Research and You

You can make a difference.

If you are a patient at BC Women's, you and your baby may have a chance to participate in a research study. When you participate in a research study, you are making an important contribution to the health of women and their families.

You can learn more about research studies that are looking for participants by clicking on the tabs below.

Research Opportunities

Help us understand children’s development by participating in UBC research with your child!

The Early Development Research Group (EDRG) is comprised of seven research centres in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. We study the development of language, cognition, and social understanding in infants and children.

Have you ever wondered how your baby learned something as complex as language or social cues? Here at the EDRG, we want to understand the amazing ways infants and children learn to understand the world around them and how these skills develop in early childhood. The we explore topics such as cognitive, social, moral, language, and numeracy development, among many other aspects of childhood. We need baby and child scientists to help us answer these important research questions!

We're looking for:

All healthy, typically-developing children aged 0-12 are eligible for our studies (with a parent/guardian). Some online studies require access to a computer. The majority of our studies require the child and/or parent to understand and complete tasks in English.

Upon signing up, your family will be added to our confidential database. Each time your child(ren) becomes eligible for a study, we will reach out to you with detailed information and you can choose to participate if interested. Our studies are typically 1-time commitments. Our fun online and in-person studies typically involve puppet shows, interesting videos, and/or questionnaires, and range from 15 minutes to 1 hour. If you were to participate in an online studies, we would send you instructions and a link to participate. For in-person studies, we would find a time that works for you to visit one of our Centres here at UBC and provide directions and instructions. We aim for our studies to be convenient and fun for both your little one and you; we have free reserved parking spaces for your convenience, or would provide transit passes if you choose to come by bus. After participating in the study, your little one will receive a fun gift (such as a t-shirt, book or toy) and an honourary UBC Degree as a token of our appreciation!

To sign-up and learn more, fill out this form and we will be in touch: https://edrg.psych.ubc.ca/participate/sign-up-online/

You can learn more about the EDRG by visiting our website (https://edrg.psych.ubc.ca) or finding us on Facebook or Instagram (@ubcedrg).

Biobank your leftover or extra samples from pregnancy and birth for future, undetermined research. One sample can fuel multiple studies!

The BioBank would like to collect samples and clinical data from women and sometimes their families to create a bank (or library) of samples for use in research to better understand the causes of diseases of women and families, with the ultimate goal of improving treatment and preventing diseases.

BioBanking is the collection, storage, and use of human body samples and personal health information for research across Canada and the world. Creating a ‘bank’ of preterm and fullterm pregnancy samples can be an important contribution to researchers aiming to improve maternal care and disease prevention.

We are looking for:

Anyone expecting to deliver at BC Women’s Hospital, whether they are having a healthy or complicated pregnancy.

Participation in the BioBank does not require any time on your part except if you agree to donate extra blood (at times when you are not already having blood collected). This may require 5 to 15 minutes extra.

If you would like to participate, please email biobank@cw.bc.ca with the subject ‘BCWH Research Website’ to learn more. From there, we can set up a phone call to discuss and email you an electronic consent form.

www.bcchbiobank.ca

What is the optimal form of supplemental iron to prevent and treat iron deficiency during pregnancy?

Iron is important in pregnancy to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and poor birth outcomes as well as for healthy brain development of the baby. Iron requirements during pregnancy are substantially increased and are often not met through the diet alone. Health Canada recommends that all pregnant individuals consume a daily supplement containing 16-20 mg of iron; however, there is no specification of the optimal form of iron in these supplements despite known relationships between iron supplementation form and how it is absorbed.

This EASE-Iron nutrition study will compare two forms of oral iron supplements for their effectiveness and tolerability in pregnancy. The goal is to determine the most effective and safest form of iron in prenatal supplements to prevent and treat iron deficiency without introducing unnecessary gastrointestinal upset.

We're looking for:

Anyone 19-42 years old who is pregnant at less than 25 weeks gestational age and expecting to deliver at BC Women's Hospital.

Participants will receive:

Standard prenatal vitamins* with iron to take during pregnancy, free of charge
Feedback on your pregnancy iron status
Reimbursement for parking/transportation to study visits (2 in-person study visits are required about 2.5 hours total)

To learn more, please contact iron.study@ubc.ca

* All supplements are approved by Health Canada and meet your pregnancy nutrition needs.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Crystal Karakochuk, RD, PhD

Research Coordinator: Lulu Pei, MSc, PhD Candidate

Can arterial stiffness measurements help predict the development of pre-eclampsia later in pregnancy?

Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure. If it happens, preeclampsia is dangerous for the mother and baby. Currently, there is no accurate way to predict who will get it – it can only be diagnosed once symptoms appear, generally in the second half of the pregnancy.

Recent research suggests that measuring the stiffness of a pregnant person’s arteries (arterial stiffness) may be a promising non-invasive test for predicting the development of pre-eclampsia later in pregnancy.

We want to know if arterial stiffness measurements can better predict the development of pre-eclampsia when combined with standard clinical tests such as blood draws and ultrasound measurements. The ability to accurately predict who will develop preeclampsia would allow doctors to intervene sooner, providing more detailed monitoring and personalized treatments to those at greatest risk. It would also allow doctors to test preventative treatments, rather than only managing symptoms after they appear.

We are looking for people who:

are at least 19 years of age
are at or before the 14th week of pregnancy
have 1 high-risk OR 2 moderate-risk factors for pre-eclampsia (listed below)

High-risk factors include:

Autoimmune disease
Type 1 or 2 diabetes
Chronic hypertension
A hypertensive disorder in a previous pregnancy
Chronic kidney disease
Complications in a previous pregnancy related to the placenta

Moderate-risk factors include:

Having never given birth to a live baby
Age greater than 35 years old
BMI greater than 30 kg/m²
Family history of preeclampsia (mother or sister)
Assisted reproduction (including in vitro fertilization)
African-American race
Sleep apnea
Connective tissue disease

Participation in this research study will last approximately 8 months and will include 2 visits to the hospital. The first visit will occur in your first trimester and take approximately 90 minutes, while the second visit will occur in your second trimester and will take around 60 minutes.

At both visits, you will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires, have some blood drawn, and have your arterial stiffness measured. There will also be an Uterine Artery Doppler (UAD) ultrasound done at the second visit which will be performed as a part of your standard care when possible.

After you give birth, we will review your medical chart to obtain information on your birth and post-birth treatment. We will also collect basic information about the birth of your baby to better understand the outcome of your pregnancy.

We will reimburse you for any parking expenses during the study visits up to $8.75 per study visit.

To learn more about the study or to participate, please email our Research Assistant/Research Coordinator at mfm.research@cw.bc.ca, or call 604-612-9716.

Research and You

Your Right to Participate in Research

All patients at Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) facilities regardless of their race, ethnic background, disease type/condition, geographic location, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, beliefs, and abilities have the right to participate in and benefit from science advancement.

PHSA conducts and supports world-class research as part of its mandate to improve the health system and the health of British Columbians.

At BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre, we recognize that research is an important part of what we do to improve care and that research requires participation from a diverse population to make research findings generalizable and more applicable to clinical care.

We are committed to ensuring that all patients are contacted in a respectful capacity about research opportunities that require their consent and may be of interest to them.

Who can access my information?

Respecting your privacy is a key priority. Access to patient information for the purpose of informing our patients about research opportunities is strictly controlled and limited to internal studies that have obtained both research ethics board and institutional approvals from BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre. Information is only shared with approved research teams in accordance with the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Oversight is provided by the Right to Participate Initiative team established by the Women's Health Research Institute (WHRI) and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), the dedicated research arms of BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre and BC Children's Hospital.

What information can PHSA access?

In order to send research opportunities that we feel are most relevant to you, PHSA will use your contact information, such as:

Your/your child's name
Your/your child's home mailing address
Your/your child's email address
Your/your child's phone number

PHSA may have access to additional information to help determine whether or not a study is relevant, including:

Your/your child's demographic information such as gender, sex, race, ethnicity, age
Your/your child's diagnosis

Please note that your/your child's information will be used only for the purpose of determining whether or not a study is relevant to you or your child and to send those study opportunities to you or your child. Your/your child's personal information will not be used or included in any research study where consent is required, unless we receive written consent from you confirming you/your child's participation.

How could I be approached for research studies?

PHSA conducts research activities as permitted by law. There are different ways that you can be approached for studies for which you are eligible to participate:

During a clinic visit

You/your child may be approached by a research team member during a clinic visit.

During a stay at the hospital

You may be approached by a research team member while you/your child are/is admitted to the hospital.

Outside of the hospital

You may be contacted by a research team member after you've left the clinic or hospital. You may receive invitations to participate in research by:

Mail
Email
Text message
Phone calls after initial information has been sent by: mail, email or text message.

Can I choose not to participate?

Yes. Participating in research that requires your consent is always your choice and the decision to participate in a research study will NOT impact the care you or your child receive at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre

How is my privacy protected?

BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre is committed to respecting personal privacy, safeguarding confidential information, and ensuring the security of personal information in our custody or under our control. Your personal information is respectfully managed in accordance with the authorities within the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as PHSA's established privacy and security policies.

If you have any questions about your privacy or how your personal information is managed under this initiative, please contact the PHSA Privacy Office privacy@phsa.ca

I have been contacted about a research study and would like more information. Who do I contact?

Please direct all questions about the study to the Study Coordinator listed in the study invitation or consent form.

Who can I contact for general information about research at BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre?

Specific questions about how your personal information may be used to support research activities can be directed to rtp@cw.bc.ca.

About consent

Your written consent is always required before you take part in a research study. Before you make your decision:

it is important to be informed
ask questions to understand the research study
take the time you need to think about it
and talk it over with a family member or your doctor if you need to.
each study is different and a study team member will explain the purpose of the research, the benefits of the study, possible risks, and what is supposed to be learned.

Thinking about taking part

If you are taking part in a study remember:

it is always your choice
you can change your mind at any time
you will always receive the best possible care whether or not you are in a study
information about you is only shared with your consent
information collected about you is used only for the research study you consented to participate in

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