Faculty of medicine researchers were awarded funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through the Operating Grant: COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities program.
The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Canada’s Minister of Health, announced an investment of approximately $25.2 million in 52 research projects to further improve our understanding of COVID-19 and tackle persistent evidence gaps linked to this disease.
Led by researchers across the country, the new COVID-19 projects will focus on topics such as variants of the virus, vaccine development and uptake, testing, mental health, and the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is having specific impacts on women, racialized populations, and Métis, Inuit and First Nations Peoples.
“I congratulate the successful research teams, whose work will address the most pressing COVID-19 issues facing Canadians and the world today,” Minister Hajdu said. “The new research will help inform and accelerate our efforts to improve the health of all populations. Investing in science is a top priority for our government so that we can keep Canadians safe and healthy during and following this pandemic.”
This investment will enable research teams to target priority areas and advance our knowledge and management of COVID-19 related issues. The findings will serve to provide decision-makers with guidance to improve the health of our populations.
Six projects led by UBC researchers were awarded a total of $1.9 million. Principal investigators for these projects are based at UBC and our affiliated health authority research institutes.
Faculty of medicine awardees:
Peter Berman, School of Population and Public Health
Project: Upstream determinants of effective COVID-19 response: tools development and application through a case study in British Columbia
CIHR funding: $118,575 (1 year)
Eric Jan, department of biochemistry and molecular biology
Project: Discovery of small molecules targeting SARS-CoV-2 frameshifting using a rapid yeast platform
CIHR funding: $445,230 (3 years)
Sarka Lisonkova, department of obstetrics and gynecology
Project: All-cause and cause-specific acute morbidity attributable to Covid-19 epidemic, severe Covid-19 symptoms, and adverse birth outcomes in Canada.
CIHR funding: $168,300 (2 years)
Honglin Luo, department of pathology and laboratory medicine
Project: Repurposing an FDA-approved anti-gout drug for the treatment of COVID-19
CIHR funding: $562,275 (3 years)
Ian Pike, department of pediatrics
Project: The unintended consequences of implementing stay-at-home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic: Violence outcomes in children and youth in Canada
CIHR funding: $267,750 (3 years)
Joseph Puyat and Rosemin Kassam, School of Population and Public Health
Project: Short and Long Term impact of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing of health workers in Pakistan
CIHR funding: $302,175 (2.5 years)