Grant: New Investigator Salary Award - PA: Drug Safety and Effectiveness

My research will be driven by my diverse training in economics and population and public health to conduct research in women's reproductive health using the large population-based datasets that already exist in British Columbia, Canada. Specifically, I will study whether removing a woman's fallopian tubes at the time of other routine gynecologic surgeries is a safe, effective and cost-effective ovarian cancer prevention strategy. I will also study whether sending all women diagnosed with a certain type of ovarian cancer for genetic testing will help us identify and intervene to prevent future cancers among younger generations of women in British Columbia. I will examine the safety of using psychotropic medicines during pregnancy-specifically whether using antidepressants during pregnancy may increase a child's risk for autism spectrum disorder. Finally I will also study the cost effectiveness of providing continuous labour support through trained labour support personnel. Continuous support in labour has been shown to dramatically reduce risk for cesarean section, to improve women's satisfaction with labour, and to increase the likelihood of a healthy newborn. My research program is integrated by my focus on women's reproductive health and my use of the large linkable population-based datasets in BC to generate evidence on improving population health, improving patient care, and reducing health system costs. This research has already, and will continue to, guide patient care in British Columbia. Specifically, I will provide much needed evidence on the effectiveness of an ovarian cancer prevention strategy that has been adopted in many countries around the world. I will generate evidence that can be used to minimize or avoid adverse outcomes from maternal mental illness and use of prescription drugs to treat that illness in pregnancy, and finally I will generate economic evaluations of labour support that could be adopted in BC to improve women's birth experiences.