Grant: Applied Chairs in Reproductive, Child & Youth Health Services & Policy Research

Fundamental to fostering the health and well-being of Canadian children and youth are investments in best practice services and targeted policies to improve their lives. To ensure meaningful health services and policies, the Canadian Pediatric Society stresses the need to develop and sustain innovative research programs. Effective initiatives that are meant to improve children's and youth's health and health care services must be grounded within and be responsive to their life-situations. The main goal of my research program is to conduct applied child and youth health services and policy research that involves and is germane to health system managers, policy makers and healthcare providers as well as children and youth who are directly impacted by the research. To achieve this, I focus on three areas: 1) children and youth living with chronic physical and mental illness; 2) children and youth living with disabilities and complex health needs; and 3) promoting health and access to health care for children and youth. Training the next generation of child and youth health researchers is a key priority of my research and includes mentoring them in applied health research and in facilitating knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) and linkage with decision-makers. My research program is important as of ten years ago the voices of children and youth in health research were virtually absent. I have led the field by providing them the opportunity to articulate a broader vision of their health needs. I have used an integrated KTE approach in my studies by engaging children, youth, clinicians, key decision-makers, and policy makers in the entire research process. My research has significant potential to improve existing health services and supports as well as inform the development of new services and policies that promote health equity and reduce disparities in Canadian children and youth.