On November 28, 2024, I was giving “thanks.” Less because it was Thanksgiving Day in the United States, but more because I was witnessing a fascinating day of health-related research reports by individuals and teams connected to Bruyère Health Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Kumanan Wilson, CEO at Bruyère, made my attendance possible, and it was an inspiring day, hosted at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Presenters were asked to frame remarks in the context of “Imagining the Future….” And the most interesting questions asked us to “imagine the future without disabilities or Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Some of the highlights of the packed program:
- Keynote speaker Dr. Claire Kendall, Associate Dean, Social Accountability, uOttawa, who describes herself as a practicing family physician as well as researcher, and who was imaging a future where local data transforms the health care of both patients and communities. She explained the research underway to track avoidable deaths, as well as information showing inequities within and between neighborhoods in terms of access to housing, food banks, COVID-19 care, and in-person primary health care. I was especially intrigued by the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study Project.
- “Snapshot” Speaker Sessions, often with graduate students making the presentations. For example, several studies are looking at what patients say about why they use hospital Emergency Rooms rather than primary health care doctors for “routine” care needs. These interviews are helping to create “collaboration” among different community venues, including libraries and food stores, to make health care access easier, including “pop-up” health clinics.
- Poster programs that provided me with my first introduction to “social prescribing pathways,” especially for older people.
- Learning more about technology advances, including the “Kira” project that uses virtual reality to create conversation opportunities for people with dementia.
- Keynote speaker Dr. Andrew Frank, a neurologist and investigator with the Bruyère Memory Program and a professor at uOttawa. Dr. Frank asked us to consider how it is that Alzheimer’s disease continues to devastate individuals without us taking action. He said, “Alzheimer’s Disease ‘deserves’ a response.” Dr. Frank outlined the latest work on biomarkers and the possibility of simple blood tests. He explained the “gut microbiome project,” enhancements for “Smart Homes,” and safety adaptations for driving. He talked about the challenges of promising drug trials for treatment (not cures) for Alzheimer’s — and he was frank about the ways in which Canada can and should play important roles in future research.
I have the feeling I might have been the only law professor in the room. But, I also suspect I’ll be inviting many of these researchers to future conferences “for” lawyers and law professors!