The Nursing and Allied Health Research and Knowledge Translation (NAHRKT) department promotes innovation and excellence in interprofessional research and knowledge mobilization to drive evidence-informed improvements in care, better patient outcomes and increased system performance.
We had an opportunity to learn more about the NAHRKT team and will be publishing a series of stories on their work in the coming weeks. The first of our series is a Q&A with the NAHRKT team. Get to know the team below:
Tell us about the Nursing and Allied Health Research and Knowledge Translation department.
Who we are
A first of its kind in Canada, the Nursing and Allied Health Research and Knowledge Translation department was launched in January 2021. This move cast a bold vision for BC Cancer to evolve into a vibrant, world-class leader in research across the interdisciplinary spectrum. Today, the nursing and allied health research community is more diverse than ever before, with scientific expertise across all areas of health research – from clinical research to research on health services, health and healthcare equity, and population and public health. As nurses and allied health providers, we care deeply about providing high-quality, person- and family-centred care across the cancer trajectory and ensuring that our system can deliver compassionate and equitable care for all, including for those most disadvantaged among us.
Our team represents a mix of disciplines and skills from within the oncology and research specialties:
- Dr. Leah Lambert, executive director and senior scientist
- Andrea Knox, director
- Dr. Maria Torrejon, research and evaluation coordinator
- Scott Beck, clinical nurse specialist
- Jagbir Kaur, clinical nurse specialist
- Dr. Elizabeth Wilcox, research project coordinator
- Allanah Bayliss, administrative assistant
Vision and mission
Nursing and allied health providers bring a distinct perspective informed by practice expertise and an approach to research that guides knowledge generation toward relevant and meaningful problems. Our department has a strong vision and strategic plan to advance research and knowledge mobilization initiatives that target issues at the intersection of science, policy, and practice to address what matters most to the communities we serve. Informed by the vision, mission and values of PHSA and BC Cancer, our mission is to:
Promote innovation and excellence in interprofessional research and knowledge mobilization to drive evidence informed improvements in care, better patient outcomes and increased system performance.
How does your team support nurses and allied health professionals at BC Cancer?
Our team interfaces with direct-care clinicians, operations, clinical research and academia to provide expertise in the development, design, implementation and evaluation of nursing and allied health research and knowledge translation (KT) activities across BC Cancer. We provide a broad range of support by facilitating research and KT training programs, providing individual research mentorship, supervising trainees from the undergraduate to postdoctoral level, and consulting on regional quality improvement and direct-care research projects. Staff are encouraged to reach out to our team at any time with questions by emailing research.kt@bccancer.bc.ca
Can you tell us about some of the projects that your team has accomplished in its first year?
Our first year has been a busy one and building a new provincial department is no easy task, especially when it is the first of its kind in Canada! Early work focused on operational start-up activities, such as department staffing, logistics, and transitioning of existing research and KT initiatives. We even deployed our team to support the CST launch in Vancouver. As busy as it has been, we have developed a variety of resources and programs to support staff interested in engaging in research and KT. Some key milestones from the past year include launching:
- The new NAHRKT website - Bookmark it as a favourite and check back frequently as we continue to update it with new resources and opportunities!
- The provincial Research and KT Learning Collaborative
- Two advanced practice clinical nurse specialist research roles
- A Knowledge Translation (KT) Challenge in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care
- A new cohort of the BC Cancer Practice-Based Research Challenge
We have also received competitive funding for research and trainee awards, catalyzed an impressive network of research and health system collaborators, and secured academic cross-appointments at UBC and UBC-Okanagan for some staff.
A hallmark project led by our team in collaboration with Dr. Michael McKenzie (BC Cancer) and Dr. Sally Thorne (UBC) has been the “Planning to enhance capacity for equity-oriented cancer care in B.C.” Funded by Michael Smith Health Research BC, this project brings together researchers, health care providers, leaders in health policy and service delivery, knowledge users and patient and family partners to discuss health and health care equity as it relates to cancer care. Engagement sessions are underway with the goal of developing a research proposal to investigate recommendations and solutions for promoting equity in care and improving disparities in cancer outcomes in B.C.
What are the future goals of your department? What do you hope to accomplish?
The value and contributions nursing and allied health clinicians make to advancing cancer care cannot be overstated. Our plan is to cultivate a culture of scholarly practice that will contribute to building capacity within the organization where nurses and allied health clinicians can evolve and grow through opportunities for advancement; including future new allied health roles within our department.
Right now we are finalizing our five-year strategic plan, which includes clear goals and objectives that will map out the work ahead of us. We intend to build a strong infrastructure and catalogue of resources that provide NAH clinicians access to the training, tools and supports they need to participate in and lead research. This will include reducing the gap between production of new knowledge and improvement of clinical practice and patient care, known as the research-policy-practice divide, to help ensure research findings are put to good use.
Applying an equity-oriented lens to all we do in our department is also a critical piece of our work as we strive to become an emerging centre of excellence for oncology nursing and allied health research and knowledge mobilization. Our aim is to bring together clinicians, health system leaders, communities and academic partners to produce—and mobilize—evidence that actualizes a more equitable, diverse and inclusive cancer care system.