Canada Research Chair in Integrated Youth Services, and an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Barbic’s focus of research is on learning health systems, measurement-based care, and the implementation of youth centered interventions. She is passionate about systems transformation through community engagement, meaningful measurement, and innovation.
Dr. Simonne Collins is a CHILD-BRIGHT Network post-doctoral fellow based at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. Simonne’s research focuses on enhancing the implementation of interventions that improve child and family health. This includes exploring the uniqueness of children’s context and how we can leverage existing structures in a child’s life (i.e. schools and extended caregiver circles) to increase implementation success. Simonne is applying her research findings to support the IWK Health’s Learning Health System initiative. Simonne’s background is in neuropsychology, having completed her PhD in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University in Australia in 2022. Simonne has experience in leading co-designed research in pediatric populations with developmental health conditions.
Dr. Janet Curran is a Professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University and a Research Chair in Quality and Patient Safety at IWK Health, Nova Scotia Health and Dalhousie University. She is the Implementation Science Co-lead for the CHILDBRIGHT Network and the Scientific Lead in the Strengthening Transitions in Care lab at IWK Health where her program of research is focused on co-designing and evaluating best practice and policy change interventions to improve transitions in care for patients and families. Her co-design work is informed by collaborating with multiple stakeholders including patients, parents and caregivers, healthcare providers, and policy makers.
Dr. Maoliosa (Mo) Donald, PhD is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She is trained as a health services researcher, implementation scientist, and physical therapist. Her research interests include interventions that support person-centered care, and innovations that address the evidence-practice gap. Mo has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement in the implementation of health innovations. She is interested in applying theories, methods, and frameworks to determine factors that promote or impede implementation, adaptation, and sustainability in ways that are effective and practical for various contexts.
Dr. Christine (Tina) Fahim (PhD, MSc) is a Scientist for the Knowledge Translation Program, St. Michael’s Hospital and leads the Team for Implementation, Evaluation and Sustainability (TIES). She is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and an Associate Scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Fahim is a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s governing council. She obtained her MSc in Health Systems at the University of Ottawa followed by a PhD in Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact from McMaster University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Fahim’s research focuses on the science and practice of knowledge translation to implement evidence-based interventions at the provider, organization, and health systems levels.
Dr. Clayon Hamilton, PhD, MHA (c), is a health system leader focused on advancing innovation and improvement through evidence-informed strategies and partnerships. Trained as a health services researcher at Western University and the University of British Columbia, his expertise includes patient experience measurement, patient engagement, and knowledge mobilization. He has held leadership roles across British Columbia’s healthcare system, including health authorities, non-profits, and at the Ministry of Health as an embedded scholar. Currently, he is the Knowledge Exchange and Mobilization Leader at Foundry Central Office, leading a team supporting the Learning Health System Initiative and other knowledge mobilization efforts across the Foundry network of centres delivering integrated youth service. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Bev Holmes is a health research system leader with expertise and experience in and passion for the funding, production and use of research evidence to improve health. She sits on research advisory groups across Canada and internationally, is an associate editor at Implementation Science Communications and participates in the National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations.
She gratefully makes her home on the traditional, unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples.
Dr. Kerry Kuluski is the inaugural Dr. Mathias Gysler Research Chair in Patient and Family Centred Care at the Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners and Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (University of Toronto). She is an Applied Health Services Researcher and a Social Worker by training. She received her PhD in Health Services and Policy Research from the University of Toronto. Following that she was a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford. At the U of T she supervises graduate students, and developed a course on Patient and Caregiver Engagement in Research where she is Course Director. She is Associate Editor for an International Peer Reviewed Journal, Health Expectations. She leads a program of research on the experiences of people with chronic health issues and their caregivers. Her goal is to improve quality and health system performance by working in partnership with patients, family caregivers, and care providers.
Dr. Linda Li is Professor and Harold Robinson/Arthritis Society Chair at the Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, and Senior Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada. Dr. Li’s research focuses on the integration of digital tools in rehabilitation, including the use of wearables and apps to promote physical activity in people with arthritis, and in older adults to prevent falls. Her work in knowledge translation and implementation science has led to a new line of studies on strategies for engaging with patients and the public in the research process. She held a Canada Research Chair in Patient-oriented Knowledge Translation in 2014-2024. Her work has been recognized by a Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Rheumatology Professionals in the U.S. In 2019, she was inducted as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Dr. Jasmin Ma is an assistant professor of teaching in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, a Clinician Investigator with Arthritis Research Canada, and an Investigator with the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. She was named a UBC Knowledge Mobilization Scholar for her work in bridging her role as a kinesiologist and researcher, working with clinicians and community members to provide physical activity participation opportunities for people with diverse physical abilities. She leads the Movement 4 All (M4A) lab which focusses on i) training heath and exercise professionals to integrate inclusive physical activity as a key healthcare strategy and ii) supporting strength training behaviour change among people with chronic disease and disability, particularly people with spinal cord dysfunction and rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr. Sonia Singh is a hospitalist physician and osteoporosis consultant in the Fraser Health Authority, based at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock. New recipient of a five year Michael Smith Health Research BC Health Professional Investigator award, Dr. Singh has been successful with a number of research operating grants in the area of osteoporosis and fall prevention, including an Implementation Science Team grant from the Michael Smith Health Research BC for “Breaking the cycle of recurrent fracture: Scaling up a secondary fracture prevention program in Fraser Health to inform spread across British Columbia”. She sits on the Knowledge Mobilization Platform for Osnet, a national research network supporting bone health research in Canada and holds academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU.
Dr. Sean Spina (RPh, BSc(Pharm), ACPR, PharmD, FCSHP) is a leader in pharmacy practice advancement and a key contributor to the development of Learning Health Systems at Island Health. As a Regional Clinical Pharmacy Manager and researcher, he has been instrumental in integrating data-driven decision-making and continuous learning into healthcare delivery. His work focuses on leveraging real-world evidence to improve patient care by engaging patients, families, clinicians, and decision makers in the research process to optimize clinical workflows. Dr. Spina has participated in multiple innovative projects, including Island Health’s Hospital at Home initiative, and actively collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to advance healthcare transformation. He also holds an adjunct faculty position at the University of British Columbia, where he mentors the next generation of healthcare professionals in applying learning health principles to clinical practice. He has authored several published articles on these topics and has received numerous local, provincial, and national awards for his work on clinical practice and patient care. Website: http://profiles.islandhealth.ca/sean-spina
Applications are now closed, many thanks to all who applied.
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