Are you taking part in research during the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, please read this before coming onsite. BCCHR's COVID-19 studies can be found here.
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.
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Study - Pediatric Sub-study
Do you want to learn how your child’s body responds to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine? We are currently recruiting children between the ages 5-17, both with and without Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) at BC Children’s Hospital.
Our study will involve antibody testing before and after vaccination, including an optional microbiome component. The purpose is to understand how vaccine dosing schedules and pre-existing antibodies impact your long-term response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
To participate or for more info, please email gloria.yu2@cw.bc.ca with the subject line, “SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Study.”
The purpose of this study is to determine if we can use teeth to understand an individual’s early life environments and experiences.
We are currently recruiting children aged 5-10 years and their parents who live in British Columbia, Canada for this study. Participation will involve filling out a short questionnaire and mailing the tooth and questionnaire to the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. You will be mailed the questionnaire, a tube for the tooth and a stamped and addressed return envelope.
If you are interested in participating or have questions, please click here for more information or contact the study coordinator at kim.schmidt@bcchr.ca.
Call for patient partners – 'Pathways to Preeclampsia' patient advisory group
Have you ever experienced preeclampsia or another hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP)? We’d like to hear from you!
The Preeclampsia Foundation and PRE-EMPT research team at UBC are looking for six people with lived experience of preeclampsia (or other HDP) to take part in the ‘Pathways to Preeclampsia’ patient advisory group. Your experience matters and will help to inform future guidelines and people at risk.
For more information, and to apply now, please visit our project page or contact Kelly Pickerill, Research Coordinator, at kelly.pickerill@cw.bc.ca.
The Preeclampsia Registry – control group participants needed
Did you know that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality and preterm birth? You can help with preeclampsia research without having experienced a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy. The Preeclampsia Registry is currently recruiting women to serve as controls – your “normal” pregnancy will benefit researchers dedicated to helping women have healthy pregnancies without long-term consequences.
Sanatani Lab - Palpitations in Pediatric Patients Post-Ablation for Tachyarrhythmias
Volunteers needed! Dr. Sanatani’s Lab in the Division of Cardiology at BC Children’s Hospital is conducting a study to investigate palpitations in patients, post-ablation and is looking for volunteers who:
Are able to complete a survey in English language
Do not have any history of heart problems
Are between the ages of 7 to 30
If you wish to volunteer, you will be asked to complete a short 5-minute survey, which will ask about any experiences with palpitations (an abnormal awareness of heartbeat).
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.
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.
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.
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.
This month’s Research Roundup covers how increasing parent-child proximity in the first days of life can improve toddler behaviour later on, what lean body mass can tell us about the health of pediatric kidney transplant recipients, insights into the barriers to knowledge translation in Canadian pediatric health-care centres, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of saline gargle COVID-19 tests.
In the largest single country trial of the potential COVID-19 treatment remdesivir to date, researchers have found the drug reduced the need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients, when compared with standard of care.
Omicron has overtaken Delta as the most common variant in B.C. in recent weeks so what does that mean for children? The BC Children’s Hospital experts examine the most recent mutation and the effect it’s having on children in our province, so far.
This month’s Research Roundup covers a newly defined type of anxiety in parents of children with allergies, the best method for measuring serum creatinine in kids hospitalized with diabetic ketoacidosis, and the development of a new provincial pediatric diabetes registry.
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.
Do you want to learn how your child’s body responds to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine? We are currently recruiting children between the ages 5-17, both with and without Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) at BC Children’s Hospital.
We invite parents of children ages 3-12 years to participate in a study where you will learn strategies to manage your child's behavioural challenges.
The purpose of this study is to determine if we can use teeth to understand an individual’s early life environments and experiences.
Have you ever experienced preeclampsia or another hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP)? We’d like to hear from you!
Did you know that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality and preterm birth? You can help with preeclampsia research without having experienced a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy. The Preeclampsia Registry is currently recruiting women to serve as controls – your “normal” pregnancy will benefit researchers dedicated to helping women have healthy pregnancies without long-term consequences.
Volunteers needed! Dr. Sanatani’s Lab in the Division of Cardiology at BC Children’s Hospital is conducting a study to investigate palpitations in patients, post-ablation and is looking for volunteers who:
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.
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.
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. 
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.
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.
