Cross Cutting Themes

Mitewekan, as a life force, aims to promote health and wellness outcomes for Indigenous communities. The name reflects the spirit of community and the shared heartbeat that connects us all. In the spirit of Mitewekan, the objectives of the Indigenous Engagement Cross- cutter are to improve Indigenous co-creation in research, ensure adequate and proportional Indigenous participation in research, support and promote culturally safe approaches to research and engagement, promote mutual benefit and reciprocity in research, increase research projects directly addressing Indigenous determinants of health and provide Indigenous specific training and resources for theBHI.

Contacts:

Alexandra King, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS, Indigenous Engagement Cross-cutter Co-Lead [email protected]

Malcolm King, PhD, FCAHS, FRSC, Indigenous Engagement Cross-cutter Co-Lead [email protected]

Knowledge mobilization is a science and practice that aims to increase research uptake and inform practice, program, and policy decisions. At the BHI, we aim to design and do research with the people, communities, organizations, governments, and industry partners, tackling real- world problems and providing answers to the people who will use it. This, to accelerate knowledge translation and improve the brain-heart health of Canadians and people worldwide.

The KMb/Co-production Cross-cutter supports the BHI in its efforts to co-produce and mobilize mission-driven knowledge about combined brain-heart conditions with people who will use it, including Indigenous people, equity deserving groups, communities and patient partners, basic and translational researchers, health care providers and government and industry partners.

The KMb/Co-production Cross-cutter will build capacity through training and mentoring, the sharing of resources, disseminating knowledge in tailored ways for various audiences, and advancing the science of co-production and implementation for greatest impact.

Contacts:

Krystina Lewis, PhD, RN, Knowledge Mobilization/Co-production Cross-cutter Lead [email protected]

Andrea Smith, PhD, Specialist, Knowledge Mobilization/Co-production Cross-cutter [email protected]

The objective of the Patient Engagement (PE) cross-cutter is to guide BHI in engaging meaningfully with patients (including family members and caregivers) partners throughout BHI’s operations, governance, and supported activities. The PE Cross-cutter will be guided by patients, their experiences and their insights to co-develop and carry out an action plan. The PE Cross-cutter will also co-create guidelines about inclusion and compensation of patient partners, and support or co-develop patient engagement training for anyone who is involved with BHI, including both patients wishing to be involved as partners and for research team members collaborating with patients.

Contacts:

Dawn Richards, PhD, Patient Engagement Cross-cutter Lead [email protected]

Andrea Smith, PhD, Specialist, Patient Engagement Cross-cutter [email protected]

Through the IDEAS cross-cutter, BHI is operationalizing the paradigm shift in Western conceptions of research excellence: that to be rigorous and high-impact, research must be driven by both expertise and needs of all those to whom it is applied. The IDEAS cross-cutter will enable BHI to establish a new standard for excellence in research practice.

Transdisciplinary collaborations that are centred on inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and social justice generate the highest-impact brain-heart research and equitable care results. Together BHI researchers, trainees, and knowledge users, such as health practitioners, and patient partners, create research that benefits everyone. BHI’s IDEAS objectives are to fully integrate an IDEAS-based approach to the research environment, design, practice, and results:

Inclusion:

• To identify and address the systemic barriers that hinder full engagement and fair benefit of marginalized groups in brain and heart research.
• To embed inclusive practices at all levels within BHI to ensure that everyone thrives and is valued.

Diversity:

• To increase diversity at all levels in BHI.
• To nurture a bias- and stereotype-free culture that welcomes everyone.

Equity:

• To enable and foster professional development of team members and patient partners from Indigenous communities and equity-deserving groups (EDGs: Racialized Individuals, African, Caribbean, and Black, Persons with Disabilities, Women, and +LGBTQIA/two spirit).
• To change culture within BHI to reduce barriers to success and improve equality of Indigenous Peoples and Equity Deserving Groups (EDGs).

Accessibility:

• To eliminate barriers that prevent full participation in BHI.
• To make accessibility integral to BHI culture and practices.

Social Justice:

• To foster an anti-racism, anti-ableism, decolonizing, pro-diverse, and inclusive research culture and practice where all are welcomed and valued.
• To actively dismantle barriers, from administrative to learners and patients, to empower and motivate each other.

Contacts:

Emilio Alarcon, PhD, IDEAS Cross-cutter Lead [email protected]

Marie-Katherine Waller, PhD, Senior Advisor, IDEAS Cross-cutter [email protected]

The objective of the BHI Training and Mentorship (T&M) cross-cutter, currently being led by BHI’s three Directors, Peter Lui, MD, Ruth Slack, PhD, and Ian Graham, PhD, is to create an interdisciplinary training environment that catalyzes a new brain-heart (B-H) trans-discipline and builds a cadre of future leaders in mission-driven B-H research. In collaboration with the Foundation, Theme and Cross-cutter Leads, the T&M cross-cutter will engage trainees and mentors in the development and delivery of BHI curricula and training experiences that will also include a focus on professional skill development and career guidance. It will create a mentorship community of practice to share best practices and learn together. Funding opportunities that support interdisciplinary training will support each step in the training trajectory. The T&M cross-cutter will also engage with and leverage partnership opportunities to build on and expand its reach and relevance.

Contact:

Jennifer Gunning, Senior Director, BHI [email protected]

The Commercialization Cross-cutter (CC) will support, advise, and mentor BHI teams on commercialization opportunities, assess market potential and link up with business, venture capital and entrepreneurial talents to continue to move along the value chain. The vision is to embed leading commercialization practices across the BHI, supported by BHI participants and expert partner organizations to derive maximum benefits from the results of BHI research activities that have high-potential for commercialization. This includes products, services or practice-changing methods that result in significant productivity gains and quality of care and quality of life improvements. Specifically, the CC will:

• Increase the “commercialization IQ” across BHI project participants through training and support services.
• Develop a portfolio of “high commercialization potential” projects and activities (pre- commercialization and commercialization).
• Support and maximize the creation of new IP, new partnerships, new investments, and new ventures.

Contact:

Michael Bitz, senior director, Innovation Support Services, Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, University of Ottawa

Commercialization Cross-cutter Lead [email protected]

of BHI supported research are accessible to all stakeholders, thereby democratizing knowledge and advancing global health initiatives.

Contacts:

Kelly Cobey, PhD, Open Science Cross-cutter Lead [email protected]

Edward Xu, Open Science Methodologist, Open Science Cross-cutter [email protected]