Botswana

Project title: Senior Pediatric Resident Electives 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner organizations: Princess Mariana Hospital

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Developing a pediatric resident electives and simulation program in Botswana

[Project website]

Project title: Optimizing Management of Pediatric Diarrhoeal Disease in Botswana: A Factorial, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Rapid Enteric Diagnostics and Probiotic Therapy

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb, Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, Margaret Mokomane 

Partner organizations: Botswana Ministry of Health, Botswana UPenn Partnership, bioMerieux

Timeline: 2016-2018

Description: Conducting a multisite randomized, placebo-control trial of rapid molecular diagnostics and probiotic therapy in order to evaluate their relative impact on the outcomes of severe gastroenteritis in children in Botswana

[Project website]

Ghana

Project title: Probiotics at Birth to Prevent Neonatal Sepsis and Death

Project leads: Dr. Tobi Kollmann, Dr. Owusu-Agyei 

Partner organizations: Kintampo Health Research Center

Timeline: 2016 - ongoing

Description: Conducting pilot projects to determine the feasibility of a vaccine and probiotic research project

Guinea-Bissau

Project title: Non-specific Effects of Vaccines 

Project leads: Dr. Tobi Kollmann, Dr. Peter Aaby 

Partner organizations: Bandim Health Project

Timeline: 2015 - ongoing

Description: Conducting a randomized controlled trial of BCG administered at birth to determine reduction in death in the first week of life

[Project website]

The Gambia

Project title: Systems Biology to Identify Biomarkers of Neonatal Vaccine Immunogenicity

Project leads: Dr. Tobi Kollmann, Dr. Hancock, Dr. Tebbutt, Dr. Foster, Dr. Brinkman, Dr. Kampmann

Partner organizations: Medical Research Council of The Gambia

Timeline: 2017 - ongoing

Description: Using systems biology to decipher how newborns respond to vaccination

Malawi

Project title: Implementation of a Neonatal Care Package for Facility Based Care in Malawi

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Timeline: 2016 - 2020

Description: Scaling up a package of neonatal care interventions (including bubble CPAP, breastfeeding support, and Kangaroo Mother Care)

[Project website] 

Project title: Evaluation of a Novel Method of Determining Physiologic Stability in Severely Malnourished Children

Project leads: Dr. Mark Manary, Dr. Jonah Attebery, Dr. Indi Trehan

Partner organizations: Washington University in St Louis

Timeline: 2017 - ongoing

Description: Researching if heart-rate variability (HRV) can identify high-risk malnourished children

[Project website] 

Project title: Improving the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis in Malawi

Project leads: Dr. Pascal Lavoie, Dr. Niranjan Kissoon, Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Matthew Wiens 

Partner organizations: Kamuzu Central Hospital and Community Health Sciences Unit

Timeline: 2017-ongoing

Description: Developing a transcriptome-based diagnostic blood test to help build improved predictor models of mortality and need for antibiotics in newborns presenting with clinical signs of neonatal sepsis

Sierra Leone

Project title: Long-term Outcomes Post-Ebola Infection 

Project leads: Dr. Srinivas Murthy

Partner organizations: University of Toronto, Sierra Leone Ministry of Health

Timeline: 2015 - ongoing

Description: Implementing an observational cohort study of long-term sequelae in Ebola survivors

South Africa

Project title: Senior Pediatric Resident Electives 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner organizations: Red Cross Children's Hospital, the University of Cape Town, and Paarl Hospital

Timeline: 2004 - ongoing

Description: Developing a pediatric resident electives and simulation program in South Africa

[Project website]

Project title: Capacity Building for Nurses

Project leads: Dr. Caron Strahlendorf

Partner organizations: C17 International Development Committee

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Delivering a pediatric oncology nursing curriculum for nurses in developing countries

Project title: Exploring Young Women’s Knowledge about the Human Papillomavirus, Cervical Cancer and Screening, and Attitudes towards the HPV Vaccine in Durban South Africa

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Angela Kaida, Dr. Jennifer Smit

Partner organizations: Simon Fraser University, University of Witwatersrand

Timeline: 2016 - 2020

Description: Describing the knowledge, awareness and beliefs about HPV infection, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines to explore predictors of vaccine acceptability and willingness to screen among female adolescents/young adults living in Durban, South Africa, the global ‘epicentre’ of the HIV epidemic

Tunisia, Morocco & Algeria

Project title: Pediatrician Teaching

Project leads: Dr. Jean Pierre Chanoine

Partner organizations: Maghreb School

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Providing annual training for 25-30 pediatricians at the Maghreb School, with a focus on pediatric diabetes and endocrinology

[Project website] 

Uganda

Project title: Uganda Hearing Health Program

Project leads: Dr. Brian Westerberg

Partner organizations: Local Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgeons 

Timeline: 2000 - ongoing

Description: Training providers on addressing chronic ear infections complicated by perforated ear drums and ear drainage issues

Project title: Uganda Sustainable Clubfoot

Project leads: Dr. Shafique Pirani

Partner organizations: Makerere University, the University of British Columbia, and the Ugandan Ministry of Health

Timeline: 2002 - ongoing

Description: Enhancing treatment and care of congenital clubfoot deformity in Uganda

[Project website]

Project title: Advances in Screening and Prevention in Reproductive Cancers (ASPIRE)

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Deborah Money, Dr. Jan Christilaw

Partner organizations: British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and the University of British Columbia

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Implementing a scalable and affordable integrated cervical cancer screening program that uses a novel technology developed specifically for cervical cancer screening in resource limited countries

[Project website] 

Project title: Global Partners in Anesthesia and Surgery

Project leads: Nathan O'Hara

Partner organizations: Makerere University, Injury Control Centre Uganda, Arrive Alive Uganda, Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Developing, implementing, and evaluating strategies that improve surgical, pain and perioperative services and health equity in low-resource settings

[Project website]

Project title: Uganda Sustainable Trauma Orthopedic Program 

Project leads: Nathan O'Hara

Partner organizations: Uganda Ministry of Health, Makerere University, and Mulago Hospital

Timeline: 2007 - ongoing

Description: Improving the education of surgical trainees, nurses and paramedical personnel in the care of patients with traumatic injury, from entry to full rehabilitation

[Project website]

Project title: Uganda Training Alliance and Pediatric Surgery Camps

Project leads: Dr. Eleanor Reimer, Dr. Geoff Blair

Partner organizations:

Makerere University and Mulago Hospital

Timeline: 2007 - ongoing

Description: Providing fellowships for Ugandan surgeons and anaesthetists to train in Canada at the BC Children’s Hospital, as well as holding camps every two years in Uganda to provide specialized surgical care for Ugandan children most in need

[Project website]

Project title: Micro-Research Coaching Project

Project leads: Dr. Ashley Roberts, Dr. Kris Kang

Partner organizations: Dalhousie University

Timeline: 2010 - ongoing

Description: Providing local researchers the opportunity to create their own projects/questions via mentorship opportunities

[Project website]

Project title: Post-Discharge Survival 

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson, Dr. Matthew Wiens, Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Tex Kissoon

Partner organizations: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2011 – 2015

Description: Researching post-discharge survival of under-5 children admitted for treatment of serious infection (syndromic sepsis) to test post-discharge interventions, with the aim of preventing these deaths

[Project website]

Project title: UBC Global Health Initiative - Soroti Children’s Project

Project leads: Dr. Videsh Kapoor, Mr. Damian Duffy, Dr. JP Chanoine

Partner organizations: Soroti Regional Referral Hospital

Timeline: 2013 - ongoing

Description: Providing students with collaborative service-learning opportunities that address relevant community health priorities

[Project website]

Project title: Tissue Oxygen Saturation in Malnutrition and Pneumonia

Project leads: Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Matthew Wiens

Partner organizations: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2016 - 2017

Description: Investigating the use of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess metabolic reserve in children with severe malnutrition and pneumonia

[Project website]

Project title: Defining Opportunities for Creating an Integrated Package of Reproductive Health Services for Adolescents and their Infants in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Patricia Spittal, Dr. Ashley Roberts

Partner organizations: University of British Columbia, Northern Uganda Program on Health Sciences

Timeline: 2016 - 2018

Description: Leveraging the infrastructure of an existing cohort in post-conflict Northern Uganda to explore key factors related to adolescent maternal and reproductive health services

Project title: Smart Discharges Project 

Project leads: Dr. Tex Kissoon, Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Matthew Wiens

Partner organizations: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2016 - 2020

Description: Validating post-discharge mortality prediction models and regionally scaling a Smart Discharges program to determine its effectiveness on post-discharge health seeking behavior and mortality

[Project website]

Project title: Population-Based Cervical Cancer Screening in Uganda

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Carolyn Nakisige

Partner organizations: Uganda Cancer Institute

Timeline: 2017 - 2022

Description: Exploring different implementation approaches for population-level implementation and scale up of HPV-testing based cervical cancer screening in Uganda through a clinical trial

Bangladesh

Project title: Senior Pediatric Resident Electives 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner organizations: LAMB Hospital

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Developing a pediatric resident electives and simulation program in Bangladesh

[Project website]

Project title: Interrupting Pathways to Maternal, Newborn and Early Childhood Sepsis Initiative (IPSI)

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson, Dr. Tex Kissoon, Dr. Mark Ansermino

Partner organizations: International Centre for Diarrhea Disease Research 

Timeline: 2012 - 2015

Description: Conducted a multidisciplinary project linking community engagement and a call-in emergency transport system with higher quality care of seriously ill children in sub-district hospitals

[Project website]

Project title: Pediatric Oncology & Nursing Training in Curative and Palliative Care

Project leads: Dr. Caron Strahlendorf, Dr. Paul Rogers

Partner organizations: World Child Cancer

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Building the capacity of oncology nurses in Bangladesh

[Project website]

Cambodia

Project title: Operation Rainbow Canada 

Project leads: Doreen Lore, Cheryl Baldwin, Dr. Naz Bhanji

Partner organizations: Preah Ketmelea Hospital 

Timeline: 2000 – ongoing

Description: Establishing a plastic surgery residency program, providing on-the-job training to Cambodian surgeons, and assisting with surgeries for patients with cleft palates

[Project website]

China

Project title: Neuroscience Partnership in Advancing Disability and Epilepsy Care for Children in China

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson

Partner organizations: Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Centre

Timeline: 2008 – 2015

Description: Strengthened the management of paediatric epilepsy and neuro-motor disorders through “training the trainers”

Project title: Born in Guangzhou Birth Cohort Study

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson

Partner organizations: Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center

Timeline: 2012 - 2015

Description: Investigated short and long term health consequences of the genetic, environmental and social factors during pregnancy and the first few years of life for mothers and babies in Guangzhou

[Project website]

Project title: Capacity-building in gastroenterology

Project leads: Dr. Kevan Jacobson

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Providing capacity building in gastroenterology in China

Project title: Pediatric sepsis: intervention and outcome assessment in resource limited regions

Project leads: Dr. Niranjan Kissoon

Partner organizations: Huai’an Women and Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University

Timeline: 2016 – 2018

Description: Preventing pediatric sepsis for infants and children, neonatal sepsis, and disorders of prematurity in China

India

Project title: Ladakh Disability & Rehabilitation Training (LDRT) Project

Project leads: Alexis Davis (project led by Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children)

Partner organizations: Canadian Himalayan Association for Innovation (CHAI)

Timeline: 2007 - ongoing

Description: Building capacity of rehabilitation staff in an established pediatric unit at the local government hospital

[Project website] 

Project title: Pneumonia Research

Project leads: Dr. Ashley Roberts

Partner organizations: Various Universities

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Establishing relationships with centres for infectious disease fellowship rotations and collaborating on research endeavors

Laos

Project title: Micronutrient Interventions

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson

Partner organizations: Micronutrient Initiative UNICEF

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Conducting a randomized field trial of alternative micronutrient interventions, providing evidence and guiding decision making that will influence the content of micronutrient supplementation programs

[Project website]

Canada

Project title: Establishment of a Project for Diarrhoeal Illness Surveillance at Sentinel Sites in Nunavut

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Partner organizations: Government of Nunavut and McMaster University

Timeline: 2014 - 2017

Description: Explored causes of diarrhea and if a rotavirus vaccine or other interventions would lessen the burden of diarrhea in Nunavut

Project title: Building an Arctic Enteric Infections Research Agenda

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Partner organizations: McMaster University and the Nunavut Research Institute

Timeline: 2015 - 2016

Description: Organized a two-day "Arctic Enteric Infections Research Agenda" meeting held at the Nunavut Research Institute that included partners representing public health policy makers, clinicians, researchers and community members

Project title: Diarrheal Illness and Enteric Infections Among Young Children in Nunavik and Nunavut

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Partner organizations: ArcticNet

Timeline: 2015 - 2018

Description: Researching the impact of harmful germs in stool from preschool-age children in two large Arctic communities

[Project website] 

Project title: Post-discharge readmission and mortality among children being repatriated from northern communities: Derivation of prediction models

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb, Dr. Niranjan Kissoon

Partner organizations: University Hospital of Northern BC, Healthy Starts programs, Northern Health Authority

Timeline: 2016 - 2018

Description: Creating a post-discharge tool kit to prepare families and clinicians for safer re-integration of at risk children to home communities in northern Canada

Argentina

Project title: International Network of Women Against Tobacco Control

Project leads: Dr. Lorraine Greaves

Partner organizations: BC Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Strategic planning focusing on issues related to the tobacco use of women, domestically and internationally

[Project website]

Guatemala

Project title: Guatemala Health Missions 

Project leads: Dr. Robert Purdy, Cheryl Davies, Caitlin Johnson

Partner organizations: Health 4 Humanity 

Timeline: 2002 - ongoing

Description: Providing pediatric anesthesia care for the repair of cleft lips and palates in indigenous Mayan patients 

[Project website]

Project title: HPV Infections and Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

Project leads: Dr. Rafael Meza, Dr. Carlos Mendoza Montano, Dr. Gina Ogilvie

Partner organizations: University of Michigan, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama

Timeline: 2016 - 2019

Description: Assessing factors that determine uptake of cervical cancer screening in indigenous and rural populations in Guatemala, and assessing the feasibility and potential acceptability of HPV screening as an alternative to Pap smears, through community based survey-administration in Santiago Atitlan and Livingston

Nicaragua

Project title: Capacity Building

Project leads: Dr. Nancy Lanphear

Partner organizations: Tesoros Centre de Dios; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Timeline: 2005 - 2015

Description: Providing capacity building training in Nicaragua

Project title: Medicos en Accion

Project leads: Dr. Gareth Eeson

Partner countries: Guatemala and The Gambia

Partner organizations: Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro Hospital and Serrekunda Hospital

Timeline: 2001 - ongoing

Description: Offering surgical and medical care in Guatemala and the Gambia

[Project website] 

Project title: Branch for International Surgery

Project leads: Mairi Murchison

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Advancing surgical care through an innovative education program designed for graduate students, postgraduate trainees, surgical faculty, or surgery-related health care workers across the globe 

[Project website]

Project title: Global Health Program for the UBC Pediatric Residency Program 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner countries: South Africa, Botswana, Bangladesh (see individual countries for additional details)

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Developing a three-tier pediatric resident electives and training program for pediatric residents interested in global health

[Project website] 

Project title: Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) - Global Health Program 

Project leads: Various Medical Students

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Providing representation, services and communication to its membership in response to a growing need for coordinated programming, advocacy and collaboration focused specifically on global health issues

[Project website]

Project title: Global Health Pediatric Infectious Diseases Program

Project leads: Dr. Ashley Roberts, Dr. Tobi Kollmann

Partner countries: Kenya, Thailand, Singapore

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Establishing relationships with centres for infectious disease fellowship rotations, and collaborating on research endeavors

[Project website]

Project title: Neonatal Hemodynamics and Application of Neonatal Echocardiography

Project leads: Dr. Joseph Ting

Partner countries: Ireland, Australia, and China

Timeline: 2013 - ongoing

Description: Collaborating with international research sites on issues related to neonatal hemodynamics

Project title: Community-Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia

Project leads: Dr. Peter von Dadelszen and Dr. Zulfiqar A Bhutta

Partner countries: Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan, and India

Partner organizations: St. George’s University of London, University of British Columbia, Olabisi Olabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria, Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) in Mozambique, Aga Khan University in Pakistan, and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and S. Nijalingappa Medical College in India

Timeline: 2014 - 2018

Description: Addressing the excess maternal and perinatal mortality that derive from the failure to identify and rapidly manage pre-eclampsia and eclampsia at the community level in LMICs

[Project website] 

Project title: Global Impact Fellowship Program

Project leads: Damian Duffy

Partner countries: Honduras, Ghana, India

Partner organizations: Unite for Sight

Timeline: 2014 – ongoing

Description: Supporting eye clinics worldwide by investing human and financial resources in social ventures to eliminate preventable blindness and patient barriers to eye care

Project title: Promoting Access to Essential Medicines in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes 

Project leads: Dr. Jean-Pierre Chanoine

Partner organizations: Global Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (GPED)

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Surveying the existing situation in LMICs around access to medicines, with a focus on congenital adrenal hyperplasia, as well as developing programs that facilitate this process in specific countries

[Project website]

Project title: CERTAINp (Checklist for Early Recognition and Treatment of Acute Illness and Injury – Pediatrics)

Project leads: Dr. Srinivas Murthy

Partner countries: India, Croatia, China, Democratic Republic of Congo

Partner organizations: Mayo Clinic

Timeline: 2015 – ongoing

Description: Examining, through a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial, the implementation of decision-support tools in hospitals in low-resource settings that can assist clinicians in achieving best practices

Project title: SPRINT-SARI (Short Period Incidence Study of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections)

Project leads: Dr. Srinivas Murthy

Timeline: 2015 – ongoing

Description: Implementing a global period prevalence study of severe acute respiratory infections in hospitals around the world

Project title: The Pocket Doc for Pneumonia

Project leads: Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Niranjan Kissoon, Dr. Guy Dumont, Dr. Matthew Wiens, and Dr. Mattias Görges

Partner countries: Uganda

Partner organizations: Google.org

Timeline: 2017 – 2019

Description: Developing a low-cost smartphone tool that uses a light-weight sensor and a data-driven app to assess a child’s vital signs and overall condition, deliver an accurate diagnosis and recommend inexpensive, life-saving treatments such as antibiotics, oxygen and fluids

[Project website]

Interrupting pathways to sepsis in Bangladesh

Funded by the Canadian Government's Muskoka Initiative, this project was designed with the objective of improving maternal and child survival by interrupting pathways to sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where the body's response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. The project was implemented in two rural sub-districts of Bangladesh from 2011-2015, covering a total population of about 500,000. The project had five components, each focusing on a specific objective: 

1. Community engagement to ensure earlier and increased use of health facilities for deliveries and for suspected moderate to severe infectious illness episodes
   
2. High quality, facility-based deliveries and the early detection and management of maternal sepsis 
   
3. Fully functional m-Health diagnostic and communication application in support of sepsis identification and decision support
   
4. A sustainable, replicable call-in centre, referral and transport system
   
5. Earlier detection and high quality, rapid management of suspected newborn and early childhood sepsis in district or sub-district hospital settings
   

Learn more about the Interrupting Pathways to Sepsis Initiative and its results.

Deadline: October 11, 2017

With the ultimate goal of increasing human capital and tackling existing inequalities, Saving Brains seeks bold ideas for products, services and implementation models that protect and nurture early brain development in a sustainable manner. Funding is open to innovative solutions that address the risk factors facing children living in adversity by promoting health and nutrition, providing enrichment and nurturing, and protecting against maltreatment. Areas of particular interest include innovations designed for use in humanitarian contexts and fragile settings, innovations that provide support to adolescent parents, and innovations with demonstrated scale and strong paths to sustainability that have not yet measured impact on child development. Successful proposals will be awarded seed grants of up to $250,000 CAD over a maximum of 24 months.

For more information and to apply, visit the Grand Challenges Saving Brains website.

Deadline: Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, but the Fund’s Committees meet in March and September.

The purpose of the E.W. "Al" Thrasher Awards is to improve children's health through medical research, with an emphasis on projects that have the potential to translate into clinically meaningful results within a few years. The Fund awards grants two times per year, with no fixed number of awards given in each funding cycle or in each year. Ideal applications for the E.W. "Al" Thrasher Award address significant health problems that affect children in large numbers and offer the potential for practical solutions to these problems. Such solutions should be innovative and have the potential for broad applicability with low financial and/or technical barriers to implementation. The grant amount is based on the actual budgetary needs of the project, but averages USD $320,000. The duration of the project can be up to three years.

For more information and to apply, visit the Thrasher Research Fund website.

Deadline: Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis

This call is open to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada, and citizens of developing countries pursuing a master’s or a doctoral degree at a recognized university OR who have completed a master’s or a doctoral degree at a recognized university. Research award recipients will undertake a one-year paid program of research at the IDRC offices in Ottawa on the topic they have submitted, and will receive hands-on experience in research management, grant administration, and the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge from an international perspective. One research award will be provided for IDRC’s Maternal and Child Health program.

For more information and to apply, visit the Centre for Global Child Health at SickKids website.