SAPCReN

The Southern Alberta Primary Care Research Network is a multidisciplinary collaboration of primary care health providers and academic primary care researchers working to rigorously address research questions derived from clinical practice. Primary care clinics are located in urban and rural areas which include Calgary, Airdrie, Sundre, Taber, Pincher Creek, and Claresholm. 

Our office is located in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary.

SAPCReN supports research relevant to the primary care setting, with a wide range of studies relating to topics such as disease prevention and health promotion, screening and early diagnosis, surveillance, and management of various health conditions. Research studies are designed to provide timely and scientifically rigorous outcomes with local relevance and international significance.
 

Organization

Dr. Kerry McBrien is one of the Co-Directors of SAPCReN-CPCSSN. Dr. McBrien is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and a clinician-researcher with an active practice in family medicine. Her research focus is on health services and economics, with a specific interest in models of care that can improve the quality and efficiency of chronic disease management.

Dr. Stephanie Garies is one of the Co-Directors of SAPCReN-CPCSSN. Dr. Garies is a postdoctoral fellow exploring the use of artificial intelligence methods to enhance information about patients’ social determinants of health from electronic medical records (EMR). She received her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Calgary (2020) and her MPH (Public Health) at the University of Warwick in the U.K. (2010). Her research interests include primary care EMR data quality, methods for data improvement and disease surveillance and primary health care research using the CPCSSN database.

Boglarka (Larka) Soos is our local data manager. She has a background in Applied Math (BSc Honors, UofC; MMath, uWaterloo) and is a current PhD Student at the Department of Community Health Science (Biostatistics) at the University of Calgary. Her research interests include secondary data analysis, machine learning, and heart failure.

Himasara Pathiraja is a Research Associate working with SAPCReN-CPCSSN. She has a background in public health (MScPH, McGill University). Her research interests include the use of routinely collected data for chronic disease management and prevention, and diabetes, CKD and dementia in primary care.

Aimie Lee is a Research Assistant working with SAPCReN-CPCSSN. Aimie received her Bachelor of Health Sciences (Health & Society) from the University of Calgary and is a current student in the University of Calgary’s Bachelor of Nursing degree-holder program. She has previous work experience in a variety of healthcare settings at the University of Calgary, Alberta Health Services, and various private clinics. Aimie’s research interests lie at the intersection of public health, health services, and knowledge translation/implementation science.

Jonathan Gerber is a Research Assistant working with SAPCReN-CPCSSN. Jonathan received his Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience) from the University of Lethbridge. He has research experience in cardiac arrhythmia and is currently a Research Assistant on the CanTreatCOVID clinical trial and the Family Medicine Professional Choices (FMProC) project. Jonathan's research interests include treatments for acute COVID, methods for improving physician training in Canada, and behavioral neuroscience.

Primary Care Provider Advisory Panel 

Our Primary Care Provider (PCP) Advisory Panel is a volunteer group of practicing primary care providers in southern Alberta who provide advice and recommendations on various research projects or funding applications to ensure the work is relevant, feasible, and important to primary health care.