Rural Research spotlight
The SRPC Research Committee is dedicated to improving the accessibility and awareness of Canadian and International rural health research to SRPC members at any stage in their career. This page outlines important aspects of current rural health research in Canada, including research opportunities, upcoming research events, and highlights of recent publications.
research Opportunities
Master of Medical Studies program - Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Opportunity Type: Master of Medical Studies Where: Northern Ontario School of Medicine Posted on SRPC website: 26-Jul-2021 More Information: The Master of Medical Studies (MMS) program will provide foundational research skills for physicians who want to develop a robust approach to answering health care questions. The program will focus on developing the necessary skills to acquire grant funding, obtain ethics approval, develop a research question and appropriate methodology, complete the research study, and finally write and present the results at conferences and in publication. Our goal is for learners to focus on health care problems in the north to improve the health status of all people in northern, rural, and remote communities. The MMS uses an asynchronous model to deliver the course material, the courses will be available online. Students can complete this program remotely with a flexible schedule. There is no in person requirement for this program. Website: https://www.nosm.ca/research/graduate-studies/master-of-medical-studies/
Medical Student Research OpportunityOpportunity Type: Research Assistant Principle Investigator: Dr. Sarah Lespérance Posted on SRPC website: 29-Apr-2021 More Information: Are you a medical student interested in rural research, resilience, and generalism? A research study related to systemic challenges and resilience protectors, in relation to scope of practice of rural physicians, is looking to hire a student to help with knowledge translation work, as well as possible development of further research proposals in this domain. The timeframe would be to complete work between now and July 31, 2021 due to grant deadlines. If you might be interested in learning more about this opportunity, please email dr.sarah.lesperance@horizonnb.ca.
 Funding is available for graduate students and health professionals who are interested in conducting patient-oriented researchNL SUPPORT and Quality of Care NL are excited to announce that funding is available for graduate students and health professionals who are interested in conducting patient-oriented research. At least one grant for each funding opportunity will be designated for research led by an Indigenous student/health professional or in partnership with an Indigenous community: GRADUATE STUDENT FUNDINGNL SUPPORT’s annual educational funding competition has reopened for new or current graduate students with an interest in translational, applied or other patient-oriented research. Funding is available for up to two years for an MSc and three years for a PhD student, beginning January 2022. The value of this award will be for a maximum of $14,000/year for Masters’ students and $18,000/year for PhDs. For details, guidelines and application materials, visit https://www.nlsupport.ca/Funding/Educational-Funding-Opportunities HEALTH PROFESSIONAL FUNDINGNL SUPPORT invites health professionals working actively in a clinical role who would like to move into research or have a specific question with a patient-oriented research focus to apply to our annual health professional-led funding competition. Up to five grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded. For details, guidelines and application materials, visit https://www.nlsupport.ca/Funding/Health-Professional-led-Research-Grants Inquiries about these funding opportunities? Contact: NL SUPPORT’s Julia Elizabeth Burt juliaburt@mun.ca |
Would you like to promote a Canadian rural health research opportunity? We'd love to hear about it. Please connect with us at srpc.research@gmail.com |
Upcoming research Events
Hosting or aware of a rural health research event and would like to add it to our calendar? Send us an email |
RESEARCH FEATURE
Rural family physician perspectives on communication with urban specialists: a qualitative study
Authors: Wilson MM, Devasahayam AJ, Pollock NJ, Dubrowski A, Renouf T Journal: BMJ Open (2021) Summary & Impact: Communication between rural family physicians and urban specialists is a vital aspect of patient care in rural Canadian contexts. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of rural family physicians in Newfoundland and Labrador on communication with urban specialists during patient transfers and referrals. 11 family physicians practicing in rural communities (i.e., outside of the St. John’s metropolitan area) participated in semi-structured interviews and key themes were identified using thematic analysis. Important aspects of communication between rural physicians and urban specialists included a mutual understanding of the rural context, such as the sparsity of resources and the complexity of patient-physician relationships in rural areas, discussing the logistical and social challenges of transferring patients between rural and urban areas, and fostering a respectful professional discourse. Participants discussed individual- and system-level strategies that could be used to facilitate communication between rural and urban physicians, including improved use of telemedicine technologies. The results form this study provide key insights into how communication between rural and urban physicians can be improved to facilitate high-quality patient care in rural contexts. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043470 | Meet the Corresponding AuthorDr. Margo Wilson is a staff physician in the Emergency Medicine Program at Eastern Health (St. John’s, NL) and an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University. Dr. Wilson completed an MD degree at the University of Ottawa in 2007 followed by Family Medicine and Enhanced Skills in Emergency Medicine residencies at Memorial University in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Dr. Wilson completed her family medicine training in the Northern Family Medicine (NorFAM) Training Program in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, where she then practiced as a staff physician from 2011 to 2017. Dr. Wilson has been a locum physician in multiple rural communities in Newfoundland and was the co-chair of the SRPC Rural & Remote Medicine National Conference in 2018 and 2019.Question: Why is studying rural and remote health in Canada important to you? |
Photo: Margo Wilson |
Check out past Research Features: Past Research Features.pdf |
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