In part of our response to COVID-19, Victoria Hospitals Foundation is proud to support research projects looking at the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients locally.
Finding Hidden COVID-19 Cases
A Victoria research team is using math and statistics to help anticipate future COVID-19 waves so that public health strategies can target ways to manage possible future outbreaks.
Dr. Laura Cowen’s research with co-investigators and data from the University of Victoria and Island Health is possible thanks to a $149,300 award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research COVID-19 Research Response Fund and the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s generous donors.
Dr. Laura Cowen, principal investigator
COVID-19 not only directly impacts infected patients, it has also made a drastic impact on the entire global population. Donor-funded research looks at that impact here on Vancouver Island.
Research is underway to explore how COVID-19 has impacted vulnerable populations and looks to see how the healthcare system and our society can better support our communities through the remaining impact of COVID-19 and for future pandemics.
Island Health COVID-19 Biobank
In response to the COVID-19 crisis and in collaboration with the BC Cancer Agency and several other health authorities in BC, work is underway to quickly establish a high-quality clinical biobank at Victoria General Hospital to store biospecimens that were initially collected for clinical care from COVID-19 patients on Vancouver Island.
This initiative will strengthen Island Health’s research capacity and reputation by putting biobanking on the provincial map to improve clinical care while facilitating research locally for the benefit of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. The biobank, led by local clinical pathologist Dr. Michael Chen, will become a key resource for research for Island Health, the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia, and the BC Cancer Agency.
This project is jointly funded by the Victoria Hospitals Foundation and the UBC Faculty of Medicine, and is supported by Island Health.
Dr. Michael Chen, clinical pathologist
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