Alison Wu
Project: Predictors of professional interpreter use when language discordance exists during cognitive screening for older adults with cancer
Mentors: Drs. Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher and Victoria Chuen
This summer, I worked on a research project to determine the rates of professional interpretation use for cognitive screening when patient-provider language discordance exists in the setting of The Older Adults with Cancer Clinic (OACC) at UHN. Cognitive screening is a key component of dementia diagnosis, and it should be completed in the patient’s preferred language and be culturally appropriate. However, at this time, the rates of interpretation use for patients with a non-English preferred language presenting for cognitive screening are not known. For this reason, I worked on a retrospective chart review this summer to identify the proportion of patients with a non-English preferred language who received language concordant care during cognitive screening at the OACC, and to determine predictors of professional interpretation use in this setting to identify opportunities for improvement in patient-centred care.
Through this project, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about the importance of language concordant care, to enhance my research skills, and to contribute to a study that will help ensure that all older adults with cancer can receive equitable care in their preferred language.
Ashley Olah
Project: Comparative Policy Analysis of Canadian and International Models of Medical Provider Commitment in Long-Term Care Homes
Mentor: Dr. Nathan Stall
This summer I had the opportunity to work on a comparative policy analysis of provider commitment in long-term care. This research is important as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of Canada’s long-term care sector, including insufficient and highly variable medical care provision. Through a comprehensive literature review, we found that there are no national standards for provider commitment in Canada. Our provincial and international research also yielded little information. This highlights a need for consensus-building methods to establish quality standards for optimal provider commitment in Canadian long-term care homes.
Ava Poirier
Project: Comparative Policy Analysis of Canadian and International Models of Medical Provider Commitment in Long-Term Care Homes
Mentor: Dr. Nathan Stall
This summer, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Nathan Stall on a “Comparative Policy Analysis of Canadian and International Models of Medical Provider Commitment in Long-Term Care Homes”. As the pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of the Long-Term Care (LTC) sector, our project aimed to explore the lack of regulations related to provider commitment in homes. We studied the regulations in each province and territory in Canada, and compared those results with all OECD countries with above average spending on LTC. This project taught me about the LTC sector, gave me a better understanding of the need for better regulation, as well as examples of international models that may be replicated in Canada. In Canada and internationally, there is very limited and often absent information on standards for medical care provider commitment. This information will hopefully be used in consensus-building methods which are needed to establish quality standards for optimal provider commitment in Canadian LTC homes.
Catherine Lee
Project: Research in Geriatric Oncology
Mentor: Dr. Shabbir Alibhai
This summer, I worked on a project called “The Validation of the Cancer and Aging Research Group (CARG) Tool in Older Adults with Cancer”. Older adults with cancer can be at higher risk of chemotherapy toxicity and although there are multiple tools available to predict the risk of chemotherapy toxicity, there is no consensus on which one is the best. As such, the focus of my research project is to validate the CARG tool in patients seen at the Older Adults with Cancer Clinic and compare its performance to other geriatric screening tools. Since older adults with cancer are at risk of increased emergency department and hospital admissions, I will also be examining whether there is an association between the value of the CARG toxicity score with the number and timing of emergency department and hospital admissions. The findings from this research project will help in better understanding the value of these toxicity prediction tools in informing cancer treatment decisions and improving cancer care for older adults.
Through this project and the many clinical shadowing opportunities, I learned about the field of geriatric oncology and how multiple domains from a comprehensive geriatric assessment can be utilized to assess and manage a range of health problems in older adults. My experience as a Summer Scholar has been an unforgettable one that has strengthened my passion to pursue a career in geriatric medicine.
Erica Foronda
Project: GeriHub Quality Improvement Initiative
Mentors: Drs. Guillaume Lim Fat, Lindy Romanovsky, Kristina Kokorelias
This summer, I worked on the GeriHub Quality Improvement Initiative with Dr. Lim Fat, Dr. Romanovsky and Dr. Kokorelias. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about quality improvement methodologies and how they can be applied to improve access to important services for older adults. Long wait times are a reality for many aspects of our healthcare system and this is detrimental to providing timely care for patients, putting them at risk for worse outcomes. GeriHub’s targeted implementation strategies informed by research helped improve the referral process to reduce wait times for UHN and Sinai Health geriatric services. I learned so much this past summer while analyzing data, preparing a manuscript and engaging with the program’s current initiatives, and I am excited to continue exploring both the world of quality improvement and the world of geriatrics in my future career.
Esther Su
Project: Evaluating the Impact of the Geriatric Rapid Access Clinic
Mentor: Dr. Kristina Kokorelias
This summer, I had the privilege of being involved in two interesting projects. The first, under the guidance of Dr. Kokorelias, Dr. Romanovsky, and Kesikan Jayaraj, is a study which evaluates the impact of the Geriatric Rapid Access Clinic, which serves older patients post-discharge from the Emergency Department who are at high risk of ED return. I learned about the use of qualitative methods (chart reviews and semi-structured interviews) for data collection on outcomes of interest such as patient outcomes, demographics, and ways of clinic improvement. The second project is under the supervision of Dr. Kokorelias and Matthew Downer, presenting an updated quantitative analysis of the results from the NIA’s “MyCovid19VisitRisk” tool which assists with decision-making regarding COVID-19 risk when gathering with others. Results provide insight on the characteristics of respondents, their gatherings, and their guests, with the additional aim of better understanding public decision tools.
Janice Xu
Project: Barriers & Facilitators to the Use of Personal Hearing Amplifiers in an Urban Hospital
Mentors: Drs. Raphaelle Koerber, Kristina Kokorelias, Samir Sinha
This summer, I had the wonderful experience of working with Dr. Koerber, Dr. Kokorelias, Dr. Sinha, and fellow summer scholar Mansi on a mixed-methods study to try answering the question “What barriers and facilitators exist for the use of Personal Hearing Amplifiers (PHAs) by healthcare professionals in a large urban hospital?” It was shocking to me that an estimated two-thirds of hospitalized older adults have some degree of hearing loss which puts them at risk for negative health outcomes. PockeTalkers are one such PHA shown to improve communication with older adults and address this issue, yet are not being used to its potential. Therefore, we investigated its use by triangulating quantitative survey data, qualitative interview findings, and policy reviews done at Mount Sinai and UHN which provided a diverse array of learning opportunities for me! Preliminary themes that arose were that patients with hearing loss are often excluded from communication despite perceived effectiveness of PockeTalkers, and that there is no clear role responsible for ensuring the accessibility and awareness of PockeTalkers among providers. Ultimately, our project aims to better support the right all older adults have to accessible care, and I’m very excited to be a part of such a meaningful cause with such a passionate team!
Kiyan Heybati
Project: Eligibility Criteria of Randomized Controlled Trials in Critical Care Medicine: A Systematic Sampling Review
Mentor: Dr. Sangeeta Mehta
This summer, I worked with Dr. Mehta on a study looking at the inclusion and exclusion criteria of randomized trials in critical care medicine. It was a great opportunity as the individuals enrolled in trials play an essential role in the generalizability of findings. Prior studies have suggested that older adults are often excluded from trials without a strong justification which then limits the applicability of the results to this population. Therefore, our main objective was to describe the inclusion and exclusion criteria and their justification among published trials. Additionally, the summer program provided me with the opportunity to complete observerships and attend teaching sessions in geriatrics and critical care medicine, allowing me to better contextualize this research.
Mansi Arora
Project: Barriers & Facilitators to the Use of Personal Hearing Amplifiers in an Urban Hospital
Mentors: Drs. Kristina Kokorelias, Raphaelle Koerber, Samir Sinha
This summer, I had the pleasure of learning qualitative research, through understanding and analysing the perspectives of healthcare workers at Mount Sinai Hospital regarding the use of Personal Hearing Amplifiers, specifically PockeTalkers, in the context of this hospital. PockeTalkers make a difference in helping those with hearing loss participate in the conversation of their care, which is often a challenge with this part of the geriatric population. I am hoping that our work can help inform behavioural and policy changes that increase the use of these medical devices in the hospital setting.
Paige Brown
Project: Geriatrician Consultation for Improving HIV Care of Older Adults
Mentors: Drs. Kristina Kokorelias & Luxey Sirisegaram
This summer, I had the privilege of working under the supervision of Dr. Kristina Kokorelias and Dr. Luxey Sirisegaram on various projects, including geriatrician consultation for improving HIV care of older adults and other work surrounding foley catheter use in older adults in rehabilitation and acute care settings. Through protocol development, partaking in scoping reviews, and working on systematic review, I have developed a breadth of research skills that will be highly valuable moving forward as a future clinician. Further, gaining clinical experience alongside incredibly experienced geriatricians gave context for my research working with older adults. While developing the protocol for our project, aimed at co-design with older adults living with HIV to inform virtual models of care, I learned important skills related to manuscript development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and academic writing. Overall, I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the Summer Scholars program and work with such incredible mentors and physicians.
Sidra Bharmal
Projects: Exploring Social Support Networks with Older Adults Using Visual Methods and an Appreciative Inquiry Approach,
Use of Eco Mapping in Health Services Research: A Scoping Review
Mentor: Dr. Marianne Saragosa
This summer, I primarily worked on two projects that focused on visual research methods, specifically eco mapping. This approach offers a comprehensive visual representation that provides insight into an individual’s relationships and connections with larger social systems. Eco mapping has been embraced by many health services research papers as a means to gather unique data. Our main objective has been to compile and synthesize the empirical literature that delves into this application of the tool. Additionally, we are applying eco mapping alongside a method called “photovoice” to understand the social supports of older populations post-discharge. This dual approach will prove to be beneficial in identifying existing barriers / unmet needs and facilitators to effective transitions of care.
Summer Scholar Spotlights:
- Alison’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Ashley’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Ava’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Catherine’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Erica’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Esther’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Janice’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Kiyan’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Mansi’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Paige’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
- Sidra’s Summer Scholar Spotlight
The Sinai Health/University Health Network Geriatrics Summer Scholars Program was launched in 2011 to provide unique and structured learning opportunities for students to gain valuable research or project experience in a health care setting and to encourage them to consider a future career in the fields of ageing and geriatrics. To date, we have had over 60 students involved in this program and we look forward to many of them becoming the next future experts in caring for older adults.
To learn more about our Summer Scholars program and to see the projects which students from previous cohorts have worked on, visit our links below:
Other Summer Scholar Blog Posts: