Through its 13-year history, KBHN has established a track record as an internationally recognized evidence-based multidisciplinary network that generates and mobilizes critical knowledge and innovation most relevant to communities and families. Working with partner organizations, KBHN research teams have created numerous innovation outputs, including policy documents, commercial products, copyrights, license agreements, new clinical practice guidelines, and training packages.
The initial Cycle III research projects were identified based on evidence of efficacy and the presence of appropriate implementation partners. Each project was provided with support from KBHN central administration in the principles of implementation science, an emerging and rapidly evolving field which focuses on how effective interventions are disseminated and implemented across the spectrum of contexts and settings in order to become embedded into routine practice to improve individual and population health.
Funded through a competitive application process based on the probability of achieving impact through research excellence, five New Implementation Projects (IPs) were selected from KBHN’s pipeline of research that originated in Cycle II.
KBHN conducted an open competition for new research initiatives under the umbrella of the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) which resulted in 21 submissions, from which the five strongest applications were funded through a highly competitive process. Importantly, the SIF projects were required to bring external partner financial support that matched the NCE contribution at least 1:1, and also include family/patient stakeholders as members of the research team.
Previously funded projects overview
Cycle I – Building the Network
The Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) was established in 2010 as an interdisciplinary network of researchers and clinicians to address fundamental questions of early brain development with the specific goal of mobilizing this knowledge to improve the lives of children living with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. The initial research projects funded by KBHN focussed on the interaction between genes and the environment. This knowledge has led to a better understanding of the origins of three highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disabilities, namely Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy (CP), and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
In mid-Cycle I, a Strategic Advisory Committee of stakeholders knowledgeable about research, training, and knowledge translation supported a board-led strategic planning process. This process’s key outcome was to shift the focus of KBHN’s research programs toward application-based research.
Cycle II – Strengthening Connections
Cycle II was characterized by incorporating new cross-cutting themes that expanded the scope of the Network’s activities. More specifically, to promote change for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, attention was focused on the child’s critical role and family’s social environment as a predictor of outcomes. Also, new initiatives were introduced to address issues that are common across virtually all neurodevelopmental disabilities. These include comorbidities such as sleep disruption and the fragmented systems of support that families struggle to navigate.
Physical Activity Strategies to Enhance Children’s Development
Challenge Raising children with neurodisabilities is often isolating and stressful [...]
Genomics/Epigenetics of CP in Preterm-born Infants
Challenge Premature infants are the largest subgroup of children with [...]
Connecting Families to FASD Support
Challenge Families and individuals with FASD often struggle when it [...]
Development of a Genomic Assessment Tool for Early Identification of Infants and children at risk for FASD
Challenge Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which results from prenatal [...]
Integrated Navigational Support for Families of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
A Pilot in Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Challenge [...]
Making a difference to families caring for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD)
Challenge For families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD), significant [...]
ASD Pathways
Challenge While there has been little research done about the [...]
Biorepository cohort (PROMISE)
Challenge A child's genetic susceptibility to the environment is usually [...]
The Neuroethics Core
Challenge New biomarkers, new treatments, and new methods: scientific advancements [...]
FASD Gaming Website
Challenge Social skills significantly impair children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum [...]
Quantitative modelling of spontaneous movement in infants
Challenge In young babies, assessment of their motions has been [...]
The Use of Video Games to Improve Cognition in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Challenge Video games place a high demand on our cognitive [...]
One-Stop-Database-Shop for Genomics Data on Brain-Based Disabilities
Challenge A lot of genomics data has been published on [...]
The Neuroinformatics Core
Challenge Neuroscience is a broad field with a vast array [...]
The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Registry
Challenge While cerebral palsy is the most common physical impairment [...]
The ASD Demonstration Project: Neuroimaging and Function
Challenge Right now, autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed based on [...]
The ASD Demonstration Project: Next-Generation Genome Sequencing and Identification of Rare DNA Variants
Challenge Autism spectrum disorder often runs in families. For example, [...]
Focusing on Strengths Rather than Deficits in FASD Interventions (OIP)
Challenge Approximately 1 in 100 children per year affected by [...]
The ASD Demonstration Project: Clinical Utility Studies
Challenge An autism spectrum disorder diagnosis gives parents and guardians [...]
The ASD Demonstration Project: Identifying Early Behavioural Biomarkers
Challenge Kids in Canada with autism spectrum disorder do not [...]
The Knowledge – Translation Core
Challenge It is no secret that there is often a [...]
The ASD Demonstration Project: Sleep: A Comorbidity Across Disorders
Challenge Upward of 90 percent of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities [...]
The ASD Demonstration Project: Translation of Genomic Discoveries into Clinical Practice
Challenge A person’s genome could contain useful information about their [...]
Gaining a Better Understanding of Perinatal Stroke
Challenge The time around birth (known as the perinatal period) [...]
