Congratulations to Dr. Brenna Bath

The annual College of Medicine Research Awards (CoMRAD) results were announced with $870,000 in research funding awarded to CoM faculty. The principle investigator - Dr. Brenna Bath (Associate Professor, School of Physical Therapy and Associate Member of the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture (CCHSA) (bio link: https://medicine.usask.ca/profiles/physical-therapy/brenna-bath.php)) received one of 33 research projects from CoMRAD with her project title: “Informing an Interprofessional Chronic Back Pain Clinic in Partnership with a Northern Saskatchewan First Nation Community”.

Project overview: Chronic back disorders (CBD) are a substantial burden on individuals and societies. People living in rural and remote regions in Canada are nearly 30% more likely to report having CBD than urban dwellers, with Indigenous people reporting disproportionately higher rates. Reduced access to appropriate care is a factor that can magnify pain, physical function, quality of life and costs associated with CBD.

Using a Two-Eyed Seeing approach, our team will actively engage with a remote Cree First Nation community to: 1) identify community needs and preferences regarding management of chronic back disorders; and 2) determine the feasibility and acceptability of an interprofessional spine clinic using remote presence robot technology for chronic back pain assessment and management that honours and builds on First Nations community culture, protocols and worldview.

Given the access disparity to health services in Northern SK, this project will serve as a potential model for enhancing access to physical therapy and other health care providers in geographical regions with inequitable health service availability in a manner that is culturally appropriate and driven by community needs.