Are you taking part in research during the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, please read this before coming onsite.
When you and your family take part in research, you are helping us:
Improve treatments and find cures
Transform care with breakthrough technologies
Gain new insight into child health and development
Build healthier communities through improved prevention, policy and practice
Current Research Studies
The following studies are led by BC Children's Hospital investigators and are currently recruiting study participants. Click on the study title below for more information.
Characteristics and symptom overlap in pediatric Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
Researchers in the departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, Eating Disorders, Adolescent Medicine, and Gastroenterology at BC Children's Hospital are inviting parents and children to participate in a research study.
Families are eligible to participate if your child is between the ages of 4-18 years, is generally healthy, and does not have a diagnosis of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) or somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRD). Participating in the study involves filling out five questionnaires online, which is expected to take about 30 minutes.
To participate in this study, please go here.
You will be asked to indicate which group you are a part of. Please select Group C.
Methionine in pregnancy study
Researchers at BC Children's hospital are looking for pregnant women to participate in a nutrition study to determine methionine requirements during pregnancy. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Methionine, an amino acid found in the food we eat, is essential for the health of a growing fetus and positive birth outcomes.
Oral probiotics in pregnancy to reduce Group B Streptococcus colonization
Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacteria that is often found in parts of the body and although it is usually harmless, if GBS is passed to a baby during labour and delivery, it can make them very ill. Researchers are inviting healthy women who are less than 25 weeks pregnant with one baby to participate in their study to investigate if taking probiotics in pregnancy will prevent GBS colonization.
A lot of plant based proteins are staple foods around the world. They are a good source of many nutrients, except lysine. Lysine is an essential amino acid needed for growth and development. We want to measure how much lysine is available from plant based food, like corn and black beans, that children eat.
Navigating the healthcare, school and community systems when your child has DCD
If you are a parent of a child with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), researchers would like to hear from you about navigating the healthcare, school and community systems when managing challenges arising from your child’s motor coordination difficulties. This study will help inform government about the service needs of children with DCD and their families.
Developing and evaluating a mental health self-assessment tool for post-secondary students
More than 50% of post-secondary students experience a mental health concern. Our researchers are inviting post-secondary students to participate in focus groups to help them develop a mental health tool that will help students assess their mental health needs and link them to resources.
Researchers at UBC and BC Children's Hospital are inviting pregnant women to participate in a nutrition study to determine if natural folate is as effective as synthetic folic acid in increasing serum and red blood cell folate concentrations during pregnancy.
Evaluating virtual reality as a procedural preparation for MRI
Virtual reality has been shown to benefit individuals preparing for clinical procedures such as sedation, medical imaging, and surgeries. Researchers at BC Children's Hospital are seeking children between the ages of four to 13 to participate in a study to explore if virtual reality can be used to prepare children for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
P2RISM Study — Help improve care for moms and babies in B.C.
Are you pregnant and planning to deliver at BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre? Our researchers are studying healthy pregnant women and babies to help health care providers better interpret lab test results. This study will help providers identify and manage health problems that could impact moms and babies.
Optimizing the management of pain and irritability in children with severe neurological impairment
Photo credit: Mavreen David
Is your child experiencing pain and you don't know why? Our researchers are looking for children between the ages of six months and 18 years with neurological problems who cannot communicate verbally about their pain. The study aims to improve the management of ongoing, unexplained pain and irritability in children with severe, neurological impairments.
Development and validation of the Understanding Your Physical Symptoms and Emotions Questionnaire
Do you have physical symptoms that get in the way of your life? Researchers at BC Children's Hospital are looking for families of youth (11-18 years old) with any type of physical symptoms to help them develop a questionnaire to understand the relationship between stress and physical symptoms.
Help researchers understand what information matters to pregnant women making treatment decisions
Pregnant volunteers are needed for the UBC study "Navigating The Grey Zone." Researchers will conduct a 15 minute interview with volunteers to find out how to help pregnant women decide if they should take steroids to help their babies' lungs when faced with the possibility of an early delivery.
Do you have a toddler under 18 months old? This study will compare the effect of drinking regimens on toddler growth and development from 18 - 24 months of age.
Are you or your child being cared for at either BC Children’s Hospital or BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre? You can further medical research in a wide-range of areas by donating samples, such as blood, to the BC Children’s Hospital BioBank. A single biospecimen could fuel many research projects, any one of which might lead to an important medical breakthrough.
All samples are collected through routine medical procedures. You will not be asked to make appointments for additional procedures to donate to the BioBank. Patient confidentiality is protected by the BioBank, and personal information will never be released to anyone outside of the BioBank.
Researchers at BC Children’s Hospital, the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) are teaming up with the Vancouver School District to better understand COVID-19 transmission in Vancouver schools.
A study led by Dr. Julie Bettinger is seeking hundreds of thousands of participants both vaccinated and unvaccinated, in a web-based survey to track any potential adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines.
A new online survey by researchers at BC Children's Hospital, the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University aims to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of children, youth and adults.
We believe there’s nothing we can’t do with your support. It can take years to turn scientific breakthrough into new interventions and treatments. Funding helps speed the pace of change. When given the resources, we can bring transformative therapies – and hope – out of the laboratory and into the clinic to save and improve children’s lives.
Researchers in the departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, Eating Disorders, Adolescent Medicine, and Gastroenterology at BC Children's Hospital are inviting parents and children to participate in a research study.
Researchers at BC Children's hospital are looking for pregnant women to participate in a nutrition study to determine methionine requirements during pregnancy. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Methionine, an amino acid found in the food we eat, is essential for the health of a growing fetus and positive birth outcomes.
Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacteria that is often found in parts of the body and although it is usually harmless, if GBS is passed to a baby during labour and delivery, it can make them very ill. Researchers are inviting healthy women who are less than 25 weeks pregnant with one baby to participate in their study to investigate if taking probiotics in pregnancy will prevent GBS colonization.
A lot of plant based proteins are staple foods around the world. They are a good source of many nutrients, except lysine. Lysine is an essential amino acid needed for growth and development. We want to measure how much lysine is available from plant based food, like corn and black beans, that children eat.
If you are a parent of a child with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), researchers would like to hear from you about navigating the healthcare, school and community systems when managing challenges arising from your child’s motor coordination difficulties. This study will help inform government about the service needs of children with DCD and their families. 
More than 50% of post-secondary students experience a mental health concern. Our researchers are inviting post-secondary students to participate in focus groups to help them develop a mental health tool that will help students assess their mental health needs and link them to resources. 
Researchers at UBC and BC Children's Hospital are inviting pregnant women to participate in a nutrition study to determine if natural folate is as effective as synthetic folic acid in increasing serum and red blood cell folate concentrations during pregnancy.
Virtual reality has been shown to benefit individuals preparing for clinical procedures such as sedation, medical imaging, and surgeries. Researchers at BC Children's Hospital are seeking children between the ages of four to 13 to participate in a study to explore if virtual reality can be used to prepare children for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Are you pregnant and planning to deliver at BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre? Our researchers are studying healthy pregnant women and babies to help health care providers better interpret lab test results. This study will help providers identify and manage health problems that could impact moms and babies.
Do you have physical symptoms that get in the way of your life? Researchers at BC Children's Hospital are looking for families of youth (11-18 years old) with any type of physical symptoms to help them develop a questionnaire to understand the relationship between stress and physical symptoms.
Pregnant volunteers are needed for the UBC study "Navigating The Grey Zone." Researchers will conduct a 15 minute interview with volunteers to find out how to help pregnant women decide if they should take steroids to help their babies' lungs when faced with the possibility of an early delivery.
Do you have a toddler under 18 months old? This study will compare the effect of drinking regimens on toddler growth and development from 18 - 24 months of age. 
Are you or your child being cared for at either BC Children’s Hospital or BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre? You can further medical research in a wide-range of areas by donating samples, such as blood, to the BC Children’s Hospital BioBank. A single biospecimen could fuel many research projects, any one of which might lead to an important medical breakthrough.
