Our Capabilities

At IBH, patient, family and community engagement in research and innovation is essential for creating meaningful solutions to improve health and health care. We understand that our community represents diverse perspectives and experiences and we aspire to create a collaborative environment that is inclusive of age, education, sex, socioeconomic status and cultural background. To accomplish this, IBH will use a user-centred approach to engage, empower and partner with patients, family and community at each step in the research and innovation process. Through engagement, our goals will enable and empower patients, family and community to be active participants in research and innovation, increase relevance of research and innovation activities that are aligned with our community’s needs and preferences, ensure a diverse group of people that represent our community can contribute their experience and perspective to the research and innovation process, and share new knowledge broadly in meaningful and novel ways to improve the health of the community.

IBH will build a data and insights engine for research and innovation and for our community to allow for rapid learning. This plan envisions that we bring together disparate data from within THP and beyond to create a purpose built, population-based data platform centered on our patients, families and community. Through linkage of community data sources and the application of advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, the platform will equip the organization and its partners with new information, insights, and learnings. This will be fuelled by attracting talent who is skilled in advanced data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques. This data discovery and insights engine will become a central asset to allow our community to become a model research and innovation enabled rapid learning health system by creating better insights into the health of our population.

Knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) is the synthesis and sharing of information among researchers/innovators, knowledge users (patients, families, health professionals), and decision-makers to improve health services, products and experiences with the overall goal of strengthening the health care system.

KTE is an essential function of the learning health system, as it facilitates the iterative process of planning, creating, disseminating and applying knowledge to improve health outcomes. Since the inception of IBH, new KTE platforms to share research and innovation activities across THP and in the community have been created, including the annual Hazel McCallion Endowed Lecture in Shaping Healthier Communities.

The combined work of the Institute for Better Health’s (IBH) Research Operations, Project Management, and Finance units enables scientists, investigators, and innovators across THP and our community to conduct research and innovation that is responsible, compliant and efficient. The Research Operations unit provides a wide range of services including research feasibility consultations, grants and awards management, research agreement negotiation, and research/innovation study budget and financial management. This unit is also responsible for establishing and maintaining THP’s research-related policies and procedures, providing compliance training and oversight, and supporting the functioning of the THP Research Ethics Board. The Project Management unit provides high calibre research project and portfolio management for scientists in research that we lead and support. The Finance unit provides budgeting, forecasting and financial modelling to support research, innovation, and financial stewardship at IBH.