Manisha Kulkarni, associate professor at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, joins two others at the University as the first recipients of the University of Ottawa’s Knowledge Mobilization Excellence Award, one of a number of knowledge mobilization initiatives recently established by the Office of the Vice-President, Research.
The award honours researchers who have been successful and innovative in promoting the use of research outside academia. Each recipient receives $7,000 to support their knowledge mobilization activities.
“It is increasingly incumbent on universities to encourage and support researchers in translating discovery into action,” said Sylvain Charbonneau, uOttawa’s vice-president, research. “The efforts undertaken by our three first award winners show the tremendous value of promoting new knowledge in the greater community and of involving knowledge users at various levels of the research process.”
Integrated knowledge translation is key to Dr. Kulkarni’s research on identifying areas in and around Ottawa that are at greater risk for Lyme disease and West Nile virus. A professor at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Kulkarni works closely with partners such as Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and the National Capital Commission (NCC).
Based on tick surveillance and lab analyses, Kulkarni’s team has developed Lyme disease risk maps across the city that have helped inform OPH on disease risks. These maps have also helped the NCC pinpoint the most important tick habitats and areas of Lyme disease transmission. Kulkarni and her team have subsequently worked with the NCC on pilot projects to reduce tick densities on recreational trails.
“This research provided Ottawa Public Health with evidence for health-care providers that reflected the actual risk in our catchment area,” said Ann Stanton-Loucks of OPH. “This information, in turn, was used to develop current assessment and clinical management of exposures to ticks in Ottawa.”
Dr. Kulkarni received her award on June 13 at the Knowledge Mobilization Excellence Award ceremony.
View the full list of winners at uOttawa prepared by the Office of the Vice-President, Research.
Learn more about Knowledge Mobilization at uOttawa.
