Grant: CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award - Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment

Stroke is the second-leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and a leading cause of adult disability in Canada. Stroke and related brain health challenges have devastating consequences for communities experiencing oppression, housing instability, discrimination, displacement, and poverty. These social circumstances are inter-related and may have cumulative influences on brain health over the lifespan. Emerging analytic tools from complexity science can be used to understand these complex relationships. The focus of my research program is to advance brain health equity by examining the complex interplay and influence of life-course social and clinical factors that limit cognition and function for adults with and without a history of stroke. To identify the most influential social determinants, I will use advanced network analysis of large multi-faceted administrative and clinical cohort datasets that include socioeconomic and neighbourhood features, and annual brain imaging, clinical, and cognitive assessments. In partnership with people with lived experience and care providers, I will apply these findings to co-develop high-yield clinical and health systems interventions that will be tested through simulation studies and implementation in a clinical setting. This would be a novel application of complexity science methods that complements and extends existing knowledge on social determinants of brain health. This research will inform effective and meaningful interventions to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.