ORIHI’s annual Celebrate Research Week showcases world-class health care research

The Osler Research Institute for Health Innovation (ORIHI) and its regional partners showcased world-class health research last week, during ORIHI’s second annual Celebrate Research Week.

The week’s fulsome agenda brought together researchers, partners, government leaders and community members to highlight how innovation is advancing patient care and improving lives. Over five days of presentations, workshops, open houses and ORIHI’s inaugural Research Symposium, more than 165 researchers, presenters, co-authors and collaborators, showcased their work and explored breakthrough ideas in responsible artificial intelligence, health systems innovation, community-based research and personalized and population health.

“ORIHI brings together researchers, innovators and scholars to develop real-world solutions that enhance patient care and improve health outcomes,” said Tiziana Rivera, Executive Vice President, Quality, Research, and Chief Nursing Executive, William Osler Health System (Osler). “Celebrate Research Week gave us the opportunity to shine a light not only on the importance of research in health care and the incredible people behind it, but also to engage with our communities on what research means to them.”

Among the ORIHI researchers spotlighted were Osler physicians whose life-changing research work has been shared in international forums:

• Dr. Brandon Sheffield, Anatomical Pathologist at Osler, whose work has allowed for the customization of cancer care treatment for patients. Under his leadership, Osler became the first hospital in Canada to offer in-house, point-of-care liquid biopsy testing.
• Dr. Parneet Cheema, Head of Cancer Research at Osler, who co-authored a study on next-generation therapy for patients with advanced lung cancer.
• Dr. Shy Amlani, Physician Lead of Cardiovascular Research at Osler whose work has focused on studying the relationship between COVID-19 and heart attacks.

Since its launch in 2024, ORIHI has initiated new research studies, expanded academic engagement, forged new partnerships, and built a strong identity within the research community, leading to meaningful impacts for patients and families.

“Thanks to growing collaborations with academia, community groups and government organizations, we’re building a connected health innovation ecosystem that will train the next generation of researchers and spark new discoveries to improve care close to home,” added Tiziana Rivera. “We are grateful to all our Celebrate Research Week partners for helping shine a spotlight on the power of science and innovation.”

Initially launched to elevate the visibility and value of research across Osler and its communities, Celebrate Research Week expanded its reach this year, inspiring other organizations across Canada to join and host their own local events.

“Together, we continue to build a national movement that recognizes the power of research to change lives,” said Dr. Veronique Boscart, Chief Scientific Officer, ORIHI, who notes that more than 35 institutions and organizations were represented during local Celebrate Research Week activities in Brampton and Etobicoke. “Thank you to every presenter, partner, volunteer and attendee for making this year’s events so successful!”