2023 Colloquium: Shaping the Future of Cardiovascular Clinical Research in Canada

On September 29, 2023, the CVC hosted the 10th annual CVC Colloquium. We were pleased to resume hosting this meeting in-person and to engage with our cardiovascular research colleagues in our very own ‘backyard’ – on the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton!

The theme for this year’s meeting was “Shaping the Future of Cardiovascular (CV) Clinical Research in Canada”. The session opened with a keynote address by Dr. John Alexander (Duke Clinical Research Institute), who shared his perspectives on current and future landscapes of cardiovascular clinical trial design. Key takeaways included an overview of initiatives to modernize clinical trials including considerations for innovative clinical trial designs, the potential use of artificial intelligence, decentralized clinical trial elements, and home monitoring technology. We then heard from Dr. Shelley Zieroth (St. Boniface General Hospital and Co-Chair of the CVC’s Site Engagement Working Group), who challenged us to meaningfully consider and work towards enhancing equity, diversity, and inclusivity in clinical trials.Dr. Zieroth discussed a broad range of strategies to cultivate diversity in clinical trials, from study design and funding, to promoting diverse representation within the research team, and tailoring recruitment approaches. The next speaker was Dr. Wayne Clark (Indigenous Health Program Executive Director, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta), who outlined principles of indigenous health research, the need for trialists to participate in cultural safety education, and current endeavours (such as the Indigenous Accelerating Clinical Trials Committee) to identify considerations for working with First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people in clinical research. 

We wrapped up the morning session with Melisa Spaling (CVC Clinical Trial Projects Lead), sharing initiatives currently in place or underway to harmonize ethics within and across provinces and streamline contract review processes. This led to breakout group discussions with investigators, study coordinators, and CVC faculty and clinical operations team members, who explored potential opportunities for implementing these initiatives and learned from other sites who shared tips and strategies for success.

Drs. Justin Ezekowitz and Shaun Goodman (CVC Co-Directors) and Tracy Temple (CVC Associate Director), reminded us of the importance of mentorship in shaping the future of the Canadian landscape in CV clinical research. Dr. Janek Senaratne (University of Alberta and Grey Nuns Hospital) and Dr. Chris Franco (Victoria Heart Institute), both shared their unique insights as early career investigators in clinical research and approaches they have used to build and sustain momentum within their research teams. With more than three decades of research experience combined, Kim Robbins (York PCI) and Brigita Zile (Queen’s University), walked us through their top tips for mentoring new study coordinators, and key takeaways for making the most of your mentorship as a mentee. Their joint presentation nicely reminded everyone that study coordinators are the lifeline to clinical research. To close the afternoon session, we held a second round of breakout groups where investigators and study coordinators discussed mentorship in clinical research in more detail. Out of this discussion came many suggestions to support mentorship, such as formal research training programs and certification. We look forward to potentially exploring these avenues in the future.

Finally, in building off the success of the previous CVC Virtual Colloquia in 2021 and 2022, the CVC hosted a follow up Virtual Colloquium on December 6, 2023, to share key takeaways from the face-to-face meeting with our wider network of site representatives. We had a good turnout and were pleased to continue important dialogue around the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion and mentorship in clinical research.

We wish to thank the speakers who took time to share their perspectives during our in-person and/or virtual 2023 CVC Colloquia! Thank you for contributing to and enhancing our broader research and knowledge. In addition, the CVC would like to thank those who were able to join us in-person in Edmonton and/or online – we appreciate your ongoing enthusiasm for and interest in the CVC Colloquium.

We would also like to thank our sponsors, without whose support the 2023 CVC Colloquia would not be possible: Amgen, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi. 

For your reference, the 2023 CVC Colloquia presentation materials are available on our website here. Please contact Melisa (below) to request the password to access the archived presentations. We encourage you to browse through the materials and discuss them with your teams.

We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and look forward to sharing plans for the CVC Colloquium in 2024 with you over the coming months. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out to either Melisa Spaling (mspaling@ualberta.ca) or Tracy Temple (tracy.temple@ualberta.ca).