We have all likely experienced acute care at some point in our lives whether for ourselves or a loved one. Acute care is the necessary, short-term treatment for a disease or severe episode of illness and is commonly associated with hospital care. However, acute care is also provided in other settings (e.g., GP/pediatrician office, walk-in clinic) in particular for common childhood conditions (e.g., fever, infections).
Worried families make decisions about their acutely ill child before they enter a healthcare setting, such as whether to treat at home or when to seek medical care. When one acute care setting is under strain, there is a ripple effect through the system.
Over 25 doctors, nurses, parents, researchers, administrators and support staff across Manitoba have come together to develop a vision for a new theme at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) called REACH: Research into the Enhancement of Acute Care for Children’s Health. A coordinated approach through REACH will build inclusive, strong and sustainable infrastructure to scale existing research, and support a stronger base of researchers and research teams that can continue to innovate and improve acute care experiences and outcomes for children, youth and their families in Manitoba and beyond.
Mission
Offer evidence-based solutions that improve the health outcomes and experiences of acutely ill and injured children, youth and their families in Manitoba, central Nunavut, and Northwestern Ontario.
Who We Are
Lead Investigators
Lisa Knisley, RN, PhD
Lisa is an Assistant Professor within the College of Nursing at the University of Manitoba. Her research focuses on knowledge translation and knowledge mobilization in acute child healthcare.
She is a Co-Director for Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (trekk.ca), a national knowledge mobilization network based at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. Through TREKK, Lisa leads provincial and national research to accelerate the speed at which the latest evidence in children’s emergency care is accessible to and useful for both healthcare providers and patients/families. She also co-leads knowledge mobilization activities for two national pediatric networks, POPCORN and RareKids-CAN.
Alex Aregbesola MD, PhD
Alex holds an endowed chair in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. He joined the University of Manitoba in 2017 after completing a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship in clinical epidemiology in Finland. He later completed another postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Community Health Sciences and George & Fay Yee Center for Healthcare Innovation, UM. He has international work experience in clinical care and research from the United Kingdom, Finland, Ghana, and Nigeria. Alex has over 30 peer-reviewed publications and received local and international grant awards. He is currently leading two multicenter pediatric clinical trials. Since joining the Department of Pediatric and Child Health, he has continued to supervise the research/academic training of medical students, residents, and fellows within the Max Rady College of Medicine.
Research Coordinator
Apoorva Gangwani, MA
Apoorva is the Research Coordinator for REACH at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. Earlier this year, she also joined TREKK as the Network Coordinator. With a master’s degree in economics from the University of Winnipeg and a bachelor’s degree (Honors) from the University of Delhi, India, she also completed a postgraduate degree in data science. Apoorva is dedicated to utilizing her skills and knowledge to foster collaboration and innovation, and her background in economics and data science adds a valuable dimension to her current positions.
Become a Member
If you are interested in becoming a member of the REACH Theme at CHRIM, please complete this form and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
Special thanks to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba for making this work possible.
Resources + Websites
Contact us
Reach@chrim.ca Alex.Aregbesola@umanitoba.ca Lisa.Knisley@umanitoba.ca Apoorva.gangwani@umanitoba.ca
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