Health Research Capacity in Saskatchewan: A Description Report (2012)

December 2012

Health Research Capacity in Saskatchewan: A Descriptive Report – 2nd Edition

Building a healthy Saskatchewan through health research

ABOUT SHRFThe Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation is the provincial agency that funds and facilitates health research in Saskatchewan. SHRF works in partnership with other organizations locally, provincially, and nationally to foster leading-edge research. This includes leading the implementation of Saskatchewan’s Health Research Strategy (2004).For details about SHRF’s mandate, activities, board and staff, and the provincial Health Research Strategy, please visit our website at www.shrf.ca.

Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation 253 - 111 Research Drive, Atrium Building, Innovation Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R2 Canada

Ph. 306-975-1680 | Fx. 306-975-1688 | www.shrf.ca

© Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, 2012Suggested Citation:

Health Research Capacity in Saskatchewan: A Descriptive Report 2nd Edition (2012). Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.

For more information please contact Patrick Odnokon, Director of Impact and Evaluations at the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

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Health Research Capacity in Saskatchew

an: A Descriptive Report

The purpose of this report is to describe who Saskatchewan health researchers are and what types of health research are being done in Saskatchewan in a manner which updates the previous report. It is important to remember that each Descriptive Report is a snapshot in time. Data drawn from the Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers (Directory), a web-based searchable database containing Canadian Common Curriculum Vitae (CCV) entries, is analyzed using well established methodologies, to uncover findings that help inform the status of the health research enterprise in Saskatchewan.The Directory was identified by Saskatchewan’s health research community at the 2004 Health Research Summit as an essential tool for networking and finding experts in certain fields. Since the fall of 2007, when researchers register or update their CCV, they are invited to join the Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers. The Directory continues to play an important role in informing the aims and status of Saskatchewan’s Health Research Strategy. The findings in this report will contribute to the ongoing evaluation and evolution of the Strategy, and provide substance to the ongoing granting processes at SHRF.

Health Research Capacity in Saskatchewan: A Descriptive Report – 2nd Edition

Executive Summary



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KEY FINDINGS ∙ Key demographic information on the 613 people registered in the Saskatchewan Directory of

Health Researchers include:

∙ 60% male; 40% female

∙ 79% from the University of Saskatchewan; 30% from the College of Medicine

∙ 75% of the Directory have a PhD; 23% are Clinical doctors; 7% hold both

∙ 25% were educated in Saskatchewan, 36% in other parts of Canada, and 31% internationally

∙ Nearly 40% of researchers attained their degrees between 2000-2009

∙ 57% of researchers in the Directory were principal investigators and 23% were at some point funded by SHRF

∙ Using the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) four pillars, or categories, of health research, researchers in the Directory are distributed as follows: 1. biomedical (27%); 2. clinical (18%); 3. health services (10%); and 4. population health (22%).

∙ Sixty per cent of researchers in the Directory are working in one or more of the provincial research priority areas.

∙ Infectious disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity, and mental health and addictions are the most frequently identified health issues addressed by researchers in the Directory.

∙ SHRF-funded researchers were responsible for over 40% of research dollars attained by Saskatchewan health researchers from all funding sources.

∙ Sixty-four researchers or 10 per cent of Directory researchers attained a million plus dollars of funding between 2005-06 and 2010-11.



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PURPOSEThis is the second edition of Health Research Capacity in Saskatchewan: a Descriptive Report. The purpose of this report is to describe who Saskatchewan health researchers are and what types of health research are being funded in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) uses this information in strategic planning and to share with all of its health research stakeholders. This information may be useful in decision-making regarding funding programs and research priorities, for assessing our strengths and needs in the areas of health research, and for researcher recruitment and retention. The data for this report were drawn from the Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers.

WHAT IS THE “DIRECTORY”?The Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers is a web-based searchable database containing Canadian Common Curriculum Vitae (CCV) entries. The Directory was identified by Saskatchewan’s health research community at the 2004 Health Research Summit as an essential tool for networking and finding experts in certain fields. Since the fall of 2007, when researchers register or update their CCV, they are invited to join the Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers.With the redevelopment of the CCV by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers also has a new look and improved functionality. You can find the Directory on SHRF’s website at www.shrf.ca/directory.For this report, the “Directory” refers to the Excel database extracted from the Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers for SHRF in November 2011. It contains 613 valid CCV entries and provides a “snapshot in time” of the health research capacity in Saskatchewan.Each researcher CCV entry in the Directory contains all or some* of the following information: demographics (institution, college, and unit), training (date and location of degrees), work experience (present and past employment), expertise (research area, discipline, interests, topics, keywords, and fields of application), and funding (role, funding source, dollars).

Introduction

*Completeness depends on what information the researcher provided.



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OBTAINING THE DIRECTORY DATABASESHRF obtained the Directory database in November 2011 from eVision inc., the software developers and hosts of the data. Canadian Common Curriculum Vitae (CCV) entries in the Directory database had been made between fall 2007 and October 2011. Names and email addresses were suppressed for analysis to maintain confidentiality of registrants. Invalid and repetitious entries were removed before analysis began, leaving 613 valid researcher entries.

CODING AND ANALYSISFirst, variables of interest and coding categories were determined. For example, variables such as; CIHR pillars, provincial priorities, and key words. Next, specific fields in the Directory containing relevant information were examined on a case-by-case basis to determine the variable code. For example, in order to determine which Saskatchewan provincial health research priority areas were addressed by each researcher, fields relating to research expertise were examined and a code was given for each priority area.Indicated below each graph or set of graphs are the Directory fields referenced for coding each variable, as well as any necessary definitions and assumptions made during the coding process. In some cases information sources outside of the Directory were used to assist with coding decision making (e.g. SHRF’s funding database). These are described where applicable under the subheading “supplement”.The coding of funding data was performed and aggregated for the years 2005-06 to 2010-11. The magnitude of work and relevance of funding data prior to 2005 for this analysis justified this coding decision.

Finally, data were transferred to SPSS for descriptive analysis, including frequency, per cent, and crosstab analyses. Where data is reported on a subset of researchers, the N is indicated for each graph.

LIMITATIONSThe information contained in this report gives a descriptive picture of health researchers in Saskatchewan and their research topics. However, some limitations of this data should be acknowledged and taken into consideration when interpreting this report.1. CCV submission is voluntary; thus researchers

who do not choose to submit their CCV to the Directory are not included in the analysis for this report.

2. Quality of information is dependent on what the researcher provides, which in some cases is vague or incomplete, influencing the coding process.

3. Research interests may change over time and descriptions of research may not represent all of the research undertaken, such as collaborations.

4. This analysis represents a snapshot in time and some researchers may no longer be present in the province and others may have come to the province since then, but not be included in the dataset.

5. Funding data (i.e., dollars awarded) were self-reported in the CCV and were not cross-referenced with each funding agency’s records.

6. There is currently no inter-provincial comparison available.

7. Because this is a descriptive report on the population of Saskatchewan health researchers, statistical analysis of the data was kept to the descriptive level.

Methods



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RESULTS: DEMOGRAPHICS

What proportion of male and female researchers are in the Directory?

With which institutions are the researchers affiliated?

59% Male

41% FemalePer cent of male and female researchers in the Directory

Per cent of researchers from affiliated institutions

Coding information:CCV Fields: First name

Supplement: Researcher profiles on the internet

Coding information:CCV Fields: Primary affiliation address; Saskatchewan academic affiliation

N = 613

N = 613

10% University of Regina

3% Health Regions

8% All Others

79% University of Saskatchewan

Results



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Colleges/Faculties/Organizations with greater than 10 researchers are shown below.

Per cent of researchers from affiliated college

Coding information:CCV Fields: Primary affiliation address; Saskatchewan academic affiliation; Department

Supplement: Universities’ address and department directories

Medicine 29.5%

Ar ts and Sciences 13.1%

Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization 4.7%

Nursing 4.6%

N = 459

4.6% Pharmacy and Nutrition

4.4% Agriculture and Bioresources

3.9% Veterinar y Medicine

2.9% Ar ts (U of R)

2.8% Engineering

2.6% Kinesiology

1.8% Kinesiology and Health Studies (U of R)

With which Colleges/Faculties/Organizations are researchers affiliated?

N = 613College # %Medicine, U of S 181 29.5Arts and Science, U of S 80 13.1Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization 29 4.7Nursing, U of S 28 4.6Pharmacy and Nutrition, U of S 28 4.6Agriculture and Bioresources, U of S 27 4.4Veterinary Medicine, U of S 24 3.9Arts, U of R 18 2.9Engineering, U of S 17 2.8Kinesiology, U of S 16 2.6Kinesiology and Health Studies, U of R 11 1.8All other 154 25.1



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N = 613

Per cent of work locations prior to current position

Coding information:CCV Fields: Position/Organization/Start date/End date

Definitions: 1. Unknown = Organization field of previous position indicated as “other”

Assumptions: 1. If no end date was given for positions at the same organization, they were considered concurrent and thus not a previous position (e.g., Professor and Department Head).

2. Visiting and Adjunct Professorships held concurrently with another position were not considered previous positions.

3. Promotions at the same institution, such as from Assistant to Associate Professor, were not considered previous positions except in the case where all promoted positions were at the same Saskatchewan Institution. In these cases, previous position was labeled as Saskatchewan.

Where were the researchers working before their current Saskatchewan position?

52.0% Saskatchewan

28.9% Canada (excluding SK)

1.8% N/A or Unknown

17.3% International



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RESULTS: ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

What type(s) of degree(s) have researchers obtained?

Where did the researchers obtain their degree?

N = 613

N = 613

Coding information:CCV Fields: Degree type/ Degree name

Definitions: 1. Clinical Doctor Degree includes: M.D., Pharm. D., D.V.M.

Assumptions: 1. Where degree information included only Postdoctorates, PhD was chosen.

2. Other includes those with MSc, MA, or undergraduate degrees.

Coding information:CCV Fields: Degree type/ Degree name/ Institution

Definitions: 1. N/A or Unknown= No information given; or highest degree reported was below doctorate; or information only on Postdoctorate

24% Clinical Doctor

6% All others

7% Both PhD and Clinical Doctor

78% PhD

Canada (excluding SK) 36.0%

32.0% International

6.0% Unknown

26.0% Saskatchewan



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When did the researchers obtain their degree (percentage in each decade)?

Coding information:CCV Fields: Degree type/Degree name/ Date received

Definitions: 1. N/A or Unknown= No information given; highest degree reported was below doctorate

6.5%

2.1%

7.7%

14.8%

26.3%

38.0%

4.6%

Unknown or N/A

1960-69 1970-79 1980-89 1990-99 2000-09 2010-12

N = 613



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1980-89 1990-99 2000-09

What proportion of researchers who obtained their degree in the last three decades did so in Saskatchewan, elsewhere in Canada, or internationally?

Per cent location by decade of doctorate

Coding information:CCV Fields: Degree type/Degree name/ Date received/ Institution

49.5%

30.8%

19.8%

N = 613

31.7%29.6%

44.1%

37.3%

24.2%

33.1%

International doctorate

Canadian doctorate

Saskatchewan doctorate

1970-79 1980-89 1990-99 2000-09 2010-12

When comparing male and female researchers over the past five decades, when did they obtain their degree?

Per cent gender by decade of doctorate

Coding information:CCV Fields: Degree type/Degree name/ Date received; First name

12.8%

27.5%

37.9%

51.1% 53.6%

87.2%

71.4%

61.5%

48.1%42.9%

N = 613

Male

Female



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RESULTS: RESEARCH FOCUS

In which Canadian Institutes of Health Research theme do the researchers focus their work?

Per cent of SK researchers working in CIHR themes

Coding information:CCV Fields: Research disciplines; Research topics; Research interests; Keywords; Fields of application

Definitions: 1. Definitions of each theme were based on CIHR descriptions

2. N/A = No information given; agricultural research with no relationship to human health described

N = 613

Population Health 21%

Health Ser vices 10%

Biomedical 27%

24% N/A or Unknown

18% Clinical



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Proportion of researchers addressing one or more provincial priority area(s)

Per cent of researchers working in each provincial priority area

How many researchers are doing work addressing the Saskatchewan Provincial Health Research priority areas?

Coding information:CCV Fields: Research disciplines; Research topics; Research interests; Keywords; Fields of application

Definitions: 1. Definitions of priority areas were based on descriptions in the Saskatchewan Health Research Strategy (2004).

11.5%15.0%

19.1%

33.9% 35.2%

6.6%

N = 360

Seniors’ Health Aboriginal Peoples’ Health

Health Systems &

Policies

Determinants of Health

Public Health Synchrotron

N = 613

60% 1 or more priority areas

40% Other



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Of the researchers addressing a provincial priority area, what proportion focus their work in each CIHR theme?

Population Health

Biomedical

Clinical

Health SystemsSeniors’ Health

N = 44

N = 81

N = 127

N = 39

N = 126

N = 20

36%

17%

9%

66%

74%

13%

20%

8%

12%

17%

16%

Health Systems & Policies

41%

36%

14%9%

74%

56%

40%

10%

16%

60%

3%

1%

Aboriginal Peoples’ Health

Determinants of Health

SynchrotronPublic Health

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How many researchers are addressing key health issues?The following health issues were selected based on an internal 2008 SHRF report Health Issues in Saskatchewan and Research Directions. The 2008 report provided a summary of selected data for Saskatchewan and how the province compares nationally. The data used in the 2008 report are based on the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s (CIHI) Health Indicators Framework. The order below does not reflect importance or prevalence of the health issue, it reflects research activity.

Health Issue # %Infectious Disease 66 10.8Cancer 55 9.0CVD and Obesity 40 6.5Mental Health and Addictions 37 6.0Respiratory Illness 28 4.6Diabetes 18 2.9Alzheimer’s and Dementia 14 2.3Arthritis 14 2.3Stroke 8 1.3Unintentional Injury 8 1.3

Coding information:CCV Fields: Research disciplines; Research topics; Research interests; Keywords





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In what areas do Saskatchewan researchers publish papers?

The following are Saskatchewan’s strengths in each of the above domains:According to Science-Metrix, the following sub-domains are areas of specialization and above world standard in quality of scientific publication from Saskatchewan.

Coding information:CCV Fields: Research disciplines; Research topics; Research interests; Keywords

Definitions:

1. Publication areas are based on definitions developed by Science-Metrix, experts in bibliometric analysis.

Source: Data calculated by Observatoire des sciences et des technologies (OST) and Science-Metrix (2012) using Thompson Scientific data.

N = 613

N/A or Unknown 25.0%

Psychology and Psychiatr y 9.1%

Biomedical 27.7%

26.6% Health Care and Research

17.0% Clinical Medicine

Health care and research Clinical Medicine Biomedical Research Psychology

Public health Veterinary Medicine Microbiology Clinical Psychology

Nursing Respiratory Biomedical Engineering Behavioural Science



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RESULTS: RESEARCH FUNDINGThe following section reports on funding data provided by researchers themselves and obtained through the Directory. Due to the magnitude of work and relevance of funding data prior to 2005 (i.e., most grants would be completed), coding of funding data was performed and aggregated for the years 2005-06 to 2010-11. Frequency of projects and dollars were counted for specific sources of funding defined below: •SaskatchewanHealthResearchFoundation(SHRF) •CanadianInstitutesofHealthResearch(CIHR) •SocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncil(SSHRC) •NaturalSciencesandEngineeringResearchCouncil(NSERC) •Privatefunding(e.g.,GenzymeCorp.;AventisPharma) •CanadaFoundationforInnovation(CFI) •Diseasespecific(e.g.,AlzheimerSocietyofCanada;HeartandStrokeFoundationofCanada) •Otherprovincialfunding(e.g.,GovernmentofSaskatchewan;SaskatchewanPulseGrowers;

Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan) •Othernationalfunding(e.g.,NetworksofCentresofExcellence;HealthCanada;CanadianNurses

Association;GenomeCanada) •Internationalfunding(e.g.,BillandMelindaGatesFoundation;AmericanAssociationof

Neurological Surgeons)

What percentage of researchers in the Directory are principal investigators (PI)?

43% Non-principal Investigators

N = 613

57% Principal InvestigatorsPer cent of the Directory who are principal investigators (n=348 of 613)



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How do funding agencies compare regarding number of projects and total dollars attained by Saskatchewan researchers?

Highlights: • Directoryresearchersattainedfundingforthemostgrants/projectsfromother

national, SHRF, NSERC, CIHR and other provincial sources.

Highlights: • DirectoryresearchersattainedthemostfundingdollarsfromCIHR,othernational,CFI,

and NSERC.

206

33.2

214

19.5

188

78.4

65

7.2

50

9.0

65

51.4

69

10.0

178

23.7

222

57.5

33

15.3

Private

Private

SHRF

SHRF

CFI

CFI

CIHR

CIHR

Disease Specific

Disease Specific

SSHRC

SSHRC

Other Provincial

Other Provincial

NSERC

NSERC

Other Natio

nal

Other Natio

nal

International

International

N = 348

N = 348

Funding dollars and sources of grants to principal investigators: 2005-06 to 2010-11

Number of projects and sources of grants to principal investigators: 2005-06 to 2010-11

Dolla

rs in

Mill

ions

($)



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How successful were SHRF-funded researchers at obtaining funding from other funding agencies?

Highlights: • SHRF-fundedresearchersobtainedmostfundingfromCIHR,othernational,CFI,

and other provincial funding.

Highlights: • SHRF-fundedresearcherswereresponsibleforover40%ofresearchdollarsattainedbySaskatchewan

healthresearchersfromalltheabovesources.Morespecifically,SHRF-fundedresearchersbroughtintoSaskatchewanover40%ofdiseasespecific,otherprovincialandothernationalfunding,and58%ofinternational funding.

7.82

32.5%36.5%

28.61

32.7%

2.35

23.6%

2.93

25.8%

13.25

44.8%

4.47

41.6%

9.86

44.5%

25.59

58.3%

8.95

40.3%

Private

CFI

Dolla

rs in

Mill

ions

($)

CIHR

CFI

Disease Specific

CIHR

SSHRC

Disease Specific

Other Provincial

SSHRC

NSERC

Other Provincial

Other Natio

nal

NSERC

Private

Other Natio

nal

International

International

Total

N = 118

N = 118

SHRF-funded researchers total dollars between 2005-06 and 2010-11

SHRF-funded researchers per cent of total health research dollars obtained: 2005-06 to 2010-11

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How many researchers in the Directory succeeded in attaining over a million dollars in grants and awards?Sixty-four researchers or 10 per cent of researchers in the Directory attained a million plus dollars of funding between 2005-06 and 2010-11.

How many projects and dollars in total were attained by the Directory researchers between 2005-06 and 2010-11?Researchers listed in the Directory attained funding amounting to 310 million dollars and 1200 projects.





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This was SHRF’s second effort at working with CCV/Directory data. As noted at the beginning, several limitations should be considered when interpreting these data. However, through improved methods and analysis we believe this report can be useful for the research community. Our next steps will include:

∙ Examine our methodology for future analysis of the Directory data;∙ Investigate ways to do inter-provincial comparisons; and∙ Further investigation of the relationships between health issues and research capacityThe strength of the Saskatchewan Directory of Health Researchers relies upon the voluntary input from the Saskatchewan health research community. Information about the depth and breadth of the health research community helps build a stronger case for support for health research funding in this province.We encourage all health researchers in Saskatchewan to add and update their information in the Directory and help strengthen the knowledge base of this province’s health research enterprise.

Conclusion

Building a healthy Saskatchewan through health research

Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation 253 - 111 Research Drive, Atrium Building, Innovation Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R2 Canada

Ph. 306-975-1680 | Fx. 306-975-1688 | www.shrf.ca

Documents

Health Research Capacity in Saskatchewan: A Description Report (2012)