Alberta Innovative Trials Symposium

Sept. 18-19, 2023 | Calgary Central Public Library

Symposium sessions to be held in person at the Calgary Central Public Library with an optional cocktail reception on Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at Charbar. The cocktail reception is a cash bar with snacks provided.

About the Symposium

High-quality trials are vital to improve the health of patients and health systems but are challenging to carry out.

Increasingly, innovative methods are used to overcome traditional limitations. They have enormous potential to provide highly generalizable knowledge that is relevant to patients, healthcare providers and policymakers and can provide real-world evidence of the effectiveness of scalable interventions such as healthcare protocols, policies, devices, procedures, and digital technologies, as well as the comparative effectiveness of existing treatments options or the effectiveness of program implementation.

However, innovative trials can be complex to design, execute and analyze. They require engagement, partnership, and collaboration with several stakeholders and highly qualified research personnel to succeed.

This research symposium brings together members of the health research community to share knowledge and experiences from innovative trials, with the goal of improving health and health care in Canada and internationally.

City of Calgary skyline

Agenda

Please note, the library's doors are closed from 8:45-9 a.m.

Time

Description

9:00-9:30am

Registration and breakfast

9:30-9:35am

Introductions Drs. David Campbell, Steve Wilton & Matthew James

9:35-9:45am

Land acknowledgement Violet March

9:45-10:45am

Using nationwide registries to conduct pragmatic randomized trials and Q&A Dr. Tor Biering-Sørensen (Moderator: Dr. David Campbell)

10:45-11:05am

Use of a pragmatic embedded cluster crossover design to study a rare disease Dr. Stephen Freedman (Moderator: Dr. Steve Wilton)

11:05-11:25am

Results from the ACCESS trial: A pragmatic factorial health policy trial Dr. David Campbell (Moderator: Dr. Steve Wilton)

11:25-11:45am

Transition navigator trial Dr. Susan Samuel (Moderator: Dr. Steve Wilton)

11:45am-12:00pm

Panel discussion and Q&A (Moderator: Dr. Steve Wilton)

12:00-12:45pm

Lunch break

12:45-1:45 pm

Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) consortium: Need for structure, and goals and Q&A Dr. PJ Devereaux (Moderator: Dr. David Campbell)

1:45-2:05pm

Better evidence and translation for Calciphylaxis (BEAT-Calci): A multicentre adaptive platform trial Dr. David Collister (Moderator: Dr. Matthew James)

2:05-2:25pm

Clinical trials: A path towards equity Dr. Sandra Dumanski (Moderator: Dr. Matthew James)

2:25-2:45pm

Postpartum VTE prevention: Lessons learned from the pilot PARTUM trial Dr. Leslie Skeith (Moderator: Dr. Matthew James)

2:45-3:00pm

Panel discussion and Q&A (Moderator: Dr. Matthew James)

3:00-3:30pm

Afternoon break and networking

3:30-4:45pm

Trainee presentations

3:30-3:45pm

Ensuring trial-ready interventions through user-centered design Chidera Okemeziem (Moderator: Dr. Meghan Elliot)

3:45-4:00pm

The value of doing a preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis: Learnings from a healthy food prescription clinical trial Dr. Kieran Steer (Moderator: Dr. Meghan Elliot)

4:00-4:15pm

COVID-19 pandemic disruptions and opportunities for innovation in randomized clinical trials: Lessons from the PERK trial Ayoola Ademola (Moderator: Dr. Meghan Elliott)

4:15-4:30pm

IgA nephropathy in children: Treatment and research challenges Dr. Areefa Karan (Moderator: Dr. Meghan Elliot)

4:30-4:45pm

Panel discussion and Q&A (Moderator: Dr. Meghan Elliott)

4:45-5:00pm

Day 1 wrap-up Drs. David Campbell, Steve Wilton and Matthew James

Day 2:

Time

Description

9:00-9:10am

Registration and refreshment

9:10-9:15am

Welcome Winnie Pearson, Patient Partner

9:15-10:15am

A research career and lessons learned Dr. PJ Devereaux (Moderator: Dr. Steve Wilton)

10:15-10:30am

Morning break and networking

10:30-10:50

Designing the UPTAKE trial: Developing a highly pragmatic trial for a transition of care intervention Dr. Neesh Pannu (Moderator: Dr. Matthew James)

10:50-11:10am

Evaluating health policies: Pragmatic trials & collaborative teams Dr. Amity Quinn (Moderator: Dr. Matthew James)

11:10-11:30am

Showing Up, Speaking Up: The Team Perspective Dr. Maoliosa (Mo) Donald, Eleanor Benterud, Sandra RobertShaw and Nancy Verdin (Moderator: Dr. David Campbell)

11:30-11:45am

Panel discussion and Q&A (Moderator: Dr. David Campbell)

11:45am-12:00pm

Closing remarks Drs. David Campbell, Steve Wilton and Matthew James

 

Using Wifi During the Conference

Please note you must have a Calgary Public Library card/PIN number to log into the Library's free Wifi. If you don't have one, see a library staff member or sign up at the button below then follow these steps: Select the network 'LibraryWiFi-HotSpot.' When you are prompted to sign in, enter your Library card number and PIN. Accept the the terms and conditions then click Login. 

Hotel Information

We have reserved a block of rooms at Alt Hotel. Please reserve your room by clicking the link below. The link is valid for two nights during the conference: September 17-19. 

To book a room at Alt Hotel outside of this time period, please contact Robert Derochie at rderochie@germainhotels.com.


Featured Speakers

Dr. PJ Devereaux

Dr. PJ Devereaux, McMaster University

Dr. PJ Devereaux is a Professor in the Departments of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI) and Medicine at McMaster University. He is the Director of the Division of Perioperative Care at McMaster University and a Senior Scientist and the Scientific Leader of the Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine, and Surgical Research Group at the Population Health Research Institute. He serves as President of the Society of Perioperative Research and Care. Read more here

Tor Biering-Sørensen photo

Dr. Tor Biering-Sørensen, University of Copenhagen

Dr. Tor Biering-Sørensen is a Professor in Translational Cardiology and Pragmatic Randomized Trials at University of Copenhagen and Founding Head of Center for Translational Cardiology and Pragmatic Randomized Trials at Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. His research focuses on improving the usability of nationwide registries to conduct large-scale randomized trials and improving individualized risk prediction. Learn more here. 

Dr. Sandra Dumanski

Dr. Sandra Dumanski, University of Calgary

Dr. Sandra Dumanski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Dr Dumanski is an invitee of the KDIGO Controversies Conference on Women and Kidney Health and a member of the Hypertension Canada Guidelines Central Review Committee. She presently sits on the Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance Advocacy Committee and is the Central Lead for ‘Wear Red Canada’, celebrated annually to raise awareness of women’s heart health. She also serves as a gender advocate for the European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Group on Women, Atherosclerotic Disease, and Lipids.

Dr. Leslie Skeith

Dr. Leslie Skeith, University of Calgary

Dr. Leslie Skeith is an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies, Department of Medicine. Dr. Skeith completed her medical school and Hematology residency training at the University of Calgary, and completed a subspecialty fellowship in Thrombosis Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Skeith's research interests are in the area of prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Dr. Neesh Pannu

Dr. Neesh Pannu, University of Alberta

Dr. Neesh Pannu is a nephrologist and Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. She is the co-Scientific Director for the Alberta Health Services Kidney Health Strategic Clinical Network, and also holds the position of associate Dean of Clinical Research and Health Outcomes at the University of Alberta. She received her medical training at the University of Alberta, Stanford University and completed her MS in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Harvard University. Her research interests are primarily in the area of diagnosis, management, and outcomes of acute kidney injury. She is member of the Alberta Kidney Disease Network (AKDN) and the Interdisciplinary Chronic Disease Collaboration (ICDC).

Our Sponsors

Approach Logo
Ahs logo
libin logo
ICDC