Northern Health is pleased to announce the launch of the BC SUPPORT Unit Northern Centre. The Northern Centre operates as a partnership between Northern Health through the Innovation and Development Commons (IDC), and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) through the Health Research Institute.
The BC SUPPORT Unit (the Unit) is a multi-partner organization created to support, streamline, and increase patient-oriented research throughout BC. The Unit is one of 10 SUPPORT Units established across the country as part of Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) led by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Unit governance and oversight is provided by the board of directors of the BC Academic Health Science Network.
The Northern Centre is one of five regional BC SUPPORT Unit centres located across the province. The Northern Centre will support northern researchers, health care providers, and system decision-makers to partner with the people and communities they serve to improve their health, and to work together with the aim of making improvements in health care access and delivery.
The vision for the Northern Centre is for people, families, and communities to have the opportunity to be engaged in health research through effective partnerships that are built on mutual respect. Supports offered by the Northern Centre include:
- stakeholder engagement and priority planning activities
- research capacity development and training
- knowledge mobilization (integrated knowledge synthesis, translation and exchange)
- research navigation (funding, team development, methodological support)
For more information, or to contact the Northern Centre, email NorthernCentre@northernhealth.ca or or visit their website.