EMBEDDING RESEARCH INTO CLINICAL CARE
Baycrest's Sam and Ida Ross Memory
Clinic is at the forefront of this new
research era. As a founding member
of the Toronto Dementia Research
Alliance (TDRA), Baycrest is piloting
the first shared database of its kind,
integrating client care with big data
collection for research.
This project translates standardized
neurological assessments from pen
and paper tests to electronic versions,
which enables data to be captured
within the TDRA database. These
research data can then be shared
across institutions, providing access to
a greater pool of research participants.
The TDRA database, supported
by the Government of Canada
and Brain Canada, is a new model
of collaborative research being
implemented by Dr. Strother,
Dr. Morris Freedman, RRI Senior
Clinician Investigator and Baycrest's
Head, Division of Neurology, and
Dr. David Tang-Wai, Co-Director of the
University Health Network's Memory
Clinic and Scientist at the Krembil
Research Institute.
A consistent approach in data
collection will lead to rich information
records and help researchers identify
characteristics of different types of
dementia, understand patterns of
progression, and create infrastructure
for rapid clinical trials and proof-of-
concept studies.
2017–2018 YEAR IN REVIEW 15
Visit us online to learn more about Dr. Morris Freedman
and other RRI clinician investigators here.
