Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)

📣REMINDER: Join us today at noon for the ECS Rounds exploring the development and validation of a new AI-based tool designed to identify premature newborns at risk at the time of birth through a collaboration between Stanford Medicine and .

🔗Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84122810121?pwd=WDRzUE8yR1dhdlFHRkI0dVFIUFpkQT09

Meeting ID: 841 2281 0121
Passcode: 1234

Join us for the next ECS Rounds exploring the development and validation of a new AI-based tool designed to identify premature newborns at risk at the time of birth through a collaboration between Stanford Medicine and .

📅 Wednesday, May 28
🕛 12:00–1:00 PM

🔗Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84122810121?pwd=WDRzUE8yR1dhdlFHRkI0dVFIUFpkQT09

Meeting ID: 841 2281 0121
Passcode: 1234

In recognition of Brain Tumour Awareness Month, is highlighting new research on glioblastoma care in Ontario over a 25-year period (1994–2018).

The study found that more aggressive treatment approaches have become increasingly common, with 2-year survival rates improving from 10% to 18% over the study period. Researchers also observed a reduction in time spent in hospital — both in the total number of days and as a proportion of survival time — despite patients receiving more intensive care.

Although the study did not examine how patients spent this additional time, the findings may point to patients having more quality time outside of hospital. Overall, the results demonstrate continued progress in glioblastoma care and may help inform future treatment decisions for patients, clinicians and health systems alike.

🔗Read the study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/a-population-based-cohort-study-of-glioblastoma-who-grade-4-gliomas-in-ontario/

What are we learning from recent research on treatment retention, maternal health, and continuity of care?

ICYMI: This week’s studies explore faster adjustment of opioid agonist therapy in the context of fentanyl, risks in pregnancy among people with chronic inflammatory conditions, and how continuity in primary care can shape end-of-life outcomes.

Plus upcoming events on health data access, research data management, and Canada’s digital health community, along with recent ICES coverage on opioid harms, infectious disease preparedness, and gaps in preventive screening!

🔗Read the edition: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/may-15-22-2026-ices-research-institute-1ggre

CAHSPR 2026 is almost here (Ottawa, May 26–28), and is pleased to be there as a bronze sponsor, showcasing new data on how care delivery is changing across the health system.

Our scientists will be sharing findings that speak to how services are being used and how system design can influence patient outcomes.

Aaron Jones will present a five-year population-based study exploring whether the rise in virtual care is linked to recent declines in family physician home visits, including a notable shift where many physicians have reduced or stopped providing home visits altogether.

David Savage will highlight evidence on the role of prevention and primary care in reducing hospital admissions among emergency department patients, underscoring how continuity of care before and after ED visits can help prevent avoidable hospitalizations.

Alyson Mahar will present on the availability of national gastric cancer staging data for cancer health services research, emphasizing how population-stage data is essential for advancing research and improving outcomes for rare and fatal malignancies like stomach cancer.

We encourage attendees to visit the ICES booth during the conference. Come by to learn more about our work, connect with the team, and join the conversation on improving health system performance.

We’re proud to see our staff representing ICES at CAHSPR 2026 in Ottawa (May 26–28), where we are also a bronze sponsor of this year’s conference.

From examining regional variation in dementia care across Ontario, to understanding how geography shapes access to breast cancer treatment, to exploring severity and care pathways in withdrawal management services, to highlighting how outpatient electroconvulsive therapy after psychiatric hospitalization may reduce psychiatric readmission risk, our team is contributing important evidence to support more equitable, high-quality health system planning.

Join us at the booth during the conference—we’d love to connect with attendees, share our work, and hear your perspectives. Be sure to drop by and say hello!

ICYMI: This week’s research and events roundup highlights new evidence shaping health policy, patient care, and equitable decision-making across Canada.

📌 New studies explored:
• Dementia, frailty, and end-of-life hospital transfers among long-term care residents
• A race-free kidney survival prediction model for dialysis and transplant patients
• Opioid use during pregnancy among individuals with disabilities

📅 Plus, upcoming opportunities from HDRN Canada, OSSU, and UBC focused on data access, patient-oriented research, and digital storytelling.

📰 In the news: expert perspectives on youth self-harm, endometriosis and birth-defect risk, and lessons from a cruise ship hantavirus outbreak.

Read more in this edition of the ICYMI newsletter ➡️https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/may-8-15-2026-ices-research-institute-gm5ke

What if the earliest signs of multiple sclerosis begin decades before MS symptom onset?

This Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, we’re highlighting research that examined health care patterns up to 29 years before MS symptom onset. The study found that individuals who later developed MS had higher rates of health-care use related to mental health conditions, nervous system issues, digestive problems, and other non-specific symptoms long before MS symptom onset.

“First, findings tells us that MS may start earlier than we previously thought. This is very important when we search for the cause(s) of MS. We need to look much further back in time to avoid thinking something causes MS when in actual fact the disease has already started. Second, findings suggest that there is potential to recognize and perhaps diagnose and manage MS earlier with the view of preventing or slowing progression of the disease,” said Helen Tremlett, PhD, Professor in Neurology, University of British Columbia, Canada, and lead author of the study.

“However, it is also important to remember that we’re looking at patterns of healthcare use in large groups of people. The vast majority of people who visit the doctor for the issues we found will not develop MS. No one should feel alarmed or concerned by our findings. Our findings alone are not sufficient to predict who will develop MS.”

These findings contribute to a growing understanding that there may be a long phase of disease before MS symptom onset - creating opportunities for earlier recognition, improved monitoring, and deeper insight into how the disease develops over time.

At , population-based health research helps uncover critical evidence that can inform better care and health-system planning for people across Ontario.

🔗 Read the study: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/phenotyping-healthcare-use-2-3-decades-before-the-first-multiple-sclerosis-demyelinating-event-2/

Swipe through to learn more ↔️

We’re looking forward to CAHSPR 2026 in Ottawa (May 26–28), where is proud to be a bronze sponsor and to support our trainees sharing their work on a national stage.

Our student presentations this year explore timely questions in health system performance and mental health care.

Shreedhar Acharya will present findings on factors linked to adherence to opioid agonist therapy in Ontario, drawing on a large longitudinal population-based analysis of treatment patterns over time.

Erica Wennberg will present research comparing virtual and in-person follow-up care for youth after hospital visits for more severe mental health concerns, offering real-world evidence on safety and effectiveness in the absence of randomized trials.

Sorina Andrei will present research showing that children of immigrant mothers from high gender-inequality countries who experienced violence faced higher risks of mental illness, highlighting the importance of trauma-informed supports for violence-exposed mothers and children.

We’re especially excited to support the next generation of researchers as they contribute evidence that can directly inform policy and care delivery.

If you’re attending CAHSPR, come visit the ICES booth—we’d love to meet you, talk about our work, and hear your perspectives.