DAY 3 – OCTOBER 14, 2021
CANCELLED SESSION 11
SESSION 12 Interactive Session on MANAGEMENT
This session is an opportunity to learn about work taking place across different Teams, interact, discuss, and discover new collaboration potential and foster connectivity. This session includes six short presentations on research related to the management of dementia and health care by CCNA members and Trainees. The presentations will be followed by a discussion with the audience.
- Clinical translation of protein misfolding-specific antibodies – Neil Cashman
- Care-partners’ views on automated vehicle use as an intervention to prolong the safe driving of people with dementia – Shabnam Haghzare
- TRIC VCI trial phase 2a of remote ischemic conditioning for treatment of VCI – Eric Smith
- Investigating inequities in health service utilization among persons with dementia, the role of sex, rurality and socioeconomic status – Isabelle Vedel, Claire Godard-Sebillotte and Geneviève Arsenault-Lapierre
- The importance of sensory health for cognitive aging – Walter Wittich
- One thing at a time adds up to trouble: the importance of frailty and deprescribing – Shanna Trenaman and Melissa Andrew
MODERATOR: Melissa Andrew
SESSION 13 PANEL – Highlighting the Importance of Engagement in Long-Term Residential Care
In this session, researchers, a trainee and a member of the EPLED Advisory Group will discuss the importance of engagement in the lives of persons living in long-term residential care, the impact of restrictions that evolved during COVID-19 on residents as well as their care partners and families, and the strategies they developed to help manage these restrictions.
MODERATOR: Katherine McGilton
SPEAKERS: Colleen Maxwell, Emma Conway, Jennifer Bethell, Wayne Hykaway
SESSION 14 PANEL – Equity, diversity and inclusion of lived experiences in dementia research: The path behind and the road ahead
Living with dementia and caring for a loved one with dementia is challenging in many ways. For people who face discrimination because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and other social constructs this experience has unique difficulties. In this panel, people with personal experience of this kind, as well as with dementia research and dementia advocacy expertise, will share their perspectives and knowledge – both personal and professional. As funding agencies increase the demand for meaningful involvement of people with lived experience in research, it should be ensured that the experiences that inform research cover a broad spectrum of voices.
MODERATOR: Walter Wittich
PANELISTS: Pamela Roach, Jason Flatt, Ngozi Iroanyah, Karen Myers Barnett, Nabina Sharma
SESSION 15 PARTNERS INVITATION TO A HAPPY HOUR
BIOGRAPHIES
SESSION 11 – CANCELLED
SESSION 12
Melissa K. Andrew is Professor of Medicine and a Geriatrician at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. She completed a Masters of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on a Commonwealth Scholarship and completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at Dalhousie University on the subject of frailty and social vulnerability among older adults. As part of CCNA Team 14, she studies frailty and multi-morbidity in relation to dementia. In the Canadian Immunization Research Network she studies how frailty impacts vaccine effectiveness, burden of disease and clinical outcomes of infectious diseases including influenza, COVID-19 and shingles in older adults. She has been a Board Member of the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia for over a decade, serves as the chair of their Research Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Nova Scotia Dementia Strategy Advisory Committee.
Neil Cashman is co-founder and CSO of ProMIS Neurosciences, a Canadian biotech company focused on therapeutics and diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases. He is also a Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, where his research lab is focused on the role of protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly ALS. He is one of the Director of the UBC ALS Centre at the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre which is attached to UBC.
Shabnam Hagnzare is a PhD Candidate in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, a graduate fellow of Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, and a postgraduate affiliate of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Shabnam has recently joined MILA – Quebec AI Institute as a visiting student researcher. Her current research focuses on adaptive and intelligent schemes/systems of making automated vehicles usable by older adults with and without dementia to prolong their safe driving period.
Dr. Eric Smith is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Calgary, where he holds the endowed Katthy Taylor Chair in Vascular Dementia. He is a clinician-scientist with a research program investigating vascular contributions to cognitive decline and dementia and quality of care for stroke. In 2016 he was selected to be a member of the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. He is the Medical Director of the Cognitive Neurosciences Clinic in Calgary, and a member of the Calgary Stroke Program. He co-leads the Dementia and Cognitive Disorders Neuroteam of the Hotchkiss Brain institute, which includes 24 principal investigators from five faculties. Dr. Smith has authored or coauthored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, and has an H index of 101 (Google Scholar). His research uses brain neuroimaging to diagnose and classify cerebral small vessel diseases, and their contribution to risk for neurodegeneration.
Isabelle Vedel, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University, as well as a public health physician. She is the co-founder, and scientific director of the pan-Canadian research team “Research on the Organization of Health Services for Alzheimer” (ROSA) (team 19 CCNA).
Her research focuses on the implementation, evaluation, and organization of primary health care services for persons living with dementia using mixed methods (chart review, surveys, interviews, focus groups, analysis of administrative databases). She is responsible for the evaluation of the Alzheimer’s plan in Quebec and participated as an expert with the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences to support the development of the national strategy on dementia.
Claire Godard-Sebillotte is Assistant Professor at the Division of Geriatrics (Department of Medicine, McGill University) and geriatrician at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). She recently graduated from McGill University with a PhD in Health Services Research in “Primary Care and Family Medicine” under the supervision of Dr. Isabelle Vedel. Her research focuses on the care trajectories of vulnerable older persons, including those with major neurocognitive disorders, and in particular how to avoid their potentially preventable hospitalizations. Her goal is to provide evidence to decision-makers so that they can implement evidence-based policies to improve the health and quality of life of vulnerable older persons and their caregivers.
Geneviève Arsenault-Lapierre holds a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from McGill University on Alzheimer’s disease. In 2013, she joined Dr. Isabelle Vedel to set up a pan-Canadian Research project on the Organization of Healthcare Services for Alzheimer’s (ROSA) Team. For the past few years, as a senior research associate, she has been developing a research program focused on geographical differences in the organization and use of health care and services for and by people living with major neurocognitive disorders.
Walter Wittich is an Associate Professor at the School of Optometry at the University of Montreal, in Canada. His research focuses on the rehabilitation of older adults with combined vision and hearing loss. Following his Master’s in Psychology (Concordia University) and a PhD in Visual Neuroscience (McGill University), he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in audiology at the University of Montreal. Coming from a background in age-related vision loss, he now conducts research in dual sensory impairment and acquired deaf-blindness. His research domains include basic sensory science, as well as medical, psychosocial, and rehabilitation approaches to sensory loss, in which he has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles. Walter is the inaugural chair of the Deafblind International Research Network, the chair of the Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation axis of the Quebec Vision Health Research Network, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and Quebec’s first Certified Low Vision Therapist.
Shanna Trenaman is a University Internal Medicine Research Fellowship-funded Postdoctoral Fellow with Geriatric Medicine Research at Dalhousie University. Dr. Trenaman completed her BSc. Pharm, MAHSR and PhD at Dalhousie University. She is an Accredited Canadian Pharmacy Resident, having completed her hospital pharmacy residency at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in 2009. Dr. Trenaman is a licensed pharmacist and practices as a hospital pharmacist in Nova Scotia. As a clinician-scientist Dr. Trenaman’s research approaches the topic of appropriate drug use in older adults from the perspectives of pharmacology, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology and health services research and always includes a lens of sex and gender-based analysis. Dr. Trenaman’s current interest is in anticholinergic medications and their potential influence on developing dementia-related neuropathologies.
SESSION 13
Katherine McGilton (RN, PhD, FCAHS) is an applied researcher, a Senior Scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network and a Professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. She has research funding as the principal investigator from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Alzheimer Society of Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of Health. She was recently inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences for her work in the field of aging. She is currently the co-lead of the Quality of Life Theme for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). The results of her program of research have led to innovations in models of care and positive outcomes on older adults and staff in long-term care and rehabilitation environments that have been translated to protocols that guide the provision of care in these settings.
Colleen Maxwell is a Professor and University Research Chair with the Schools of Pharmacy and Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo (https://uwaterloo.ca/pharmacy), an Adjunct Senior Scientist with ICES in Toronto (https://www.ices.on.ca), and an Adjunct Professor with Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary and with IHPME, University of Toronto. She is a senior health services researcher with expertise in aging, frailty, continuing care and pharmacoepidemiology. Her research interests include the quality of care and pharmacotherapy of older at-risk populations across the care continuum – particularly those with neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. She is involved in national and international collaborative research on the health and quality of care needs of older residents within Assisted Living, Home Care and Long Term Care settings. Dr. Maxwell previously served as the lead of the Training & Capacity Building Program and member of the Research Executive Committee of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging
Emma Conway is a PhD Candidate in the School of Public Health and Health Systems – Aging, Health and Well-Being program at the University of Waterloo. Emma’s research focuses on co-design and participatory research methods with persons living with dementia, family and friend care partners, and health and social care providers. Through this research, Emma works to identify inclusive research methods that can improve research engagement for persons living with dementia.
Jennifer Bethell is an Affiliate Scientist at The KITE Research Institute (University Health Network) and an Assistant Professor (Status-only) at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (University of Toronto). She co-leads the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) Engagement of Lived Experience of Dementia (EPLED) cross-cutting program with Dr. Kathy McGilton. As an epidemiologist, her research has used large health administrative and survey datasets for research on topics related to mental health, injuries and prescription medication use. She is also interested in the relationship between social connection and health for older adults.
Wayne Hykaway currently resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and has a background as a University and College educator, designing and teaching computer, business and web courses. Wayne’s wife was diagnosed with dementia in 2014 and moved into a long-term care home in 2018. During this time, Wayne became a full-time care partner and even moved into the same facility as his wife. In addition to caring for his wife, Wayne has contributed to the facility’s community by joining the Resident and Family Council and setting up a Conversation Café to connect with other residents with dementia. He has also spoken for Alberta Innovates and participated in: the PRIHS 4 project, PRIHS 6 project, Gordie Howe CARES Project and various dementia and seniors’ advocacy groups. Wayne joined the CCNA’s Engagement of People with Lived Experience of Dementia in June 2020 and his research interests include Alzheimer’s disease, long-term care and caregiving.
SESSION 14
Walter Wittich is an Associate Professor at the School of Optometry at the University of Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His research focuses on the rehabilitation of older adults with combined vision and hearing loss. Following his Master’s in Psychology (Concordia University) and a PhD in Visual Neuroscience (McGill University), he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in audiology at the University of Montreal. Coming from a background in age-related vision loss, he now conducts research in dual sensory impairment and acquired deaf-blindness. His research domains include basic sensory science, as well as medical, psychosocial, and rehabilitation approaches to sensory loss, where he has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles. Walter is the inaugural chair of the Deafblind International Research Network and chair of the Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation axis of the Quebec Vision Health Research Network, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and is Quebec’s first Certified Low Vision Therapist.
Pamela Roach is an Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and the Director, Indigenous health education in the Office of Indigenous, Local and Global Health for the Cumming School of Medicine. She is a PhD health researcher and member of the Métis Nation of Alberta who has worked in a variety of academic and community health care settings, both in Canada and the UK, over the last 17 years. Her research focuses on Indigenous health; brain health and dementia in underserved populations; and developing anti-racism educational interventions.
Jason Flatt is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Health, Social and Behavioral Health Program. Dr. Flatt’s research works to better understand health and healthcare needs for sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their care partners. Dr. Flatt has a National Institutes of Health (NIH) career award (K01) on The Epidemiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Sexual and Gender Minorities. He’s co-PI on a pilot study from the NIA’s Research Centers Collaborative Network exploring cognition and gender trends in three U.S. generations. He’s a past scholar with the NIH’s Resource Center for Minority Aging Research and Butler Williams Scholars Program. He has 35+ publications in the field of aging, dementia, and sexual and gender minority health. Dr. Flatt also received the 2020 NIH Sexual and Gender Minority Early Career Investigator Award.
Ngozi Iroanyah is a 4th year PhD student in Health Policy and Equity Studies at York University. Her research focus is on the experiences of racialized seniors along the dementia journey. Her interest in racialized seniors living with dementia stems from her own experience as a caregiver for her father, a Nigerian national, who was diagnosed with dementia when he was 69 years old. Her and her family’s journey navigating the dementia space in Ontario inspired her to want to understand and support other families going through similar experiences.
Ngozi currently works at the Alzheimer Society of Canada as the Community Engagement Coordinator, where her work focuses on establishing relationships with communities most vulnerable to dementia and engages in health promotion, destigmatizing dementia, and research participation. She hopes to contribute to dementia research through work that highlights the voices and perspectives of those not traditionally heard.
Karen Myers Barnet currently resides in Orangeville, Ontario and has had an extensive career as a social service worker. Karen studied social work at Ryerson University and community outreach & development at Sheridan College and is an anti-oppressive practitioner. She previously worked in a group home, Peel Memorial as a psychiatric orderly and more recently with homeless men at Seaton House, where she helped to create a recreation program for all residents including those part of the long-term care and annex-managed alcohol program. Karen’s mother, Celestine, was diagnosed with dementia in 2013 but was symptomatic for several years. Karen helps to support her father in caregiving and has become an advocate for people with dementia. She joined the CCNA’s Engagement of People with Lived Experience of Dementia in June 2020 to ensure vibrant early on-set folks and visible minorities are represented.
Nabina Sharma is a Ph.D. student in the Interdisciplinary Rural and Northern Health program at Laurentian University. She completed a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) in Nepal and worked for over five years as a public health professional. Nabina is a CCNA trainee on Team 18: Issues in Dementia care for the Indigenous population under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Walker (lead of Team 18). Her Ph.D. research includes developing an Indigenous Functional Assessment (IFA) tool to address the lack of a culturally appropriate cognitive function assessment tool for the Indigenous population in Canada. This tool will be a first-ever informant tool designed and validated in partnership with Indigenous care partners. Her research interest includes community-engaged research, Indigenous health and aging, cultural safety, cognition, and dementia. Nabina is a the mother of a 9-year-old son. She loves yoga and hiking on the trails of Sudbury.