CCCHR - Child Health Research Overview

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The importance of having child and youth health research embedded within a hospital environment.

CCCHR represents each of the 17 hospitals in Canada which support child and youth health research. We recognize that embedding research enterprise into Children’s hospitals is essential to create the necessary links between clinical care, research and education. This will ensure that the cycle of research, action, evaluation and dissemination occur in the best context to inform and improve the health of children.

Recognize that children are the first priority. The hospital environment focuses on providing quality paediatric care as a first priority. This is the perfect environment for research, as it will ensure that the best interests of all children are respected, as well as that questions asked by more fundamental researchers are informed by clinical issues facing children and their families.

Provide the ideal context for multidisciplinary strategies and care. A multidisciplinary approach, where researchers of different backgrounds work together to solve problems, often has the greatest probability of success. Research hospitals, which are home to basic, applied, clinical and outcomes researchers allow health research to happen in an integrated environment. Those involved in clinical care help ensure the research questions asked are relevant, and that new knowledge is then applied more rapidly in a clinical and/or community care setting. Research hospitals bring together all the necessary elements to ensure the best possible outcomes for the patients.

Have the necessary links to community programs and education. These connections ensure that important research findings are disseminated and communicated to the public, for the benefit of local, national and global communities.

Train the next generation of researchers and care providers. Research hospitals are the training ground for the next generation of scientists, innovators and clinical leaders poised to make a difference in children’s health. The hospitals promote cross-organizational learning and disseminate research knowledge into the health care community.