Grant: Chair: Implementation Science Chairs in HDCYH - General Pool

Often starting in early life and lasting a lifetime, allergies affect 30% of Canadians, costs Canada over $42 billion annually in costs and lost productivity, and impairs child, youth, and family health and development. They can affect many body parts such as eyes, nose, and sinuses (hayfever), lungs (asthma), skin (eczema and hives), and can cause rapid life-threatening reactions (food or drug allergy causing anaphylaxis). Despite the commonality and burden of allergy, children and youth are not receiving the best, evidence-based care. The problem stems from the lack of allergy specialists in Canada, that most allergists are not academic, and the lack of CIHR allergy leaders - no CIHR Chair addresses improving child and youth allergy outcomes. It doesn't have to be that way. For the past 10 years, we have developed best practices in allergy through systematically reviewing the best available evidence, doing new randomized clinical trials and observational studies, co-building allergy guidelines for multiple diseases with patients and stakeholders (clinicians in primary care, pediatrics, emergency medicine, dermatology, allergy, pharmacy, nursing, patients and families, patient advocacy groups, policy makers and regulators). This Chair will support leading the de-implementation of low-value care in allergy, and implementation of high-value care, along with promoting equity, diversity and inclusiveness throughout this research program. As co-lead of the first and only National Improving Indigenous Skin and Allergic Diseases Working Group, we will engage Indigenous partners to co-build implementation strategies to optimally address the disparities and historical barriers they face to optimal allergy care - diseases that Indigenous National and Regional surveys consistently rank, for years, as among their top health burdens. Altogether, this Chair will improve the adoption and integration of evidence-based care for optimal child and youth health and development.